The Fundación InteRed, the Centro Cultural Poveda and the Red Luna, recently held the international conference “Technology: Innovation and Sustainability. Designing an Accessible Future” in the Dominican Republic, with support from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID).
The goal of this meeting, which took place in mid-March, was to create a space for reflection and action that would strengthen the leadership of women with visual impairments in the fields of technology and artificial intelligence. In this regard, tools have been promoted that contribute to the full exercise of their rights, which implies an ethical, accessible, and sustainable use of technology, according to InteRed, an NGO of the Teresian Association.
The current landscape is characterised by rapid digital transformation, artificial intelligence and new technologies – developments that are shaping access to education, employment and civic participation. However, “technological development must incorporate perspectives on gender, disability and intersectionality to avoid exacerbating structural inequalities”.
In this regard, speaking to the Canal de Noticias de los Dominicanos (CDN), Siomelia Contreras, who works with the Red Luna de Mujeres, stated that all organisations – whether state-run aid agencies or businesses – “must take their voices into account”.
Present at the launch were Ana Álvarez from the AECID in the Dominican Republic, Juan Carlos Minyetty from the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Education, Dalul Ordehi, Dean of the Social Sciences Department at INTEC, and Nancy Lee (from the InteRed Foundation), representing the project consortium.
During the event, a keynote lecture was given on technology and artificial intelligence, their benefits and challenges for equality, delivered by Sabine Mary Juan and Baldo del Porto, researchers at the Santo Domingo Institute of Technology (INTEC), alongside three thematic panels.
This congress forms part of the social project: “Education and technology: Social inclusion of women and girls with disabilities for a life free from gender-based violence”, developed in partnership with the ONCE Foundation for Solidarity with Blind People in Latin America (FOAL), the InteRed Foundation and ILUNION. Local partner organisations include the Centro Cultural Poveda and the Red Luna de Mujeres with visual impairments.
If you are interested in supporting the InteRed Foundation, you can do so here.
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