People with a disability have the opportunity to obtain Windows Vista and Office 2007 free of charge, thanks to a new initiative that was launched yesterday by the Investment, Industry and Information Technology Ministry and the National Commission for Persons with a Disability (KNPD).

Minister Gatt said this initiative, which had been launched in collaboration with the Foundation for Information Technology Accessibility (FITA), was an effective way of tackling the digital divide and added that this version of software was more accessible to people who have a disability.

“The digital divide is often caused by the high price of hardware and since Malta is a small country, we have a problem of financial accessibility,” he said.

Dr Gatt explained that many of the computers being used in government departments needed to be upgraded because the software and hardware were outdated.

“Instead of throwing them away, we found that a number of computers can be upgraded and the first set will be donated to the KNPD as a way of reducing the digital divide,” he said.

In turn, the KNPD, and their associations, would be able to make use of computers that have been upgraded, he added.

KNPD chairman Joe Camilleri said he always wanted people with a disability to be at the forefront of the digital divide, where hardware and software were concerned.

“It is of great satisfaction to the KNPD that people with a disability will finally have access to computers and be able to make use of the latest software on the market – all for free,” he said.