Visit to Ground Breaking Project in Gwent for the Visually Impaired.

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 21st Sep 2007

A ground breaking project for visually impaired people in Pontypool received a boost today with a leading Assembly member visiting the successful initiative.

Michael German AM, leader of the Liberal Democrats in the National Assembly for Wales visited Gwent Association for the Blind's ICT & Digital Project which delivers computer literacy and digital technology awareness classes.

He met with the ICT project manager, Richard Phillips and was shown the technology that is now available to help partially-sighted and blind people. This project has been extremely beneficial to clients from a wide area and of a variety of ages and there is currently a waiting list for its services. It has acted a springboard to several students who, after their experience here, have gone on to Further Education courses.

"This project aims to introduce people to the basics of using a computer. It helps people who may not be able to get out and about very easily to find out how they can communicate with friends and family, do their shopping or manage their finances online. Thanks to modern technology, images on screen can be magnified or the computer can speak back to you so that you can be certain you have typed the correct word."

Speaking after his visit, Mr. German said, "This project has real value and is very successfully in connecting visually impaired people to the digital world and opening up opportunities to get into further education reducing the marginalisation of people."

Mr. German added that he would continue to support the project as a list of clients were still waiting to attend the course, with new referrals for the service arriving on a weekly basis.