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The Malta Independent | Thursday 24 March 2016
Independent living for visually impaired through assistive devices T
The value of moving towards cloud computing service
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loud computing is playing a major role in our everyday lives and business activities. In fact various benefits can be gained from this ever-growing technology which can be used to solve a number of challenges that our community is trying to solve. To this extent two events are being organised by the Malta Information Technology Agency (MITA) and the Malta Communications Authority (MCA) on Tuesday 5th April. The first event will be held at the Le Meridien Hotel St. Julian’s in which a number of speakers will explain and present various case studies about the use of Cloud Computing at local context. This conference will be ended by a closing address from the Parliamentary secretary for Competitiveness and Economic Growth Hon Jose Herrera followed by a networking lunch. Keynote speakers for this cloud computing event include Dr. Godwin Caruana, Dr. Tobias Höllwarth and Maurice van der Woude. Dr. Tobias Höllwarth is a founding member of EuroCloud Austria and editor of the book “Migrating to the Cloud” Dr. Höllwarth has worked as a corporate consultant specialised in IT projects for over 20 years. In addition to his work at the Vienna University of Economics and Business he also founded the company Höllwarth Consulting in the year 1991. On the other hand Maurice van der Woude is general director of EuroCloud Europe has been working in the consultancy area for almost 20 years and has been involved in major changes in national and international organizations to make them move to more efficient and cost effective organisations. Dr. Godwin Caruana is MITA’s Chief Technology Officer who possesses a PhD with a research focus on High Performance Computing, Algorithms & Machine Learning. Dr. Caruana has a combination of more than 20 years of experience as well as formal academic background giving him a very strong insight and knowledge in various IT disciplines, research, adoption, implementation and governance areas. A second event will be held at the University Of Malta where students particularly from the Faculty of ICT, FEMA, Engineering and Sciences will have the opportunity to meet experts in the field of Cloud Computing who will discuss the benefits and challenges when making use of such a technology. To register for this Seminar Event please visit mita.gov.mt/cloudcomputingseminar
he Foundation for Information Technology Accessibility (FITA) is the principal advocate and coordinator for making information communications technology (ICT) accessible for disabled people in the Maltese islands. Our information services assist disabled individuals in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device, intended to increase, maintain, or improve the individual’s quality of life. Our principle function is to provide support to disabled individuals in overcoming or removing barriers to education and employment through ICT. Through empowerment and social inclusion disabled persons need to rely less on family and state support. In ensuring that due steps are taken to minimise the digital divide, we aim to enable individuals to contribute productively to society and the economy. FITA courses are based around the proven principle that through empowerment and social inclusion disabled persons need to rely less on family and state support. In ensuring that due steps are taken to minimise the digital divide, we aim to enable individuals to contribute productively to society and the economy. These courses are based on the ECDL certification and were recently updated to incorporate the educational standards established via the Malta Qualifications Council. The foundation provides spe-
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The Malta Independent | Thursday 24 March 2016
The Malta Independent ICT Feature MITA Communications and PR Team
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cialised ICT Training services for non-sighted and partially sighted individuals who are registered as disabled persons with the National Commission Persons with Disability (Malta). The training is carried out a one to one basis, and can start from basic computer awareness up to word processing, audio editing, the Internet and email. During an event held at the MITA Head Office on 17th March 2016, FITA in collaboration with ADVICE demonstrated various assistive devices that will ultimately improve the quality of life for Visually Impaired People. ADVICE is a non profit organisation which plans to open a centre whereby the visually impaired can try out a range of devices that can lead to a more independent life. Some notable assistive devices on display were Prodigi, Brilliant Reader and Victor Reader Stream. In particular Prodigi is a portable device which can change the screen colour, font,
size and voice as required as per user’s requirements. This tool can also take a snap shot of the document/book and it is read out to the user. Victor Reader Stream give the user the ability to listen to magazines, music and more. FITA also works closely with the Directorate for Life Long Learning and Maltese College for Art Science and Technology (MCAST), in order to organise a set of IC courses geared for persons with an intellectual or communication disability. These courses have been a resounding success since they first started as a pilot project. Computer course for the deaf with a sign language interpreter are also organised. Every month FITA organize information session for the general public who want to be more aware about our work. For more information on FITA please visit www.fitamalta.eu or send an email on info@fitamalta.eu
loud computing is playing a major role in our everyday lives and business activities. MITA and MCA are organising two seminar events on Tuesday 5th April. This conference will be ended by a closing address from the Parliamentary secretary for Competitiveness and Economic Growth Hon Jose Herrera followed by a networking lunch. During an event held at the
MITA Head Office on 17th March 2016, FITA in collaboration with ADVICE demonstrated various assistive devices that will ultimately improve the quality of life for Visually Impaired People. All ICT Features are available on www.mita.gov.mt/ictfeature