On Monday, January 3, 2013, ESVI-AL project participated in the workshop titled “The integrity of the community with disability”, an event organized by the Health Commission and Public Assistance of the Congress of the Republic of Guatemala.

More than 70 people assisted to the workshop, there were representatives of different Organizations of People with Disability (ODP) in Guatemala. The speakers that took part were Silvia Quan, B.S. (Advocate of People with Disability of the National Council of Human Rights of Guatemala), Rosaidalia Aldana, B.S. (Little People Association of Guatemala), Dr. Juan Carlos Lorenti (Head of the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Social Security of Guatemala, IGSS [Acronym in Spanish] and head of the National Council for the attention of People with Disability, CONADI [Acronym in Spanish] ), Dr. Leonel Sánchez (Advisor of the Health Commission of the Congress of Guatemala), Roberto Alejos Cambara, B.S. (Congressman) and Roberto Kestler Velásquez, B.S. (Congressman-President of the Health Commission and Public Assistance).

In the workshop there were round tables for dialogue and discussion to discuss the viability of the different proposals that were presented. The spokesperson in each table presented their resolution and finally, we formed a High Level Committee (delegates of the most representative organizations of people with disability in the country), who will follow-through with the topics discussed on the workshop, as well as follow-up with the proposals in the Health Commission and Public Assistance of the Congress of the Republic of Guatemala.

In the event, from ESVI-AL project, Héctor Amado with the support of Byron Pernilla (Head of Asodispro [Acronym in Spanish],Productive People with Disability Association), presented the most important conclusions of the reports made by ESVI-AL project (e.g. “Evaluation report on the state of Web accessibility art and accessible web design, according to international standards”) with the objective that the aspects of web and technological accessibility are taken into account on the regulations update that the Congress of Guatemala will generate.

ESVI-AL project looks to have an effect on this High Level Committee through the presentation of recommendations of successful legislation and application cases in other countries like Spain, which aim for the sensitization in the importance of web accessibility that favors the inclusion of people with disabilities in different areas as it is higher education or telecommuting.

The participation in this workshop has given us the opportunity to make ESVI-AL project known to representatives of OPD from Guatemala, as well as to representatives of the Congress of Guatemala, and extend the network of interested contacts in the results of the project and cause a long-lasting impact.