Cerf, who is today chief Internet strategist for MCI WorldCom, is the co-designer of the TCP/IP protocols and the architecture of the Internet. In 1997, former US President Bill Clinton presented the US National Medal of Technology to Cerf and his partner, Robert Kahn, for founding and developing the Internet.
Alan Levin, chairman of the Internet Society of SA (ISOC-ZA), says the programme for next week`s conference is being finalised, but that several Internet personalities have confirmed they will attend. He says this is probably the first time such an event will be held in the world.
"The proposed public forum is to gather information about how the Internet is being used by the blind and seeing impaired, and to obtain any comments and submissions on how new standards may be developed to improve any current issues or problems."
Levin says the forum will be made up of a small panel of experts who will briefly present the current position with regard to blind/seeing impaired people and the Internet, and initiate discussions.
John Klensin will also attend the Cape workshop. Klensin was involved in the design and development of the Internet`s e-mail system, as well as international issues concerning the Internet and other areas. He is the Internet Engineering Task Force representative to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
Another attendee will be Amadeu Abril, a partially sighted ex-member of the ICANN board. Abril is a lawyer specialising in IT and competition law, and has acted as a consultant on Internet and e-commerce affairs to a number of European companies.
The workshop is organised by ISOC-ZA along with the World Blind Union, which will kick off its international symposium following the end of the ICANN meeting that will run from 1 to 5 December.
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