December 29, 2005 . . . The two-day IBM Accessibility Forum 2005 in Tokyo brought together about 100 participants representing central and local governments, non-profit organizations and people with disabilities. The forum was co-sponsored by the IBM Accessibility Center and the IBM Diversity Team in Japan, with the goal of generating multi-discipline collaboration to advance the environment for people with disabilities in education and at work. The Japanese government has made advanced information technology a national priority and actively is addressing the digital divide and barriers to information. Additionally, the government has greatly assisted people with disabilities by instituting numerous improvements in the workplace aimed at creating more independence.
At the same time, the IBM Japan Accessibility Center has actively been conducting research and development in accessible technology to aid senior citizens and people with disabilities to accelerate their participation in society.
This was the fifth Accessibility Forum sponsored by the IBM Japan Accessibility Center. Takashi Saitoh said the conclusion of the attendees was "if we all work collectively, using our expertise, we will be successful in creating an accessible society."