EBU Board Update

THE INSUFFICIENT BODY LANGUAGE OF THE BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED RESTRAINS THEIR COMMUNICATION WITH SIGHTED PEOPLE

In 1995, a pilot project was started in Denmark. 4 people who were born blind were to be trained intensively and profoundly in body language. The objective was to investigate to which extent it is possible for people born blind to learn the infinite number of gestures used by sighted people. The project lasted 3 years and was terminated with such successful results that the course "Communicative body language for adults born blind" has been established as compensating special education in Copenhagen. Thus, in the future, adults born blind can be trained for a period of 3 years without having to pay for it. At the same time, it is now possible for visually impaired and newly blind people to be trained too. When sighted people see a person who only turns his face half-way towards an interlocutor, who almost does not smile and who neither nods nor shakes his head in a movie or on TV, the actor does not need to wear black glasses ; the audience immediately understands that the actor is playing a blind person. The signals mentioned - or the lack of these signals - are quite clear. If you mention this to a person born blind, you will of course experience surprise at the fact that blind people are so different from the sighted that they have become an archetype, and, in some cases, you will also meet indignation at the fact that no one has yet taken the initiative in relieving the problems caused by the different physical expression. For it does cause problems.

The body language is a language consisting of signals and is roughly composed by the body postures, facial expression, zones - i.e. the distance we keep among one another, and gesticulations - i.e. the gestures we perform with our arms, hands, and legs. Scientific tests have proved that at least 55 % of communication between human beings is non-verbal.

The body language is our first language. Children born blind also express themselves through smiling, frowning, and a drooping mouth when they are unsatisfied and crying. But unlike sighted children, the body language is not developed into the comprehensive, varied language which it is, because the blind child cannot read and imitate the signals of the adults. Thus, beside the disability of not being able to see, the visual disability also causes reduced capability of communicating with the sighted surroundings, despite the fact that many blind people have a rich and varied verbal language. Naturally, the severity of the visual impairment and when it occurred influence the physical expression of the individual person. There are large differences depending on whether the individual person is born blind, visually impaired or newly blind. With regard to body language, people born blind are in the worst situation because they have never had the opportunity of reading signals from other people. With regard to visually impaired people, many of them are uncertain as to whether their signals are correct and thus, they do not use them fully. Newly blind people who have perhaps been fully sighted and who have had a varied body language, gradually forget the signals both due to lack of stimulation but also because we are unconscious of how much body language means in our relation to other people. Therefore, newly blind people are not aware of the importance of the signals and therefore do not keep them alive.

For some years, it has been very popular among sighted people to take courses in body language because we have become aware of its large importance in the communication between people, but not until now it has been possible for blind and visually impaired in Denmark to be trained in body language. People born blind often experience isolation in social relations with sighted people. It may be difficult to make themselves heard and to keep the attention of an interlocutor. To a great extent, the isolation originates in the lack of signals showing attention from the person born blind.

Moreover, the blind person can easily sense that a lot of signals are flourishing in the air between sighted people but with his total lack of knowledge about body language, he cannot even guess what these signals might consist of. Furthermore, blind people have no knowledge as to which degree they stand out because of their lack of physical expression.

Many people born blind have a legitimate feeling that their personality is not perceived and respected equally with the personality of sighted people. For a sighted person the meeting with a blind person is most often influenced by much curiosity. To sighted people, losing sight seems as a horror and thus the verbal contact often will consist of questions about what it is like to be blind and how you can manage. Of course the blind person finds these everlasting questions tiresome, but knows that it is a phase of the conversation which he must get over to continue the actual contact. And this is the point where the communication starts to crumble away. After a short while, the sighted person experiences an indefinable feeling of uncertainty towards the blind person and starts to look for someone else to talk to ; another sighted person.

The uncertainty originates in the blind person's lacking capability of showing the interlocutor small signals saying that the person and the conversation are interesting. Sighted people perceive the body language unconsciously, and lacking signals of attention does not say that the blind person is neutral in his attitude but means lack of interest and, in the worst case, rebuff. My interest in blind people's lack of physical expression grew rapidly in 1990, when I, because of my background as an actress and drama teacher, became Director at the Amateur Theatre of the Danish Association of the Blind. At that time I had some knowledge of the problems of blind and visually impaired people through the severely visually impaired son of my then fiancé.

