The social exclusion of people with disabilities has been the concern of various governmental departments, being evidenced in the development of measures and actions intended to improve the quality of life of these individuals. The Government has taken the commitment to provide increasingly qualified responses in a context of shared responsibility. The statement was made by Paula Ramos, President of the Azores Institute for Social Development (IDSA), during the opening session of the seminar on TICa - Affordable Information and Communication Technologies, an event taking place at the University of the Azores in Ponta Delgada.

According to Paula Ramos, "the concern with the development of social policies in this area has shown a considerable progress over the last decades with the emergence of new perspectives and new approaches. In fact, there has been a paradigm shift in terms of policies and working practices."

These new policies "are increasingly directed towards the promotion of citizenship and quality of life, recognising and granting rights. In this case, the access to Information and Communication Technologies allows the full participation of people with disabilities in society."

In this context, safeguarding the rights of people with disabilities requires the provision of services and support products that significantly improve their quality of life, which will effectively contribute to their autonomy, personal enhancement and the development of skills and potentialities.

Bearing in mind these concerns, the Regional Government, through the Regional Secretariat for Labour and Social Solidarity and the Azores Institute for Social Development, has developed the TICa project - Affordable Information and Communication Technologies under the Transnational Cooperation Programme - Madeira, Canary Islands, Azores 2007 - 2013. This project was developed in cooperation with the Sociedad Insular para la Promoción de las Personas con Discapacidad (SINPROMI) and the Instituto Tecnológico y de Energías Renovables, S.A. (ITER).

Developed with the purpose of implementing new technologies as tools to promote the full integration of people with disabilities, the TICa project was granted a budget of 93 thousand Euros and registers a budget execution rate of 49%.