The life…stronger than the movies

A selection of personal tales highlighting the positive impact ICT has had on their lives.At the E-inclusion Ministerial Conference from Vienna, three people, whom, at first sight, seems to know nothing about computers, were invited to testimony about their digital experiences. They were from Austria, France and UK.The first lady, Frieda Spielmann, 82, has discovered her pasion for computers at 75, when she bought her first laptop. She says Internet acces makes her life better and more interesting. “The curiosity was the reason for getting in touch with IT. I hadn’t a goal in my mind. Over the years, I became to use digital camera and powerpoint”, said the old lady, who is also taking classes about computers. Frieda has established many targets that she wants to aim, and, if she continues with her ambition, she will surely have succes.Jamshid Kohandel from France has talked about the wonderful role of ICT in his life. Discovering the Internet world, he passed through his disabilty of being blind from birth. “Thanks to computers, I have acces to th books”, said Jamshid.
Rhodri Buttrick, UK, has never imagined that he will be at university without ICT because of his hand problems. He suffers from Dyslexia, which is a learning disbility that manifests primarily as a difficulty with written language, particularly with reading and spelling. It is separate and distinct from reading difficulties resulting from other causes, such as a non-neurological deficiency with vision or hearing, or from poor or inadequate reading instruction. Evidence also suggests that dyslexia results from differences in how the brain processes written and/or spoken language. Although dyslexia is thought to be the result of a neurological difference, it is not an intellectual disability. Dyslexia has been diagnosed in people of all levels of intelligence. He can’t write as fast as his schoolmates, so he found a phonic way. This is based on voice for writing, but on the computers.

Editors: Viorica Sîrbu, Tiberius Ţurcaş