WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2598/97 by David HALLAM to the Commission. Availability of European Commission documents in braille and audiotape format
Date: 1997-09-01
Institutions: European Parliament, HALLAM
Subjects: EU programme, EU publication, access to EU information, computer equipment, facilities for people with disabilities, language teaching, magnetic medium, optical medium, physically disabled person

11. 3. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 76/129

The  development  of  an  (cid:145)Erasmus  apprenticeship  scheme(cid:146),  the  development  of  educational  software,  and  the
networking of schools are new areas to be worked. Generally speaking, encouraging creativity and the skills
needed to integrate into active life in a changing world is the focal point of concerns relating to the follow-up to
education, training, youth and research programmes.

(1)  COM(95) 590.
(2)  COM(97) 256.

(98/C 76/245)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2598/97

by David Hallam (PSE) to the Commission

(1 September 1997)

Subject: Availability of European Commission documents in braille and audiotape format

Further to the Commission(cid:146)s answer (dated 6 February 1997) to my Question E-4117/96 (1) on the availability of
the  Helios  II  Guide  to  Good  Practice,  will  it  indicate  what  the  estimated  cost  would  be  of  specially  adapted
computer equipment so that people would have access to Helios II information by braille or audiotape?

Will the Commission indicate whether it plans to make all its documentation intended for giving guidance to the
public available in CD-ROM format or other formats facilitating the use of braille or audiotape?

Will  the  Commission  outline  the  steps  taken  to  consult  public  bodies  which  serve  the  visually-impaired
community  so  as  to  ascertain  how  the  European  Union(cid:146)s  accessibility  and  service  in  this  respect  may  be
improved?

Can the Commission indicate whether any funding is earmarked for the translation of EU or other documents into
braille or onto audiotape and whether the Commission is likely to issue any calls for tender for such work?

Will the Commission indicate whether Leonardo and ESF programme information is available in braille and
audiovisual format?

(1)  OJ C 138, 5.5.1997, p. 178.

Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission

(10 September 1997)

The Commission has no information concerning the estimated cost of adapting computer equipment to enable
people to access Helios II information by braille or audio tape. However, given that this information is available
on diskette, it should already be accessible to most existing personal computer (PC) users.

The demands already being made on the Commission’s resources make it unlikely that all official documents will
be made available in CD ROM format. However, it is the intention of the Commission to publish on CD ROM the
conclusions of the Helios II programme so as to provide all interested parties with the results of that programme.

The Commission is in contact with representatives of the visually impaired community and is always ready to
hear any representations they might like to make concerning the accessibility and service of the Community in
this respect.

There  is  no  specific  funding  for  the  translation  of  Community  documents  into  braille  or  onto  audio-tape.
However, such translations have taken place in the past for specific documents. It should be borne in mind in this
regard that technological advances, e.g. diskettes, mean that visually impaired people can access Community
information either via their own PCs or those of their associations.

Information on Leonardo and the European social fund (ESF) is not available in braille format although certain
information on both is available via the Internet.

Nevertheless,  within  the  Leonardo  da  Vinci  programme  there  has  been  financed  a  project  for  (cid:145)Training  for
teaching languages for vocational purposes for the visually impaired(cid:146). The detailed project description is being
sent direct to the Honourable Member and to the Parlimaent(cid:146)s secretariat.