There aren’t that many options for the deaf in Venezuela, and those who do have full time employment often find it difficult to take time off for other activities like professional courses. But the Cisco Networking Academy found a way to train four men and two women who can not hear, on IT Essentials. This course, an initiative by APC member EsLaRed, was given in Venezuelan sign language and was a great success – not only to those who gained the new skills, but also to the project creators, who believe there is potential to apply the project in other communities worldwide.

Carlos Afonso, Executive director of APC member Information Network for the Third Sector (RITS), has recently been awarded the ARede 2008 award for digital inclusion. Carlos was named Personality of the Year, for his dedication to promoting social inclusion through the internet.