The European Federation of Hard of Hearing People (EFHOH) delegation, Lidia Best and Paulina Lewandowska, participated in the High-Level Conference on Disability – Assistive Technology and Accessible Digital Technology: Empowering Participation, held in Dublin on 22-23 October.
The conference brought together representatives of EU Member States, civil society organisations, policymakers, disability advocates, and other stakeholders to discuss the crucial role of assistive and accessible digital technologies in promoting participation, independence, and inclusion for persons with disabilities.
Our President, Lidia Best, moderated Panel 5: “Is the EU Single Market Delivering Access to Assistive Technology?”, with Katrin Langensiepen, Member of the European Parliament (Greens/EFA), Vice-Chair of EMPL and member of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO), Sandra Torres, Director of International Affairs, Marsi Bionics, and Gerry Maguire, Chief Executive Officer, Spina Bifi da Hydrocephalus Ireland, discussing the role of EU regulations and investing in innovations to benefit users of assistive technology.
EDF’s long-awaited report on Assistive Technologies has seen its official launch. And EFHOH is pleased that our latest report “The State of Hearing Aids and Cochlear Implant Provision in Europe”, which examines access to hearing devices across European countries has been included, and the conference was a space to discuss it more.
Jonathan E. Wahlström, also attended the conference in his capacity as an Executive Board Member of the European Disability Forum (EDF), participating in Panel 1: Understanding Assistive Technology.
The conference provided an excellent start to much-needed discussions around the importance of assistive technologies in our lives and contributed greatly to the EU Commission Flagship on Enhanced Strategy on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Dublin conference was an important start to shaping stronger cooperation and policy measures to remove barriers and ensure everyone can access the assistive technologies they need to live independently. EFHOH continues its advocacy to ensure no one is left behind and gets the right support when they need it.
