Nakhchyvan Regional Information Center for Physically Handicapped Persons

One of the major objectives of Heydar Aliyev Foundation is to help people needing a special care, protect their health and solve social problems. For this purpose, Nakhchyvan Regional Information Center for Physically Handicapped Persons has been founded on the basis of the joint project by Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies of the Republic of Azerbaijan and UNDP. President Ilham Aliyev attended the inauguration of the Nakhchyvan Regional Information Centre, October 5, 2010.

The first project aiming at enhancing the access of the physically disabled to information and communication technologies was carried out in 2005-2006 by Heydar Aliyev Foundation and UNDP. Within the project, a center was created at the republic boarding secondary school for blind and visually impaired children.  

Equipped with modern technologies, Nakhchyvan Regional Information Center includes reading hall, learning and training centre, audio library, recording studio converting literature fund into audio format, computer room assuring access to Internet, finding and obtaining information on Internet. 

The Center has 2 computer rooms, each with 24 computers, and a learning room with 12 computers. Braille display, VideoLight Enhancer have been installed on computers. Thanks to Braille display, blind persons can use Internet. Via the display a user gains and posts the information on the monitor. VideoLight Enhancer enhances any information as required. Poet-Compact Easy Reading Machine plays any information in Azerbaijani, Turkic, English, Russian and other languages. Poet Compact has an enormous memory: the built-in hard disk can save a huge quantity of pages that can be easily retrieved and read out again.    

 
Games developing intellect of mentally retarded people have been installed on computers in the intellectual game room. The library contains up to 1000 Braille books for the blind and large-font books for the visually impaired. Recording studio will assure the library with audiobooks.

The 2-floor Center has 60-seat movie hall, where subtitle films for the deaf and dumb will be shown, and 40-person assembly hall. Internet site of the Center has “Acquaintance” section.

The Center includes all facilities for persons with invalid carriage. Verdurization works have been done, rest corners created in the yard of the 860-sq.m building. 

The Center will serve physically handicapped persons living in the City of Nakhchyvan and 7 districts of the Autonomous Republic.