A New Zealand Internet First For Disabled People

Association Of Blind Citizens Of New Zealand

A New Zealand Internet First For Disabled People

The Association of Blind Citizens of New Zealand will this year be broadcasting the entire proceedings of its 2002 conference on the Internet, through server facilities donated by ACB Radio.

“The Association is an organisation of Blind People speaking for ourselves, and I am very excited at the opportunity presented to us to showcase our activities to what is potentially, a very wide audience. We believe that this is the first time in New Zealand that an organisation of disabled people has taken its main event to the Internet, and we are very appreciative of the support given to us by the American Council of the Blind” Vaughan Dodd, National President said. ACB Radio is heard via the Internet in more than 70 countries and its director is Jonathan Mosen, this Association’s Immediate Past President.

“I invite everyone interested in how blind people make a difference in our own lives to visit the Association’s most important annual event and to learn first hand about the positive contributions we make throughout New Zealand and around the world” Mr Dodd said.

This year’s conference is in Christchurch at the Sudima Grand Chancellor Hotel and profiles the theme of Blindness in the Family. Our Annual General Meeting is held during Conference and we have a number of discussions scheduled, including addressing the future role of the Association in a climate of change.

If you have a Windows-based computer with a sound card, and a 33.6 K modem or faster, you will be able to hear the conference live. A full set of archives will also be available permanently on the ACB Radio site at the conclusion of Conference. You can listen using a current version of RealPlayer, Windows Media Player, or Winamp. These programmes are free, and can be downloaded from the ACB Radio site. To tune in, visit ACB Radio at http://www.acbradio.org.

The link at the top of the home page reads "Live Coverage of the Association of Blind Citizens of New Zealand's Annual Conference 4-6 October". Choose this link, and you'll be taken to a page containing links for listening, a brief outline of the Agenda, and ways that you can interact with the broadcast via e-mail and instant messaging software.

If you have any issues with listening, technical support is available by sending e-mail to support@acbradio.org.

“Join us and make this year’s Conference the biggest we’ve ever had” Mr Dodd concluded.

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