Samsung DigitAll Hope 2004 to Benefit More Than 200,000 Youth and People with Disabilities in Asia Pacific

SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 22, 2004--Thirteen organisations in this region have been awarded a total of US$550,000 by Samsung DigitAll Hope, which aims to bridge the digital divide in Asia. Projects funded include research into technology for alternate communications methods for people with disabilities; provision of e-learning facilitates for vocational training in rural areas, compilation of an e-dictionary for the hearing impaired, and the set up of IT infrastructure and learning courses for the visually handicapped and marginalised youth.

From over 300 applications received, these projects from seven countries were shortlisted by the respective national judging panels and reviewed by a regional judging panel.

In Singapore, Samsung Electronics announced two recipients of the grants -- the Brainy Communicator, by the Society for the Physically Disabled and Institute for Infocomm Research; and the Picture-to-Speech Communicator by Singapore Polytechnic Centre for Application in Rehabilitation Engineering.

The research project Brainy Communicator is a breakthrough technology, a first in Singapore, which would enable even the severely disabled to use the computer, and eventually surf the Internet via brain activity, without any use of hands, legs or voice. The Picture-to-Speech Communicator is designed to allow patients who are intellectually challenged and suffer from speech impairment or cerebral palsy to communicate more effectively using icons on a Personal Digital Assistant.

"As a global technology company, Samsung, through the regional program DigitAll Hope, is proud to contribute to enhancing awareness and enabling the implementation of projects relevant to current ICT and social issues in Asia," said Mr Sang-Jin Park, Regional CEO & President, Samsung Asia.

Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports and Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry, who was the guest of honour at the awards ceremony, is supporting this program for the second time, and this year added the title of a regional judge. Other regional judges include Dr. Pairash Thajchayapong, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Science & Technology, Kingdom of Thailand, Dr. H. Arief Rachman, Executive chairperson of the Indonesian Counsel for UNESCO and Dr. Minh, director of the Department of Science and Technology for Ho Chi Minh City.

For more information, please visit http://www.samsung.com/sg/hope.

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