Penetration of ICT technology among elderly people is likely to greatly increase in the future, due to a growing familiarity of the general public with ICT (eg. home computer, mobile phones etc.), and also to the various new possibilities ICT is going to offer: Recently, after the eEurope initiative was launched, the "accessibility" message spread out among governmental Bodies. This helped to expand the concept of "accessible service" far beyond of the traditional "architectural" concept. As "accessibility" is considered as a fundamental specification of any public service, this is likely to influence the design of on line services.
However, the "digital divide" seems to be a major problem. It is an overall societal problem, which goes far beyond the matter of being older or having a disability. While the offer of services is dramatically expanding and some consideration is being given to accessibility and AT, more efforts should be focused on user-friendly design of ICT products and services, and in education of the general public to get the best benefit from them.
In general terms, the National level legislation defines the overall framework of law, while Regional Governments are responsible for enacting detailed rules at local level. The right to participate to society as citizens on equal foot - and receive the same services - is stated in many documents, the most relevant being the Italian Constitution issued in 1948 (art. 3 states that all citizens must be regarded as equal independently on ".sex, race, language, religion, political opinion, personal condition and social condition."). Although this statement can read as anti-discrimination principle, it took time to be understood in its full implications related to senior citizens or people with disabilities. To date, in Italy there is no specific legislation establishing anti-discrimination principles against disability. However, in several pieces of legislation it is stated that the State is committed in ensuring full participation and integration of people with disability into society on equal foot.
Concrete measures to realise general access include electronic newspaper services, which are available for free to visually impaired people, due to an agreement between the National Research Council and some Italian newspapers, whose contents is automatically processed - as soon the newspaper is published - in such a way to make navigation easier for a blind person. Access to journals, books and magazines in their electronic form is still a problem due to the copyright hurdle, however most magazines and books are available in traditional form (braille, or outspoken on a tape) and some services exist - mostly based on voluntary work and thus virtually free-of-charge for the user - to read out on demand the required document on a tape.
Audio description of some television programmes (via radio broadcast) is available to visually impaired people. For some programmes, captioning or sign-language interpretation are provided for people who have hearing problems. Deaf people can obtain text telephones from the National Health Service, and relay services exist in some areas to allow phone communication between people who have a text telephone and people who have not it. In Rome, for instance, a such service has been carried out for many years by the National Deaf Organisation with Municipal funding, and has been recently extended to cater for the great demand related to the 2000 Jubilee. However, a growing number of deaf people is also keen on using cellular phone messaging - or Internet chatting tools - to communicate.
Virtually any peripherals available on the international market that allow for a person with visual or motor impairment to interact with a computer environment can be found and purchased. Their actual diffusion highly depend on the affordability for the users' wallets and, in case of expensive equipment, to the possibility to obtain funding, through the NHS scheme or through social services.
No financial support is available in relation to telecommunication access and usage. Some years ago - before telecommunication operators could freely compete on market - a tax reduction scheme had been foreseen for people with disability However, it is apparent that free competition has brought about significant tariff reductions for all (eg. free Internet and reduced fee for Internet access), and new facilities are taking shape (eg. flat rate broadband) that will force a reconsideration of this issue in the light of a new technological scenario.
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