Robert B. Yonaitis Appointed Patron and Vice President

CONCORD, NH AND MADRID, SPAIN -- Robert B. Yonaitis has been appointed as a Patron and Vice President of the Spanish accessibility organization, Sidar Foundation. Yonaitis' appointment to these roles will support the expansion of Sidar's educational and International outreach programs and initiatives. In his role with Sidar, Yonaitis will be responsible for assisting in fund raising activities to support the mission of the Sidar Foundation, and will also provide Sidar with industry and technology expertise, assisting and providing guidance with regards to technology related initiatives and projects.

The Sidar Seminar was formed in 1997, and is a not-for-profit organization focused on research and activities leading to the development of an accessible and inclusive Information Society. These activities are supported through Web and email based discussion lists, seminars and educational activities, and through the development of accessibility tools. Sidar also conducts research in emerging technologies. Originally, the Sidar seminar was dependent on Spain's Royal Board on Disabilities, but in 2002, Sidar became an independent organization and the Sidar Foundation is the legal entity supporting its work.

Sidar's Patrons are made up of prominent individuals who can contribute to both financial and research initiatives aligned with Sidar's mission. Yonaitis will serve as a subject matter expert and advisor in his role. Yonaitis' technology and software innovations have received numerous accolades and awards, including the 2002 DaVinci award for Electronics and Information Technology Innovations that have most improved the lives of People with Disabilities. His design of the accessibility testing portal, www.cynthiasays.com, was endorsed by the American Council for the Blind for its impact and educational importance in the area of Web Accessibility. "Understanding Accessibility", authored by Yonaitis in 2002 has been made available as a free online resource, and is utilized as a strategic handbook for Web accessibility by Web developers around the world.

According to Sidar founder, Emmanuelle Gutiérrez y Restrepo, "We are extremely pleased to welcome Robert Yonaitis as a Patron at Sidar Foundation. Mr. Yonaitis is an internationally recognized expert in the field of electronic and information technology. He has worked on Web accessibility issues for over a decade, his books and award winning software have been used by millions of Web designers worldwide. We believe that he will play an extremely important role with Sidar and will have a significant impact in shaping the future direction of our engineering and product strategies.
(Read more about Robert Yonaitis at: http://www.yonaitis.com/biospan.htm)

More information about the Sidar Foundation is available through the Sidar Web site at: http://www.sidar.org

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