Like in most European Countries, a lot of developments are currently in progress at policy level in Italy to face the challenges of the IS. Although no comprehensive national strategy encompassing all aspects of ICT seems to exist so far, several Actions have been designed at government level to address specific aspects that will yield remarkable impact on citizens. The e-Government Action Plan is a significant example. Within this plan, several services are increasingly going to be channelled through websites of the Public Administration. Concerning usability of ICT systems, the Ministry of Public Function states that any website run by the Public Administration must be accessible and usable. Actions plans are expected by the Government in relation to the items proposed by the e-Europe initiative.
No specific statement seems to exist in telecommunication policy documents in relation to the promotion of ICT for the benefit of elderly people or people with disabilities; however, several concrete measures can be found in the specific legislation devoted to disability issues. Measures strictly related to telecom usage by people with disabilities (eg. reduced rates or fiscal benefits) seem hardly viable because of the recent liberalisation of Telecom operators. It is not clear yet how far this competition will bring about advantages for senior citizens or people with disabilities; what's clear is that commercial Telecom Operators and Internet Providers are for sure dominant driving forces in promoting a widespread use of ICT, shaping the public attitude towards it, and increasing ICT literacy in all citizens.
The most active Organisation promoting the use of ICT to help empower people with disabilities is ASPHI (Associazione per lo sviluppo di progetti informatici per gli handicappati. Association for the development of information technology systems for the disabled). It is a non-profit organisation supported by both public and private agencies aiming at exploiting the potential of ICT for the educational, social and work integration of people with various kinds of disabilities. It runs a large amount of ICT education and training activities, one of them being the ECDL certificate (European Computer Driving Licence) for people with disabilities.
The European Social Fund should be also considered a driving force, as most educational activities described above were possible owing to its financial support.
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