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December 10, 2003

The blind address the world. With hands on the braille and an unsteady voice, Mrs. Kicki Nordstrom, the president of the World Blind Union, sought to draw the sympathy of the world leaders at WSIS today.

Nordstrom praised what she called an "open attitude" among governments to incorporate the disabled into the mainstream of information society.

As the world's leaders delivered their speeches, she received the loudest ovation of all, for these moving lines "I can't take away your printed materials now like everyone will do here today because I cannot read them...matters of the disabled have always been left in the hands of God, charity and superhuman beings...our abiding hope now is that you will do better for us after this summit"

Nordstram is in Geneva to represent to represent five billion civil society members and she minced no words, advocating that "new roles" should now be considered which allows civil society to participate in the formulation of ICT policies for the disabled and the disadvantaged.

"We cannot but have hope," she said. "That is what we live for...and now, the international civil society bureau has started engaging in coherent dialogue with various governments and coordinate interests of civil society movements"

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