President Ilham Aliyev has attended the opening of a regional information center for people with disabilities built in Yevlakh on the initiative of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. 

The center staff and local residents warmly welcomed the head of state.

The head of state cut the ribbon symbolizing the opening of the center.

It was noted that the center was built as part of Heydar Aliyev Foundation’s project “On facilitating the access of the blind and visually impaired people to the ICT”. The projects on the development of education, health and culture being implemented by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in Azerbaijan are well under way in the country’s regions too. The project “On facilitating the access of the blind and visually impaired people to the ICT” aims to identify the needs of this category for the ICT, establish a library and an education center at a boarding school for children in this category, thus ensuring complete use of these opportunities, provide additional training, create a model ICT class at a boarding school for these children.

It was noted that the project is part of an agreement signed between the United Nations Development Program and the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in 2006. A group of technical experts has been set up. It includes an international expert on assessing ICT needs, a national ICT expert and a national training consultant. An Advisory Board has begun to operate. Thus far, as part of the project, regional centers have been established in two regions – Nakhchivan and Ganja.

It was noted that the three-storey building of the center constructed in the Heydar Aliyev Avenue has five classrooms, a training room, an audio studio, a library and other facilities. Model ICT classrooms have been created and fitted with equipment delivered from abroad. A library and training centers have started to operate. Thus, a major step has been taken to enhance the opportunities of blind and visually impaired children in using the books in Braille. Work has also been done to create an audio library for the visually impaired and all the required literature in audio format. This process continues. In order to search for information on the Internet, a computer center has been set up.

Work has been carried out to train teachers who will conduct lessons for the blind and visually impaired people. Special software “Virgo” has been translated into Azerbaijani and localized.

It was noted that in order to identify ICT needs of blind and visually impaired people in different regions of Azerbaijan, a survey has been conducted among 12,000 people and a “National strategy for the elimination of digital difference” developed. The center, fitted with foreign equipment, has “Pronto” and “Brayl” printers and other necessary equipment.

The President praised the work done at the center and congratulated its staff.