A foundation that supports disabled people has appealed to political parties to introduce the use of speech-to-text and text-to-speech software in classes to facilitate learning for all.

In a statement it sent to political parties about disability concerns, the Equal Partners Foundation said there still had to be a total commitment towards an inclusive education system at all levels of lifelong learning.

It added that universal accessibility to the curriculum required the use of speech-to-text and text-to-speech software. “The level of functional literacy is still very low in our country and universal design for learning backed by the right technology will address these issues.”

When it came to health issues, the foundation appealed for more attention to the way the news is broken to parents of babies who are born with a disability. Parents required psychological support from the very beginning.

The foundation also recommended setting up more trans-disciplinary community or school-based teams that supported disabled students at home, school and in the communities.

It would also like to enter in partnership with governmental and non-governmental agencies to set up group homes of not more than five disabled people for more independent supported living in the community.

The foundation does not only work with people with disability but also those who have learning difficulties. It supports children within the autism spectrum disorder and in its recommendations to political parties it proposed that the State, together with NGOs, developed a national strategy for the inclusion of people within the autism spectrum disorder.