Improving the living conditions of the most needy collectives, particularly persons with disability and seniors, by means of the new Information and Communication Technologies, constitutes the principal goal of Fundación Telefónica in the field of telemedicine, teleassistance and disability.
The activity of the Telefónica Group, and specifically of Fundación Telefónica, in this regard is based on carrying out significant R&D mainly aimed to increasing the accessibility of these groups to information, communication, training and employment, making possible improved health care and assistance to seniors, ill persons, persons with disabilities or those without protection, and helping to provide education for health and prevention of several diseases and disabilities.
Among the projects carried out or supported by Fundación Telefónica in the area of disability, in all cases with the collaboration of firmly established and prestigious institutions, are the following: Merc@dis, a specific job seeking portal for persons with disability; the demonstration unit for equipment adapted to persons with disability of the CEAPAT; or project SICLA, which provides advanced technology for alternative communication.
In addition, Fundación Telefónica has again collaborated with various social organisations, providing the technical means needed to carry out initiatives meant to increase public awareness and participation.
Retadis is a project supported by the State Secretariat of Telecommunications and Information Society by the announcement of 2006 for aids to carry out actions meant for inclusion of persons with disability and seniors in the information society, within the framework of Plan Avanza.
The goal of the project is to build a TERRITORIAL NETWORK OF COMPUTERS ADAPTED TO PERSONS WITH DISABILITY with nationwide implementation in the 17 autonomous communities and the 2 autonomous cities Ceuta and Melilla.
http://www.retadis.es
The main priority of the Merc@dis project is to promote employment of persons with disability as a means to promote their labour insertion by using the new information and communications technologies, and particularly the Internet.
The main goal of the Merc@dis project is to provide a virtual job bank to put in contact persons with disability and companies, without middlemen, allowing them to exchange resumes and offers.
In addition, the portal offers informative services related to employment of persons with disability, such as legal information, associative actions and corporate actions that favour labour integration, training actions for users and professionals and scholarships, courses or training activities, as well as information on public employment announcements.
The portal also provides updated information on the legislation in force on this subject and directories of organisations of the sector that might be useful, such as Associations and Special Employment Centres.
The Merc@dis project was created in 1999 by an initiative of Fundación Telefónica, with the coordination and technical support of ATAM and the collaboration of Telefónica Soluciones. important institutions related to the sector of disability, employment and social economics are associated to this project.
ATAM is responsible for the technical management of the Merc@dis project, managing its contents.
http://www.mercadis.com
The collaboration with CEAPAT (State Centre for Personal Autonomy and Technical Aids), belonging to the IMSERSO (Social Services Institute of Madrid), is the result of a Framework Collaboration Agreement reached with IMSERSO in July 1999, subsequently renewed so far until July 2007. The relationship with CEAPAT is based on four items:
- Adapted Equipment Demonstration Unit
- CEAPAT Portal
- Digital Home
- Design for All Workshop
http://www.ceapat.org
