Malta gives disabled people technology assistance

From The Independent in Malta:

The government is to give financial assistance to the National Commission for Persons with Disability and the Foundation for Information Technology Accessibility for new initiatives which will make it possible for more disabled persons to have access to information and communication technology.

Austin Gatt, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Communication yesterday presented the aid to the last group from among 270 disabled persons, who are benefiting from the SmartSmart scheme, launched in February, under which disabled persons or others with low income can obtain a reconditioned computer for their home.

Dr Gatt said they should try to see more people taking the Internet into their home. That was why they were helping families benefiting from social assistance and voluntary associations. There were in all some 800 applications.

The government over the last months launched various initiatives, including the Blueskies scheme under which more people had a broadband service for e3 a month; and the PC scheme for e0.99 per day, with a 16 per cent rebate on the purchase of a new computer.The number of homes in Malta which had the Internet has risen to 57 per cent, the use of Internet banking had gone up by two per cent, and there was more use of public services, with 92 per cent of services online.