The sudden experience of finding myself in a close co-operation with a large group of blind and visually impaired people - as the only sighted person - was quite overwhelming. I felt uncertain without being able to tell exactly why. Besides trying to find out how to make the most of the resources of the individual person on the stage, I was, for a long period, not sure what their opinion of me as a person was. In spite of my work with their lacking physical expression on the stage, it took me a long time to realize that their lack of physical expression as private individuals was the reason for my uncertainty. I missed a little smile and that they would turn their faces towards me when we talked, and a small nod of the head saying that what I had explained was understood.

Depending on the severity of their visual impairment, they were very curious to learn something about how sighted people behaved. It was the amateur theatre who called on me to hold the first small courses in the most important elements of body language. These were followed by a number of small lectures and short courses for the Danish Association of Guide Dog Users, the Danish Association of the Blind's Youth, the Danish Association of the Blind's information workers and social consultants.

In these situations I really realized the great need for training in body language and with the experiences from these courses I slowly became ready and dared take on the responsibility for a profound, continuous course in the subject. A course which I had been called on to carry out by people born blind. The reason why I chose to work intensively with people born blind was because they were the ones who needed it most, and if it was possible to train this group of people with a successful result, it would be possible to train all degrees of visual impairment. As far as I know, and certainly not in Denmark, no one else has been working profoundly with this complex of problems, so I had to start totally from scratch.

Working with a pilot project where you train people in something as emotional as their disability to express themselves equally with their surroundings gave me many sleepless nights both before and during the course. How do you create an atmosphere so secure that the training does not give rise to considerable psychological strains for the trainees when they realize how differently they actually behave ? How do you systematize all the partial elements of the body language and compose them in a continuous course to make the training as successful as possible ? All books about body language are visual, and how do you explain the body language through feelings and the rhythm of the spoken language instead of through the eyes ? How do you develop the physical expression of the individual person to make it correspond to his/her personality ? and especially - to which extent is it possible to give people born blind a useful and genuine benefit from the training ?

Both before and during the project it felt huge, thrilling, lonely and very, very exciting.
[to be continued]

By Susanne Strauss
Actress, teacher of body language and drama
Bagerstraede 5A, 2, 1617 Copenhagen V (Denmark)
Tel : +45 33 22 5269

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DEAFBLIND ORGANISATIONS IN EUROPE, AN OVERVIEW

The picture of organisations of deafblind people in Europe is quite complicated. In this article, I will try to clarify the situation and to highlight the challenges we are facing. In the beginning of the eighties, EBU appointed a special commission consisting of deafblind persons. The Commission did a very important work organising a European Conference every four years, where deafblind people could meet and exchange experiences. Most of the keynote speakers were deafblind themselves. EBU was very supportive of this activity, and the enthusiasm was great among deafblind participants. The last European Conference took place in Espoo, Finland, in 1996. Since that conference, the Deafblind Commission has only met once. There are different reasons for that, and I will mention some of them below.

The discussion started within EBU on whether it was useful to continue having a deafblind commission or to find alternative solutions, for instance deafblind people being members of different other EBU commissions instead of having a separate commission. At the last meeting of the Board of EBU (London, 20 May), it was decided to continue with a deafblind commission. The new commission should deal with subjects like the use of the white cane and technical aids for deafblind people. Members of the new commission were appointed. During the last European Conference of Deafblind People (Finland, 1996), the 35 deafblind participants decided to appoint a working group, which should investigate the possibilities of creating a pan European deafblind organisation. The working group met once in Denmark in December 1996, and discussed possible funding and structure for the new organisation. Suggestions were made and sent to all known organisations of and for deafblind people and deafblind individuals. No answers or comments have been received ever since. The task of the working group was to present its findings to the next European Conference of the EBU Deafblind Commission, due to take place in 2000. However, no plans have been made for such a conference.

In the Nordic countries, there is a strong tradition of having an independent deafblind organisation. The chairpersons of the deafblind organisations in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden resolved that now something should happen in Europe. At the annual Nordic Cooperation meeting in September 1999, they announced the formation of the European Deafblind Union, EDBU. At present, the members of the Union are the five Nordic countries. A board of 5 people was appointed, consisting of one representative from each of the 5 Nordic countries. Ove Bejsnap (Denmark) was elected as chairperson.

It was stated that only those organisations where deafblind people are the decision-makers could be members of the Union. A founding general assembly of EDBU is planned for the year 2002, and the EDBU Board is preparing a proposal for a constitution. In 1987, the European Community Deafblind Secretariat (ECDBS) was established by national representatives of deafblind, family and professionals organisations from EU countries. At its meeting in Greece in 1994, the Council of ECDBS decided to change the name of the organisation to European Deafblind Network (EDbN). The governing bodies of EDbN are the Council and the Management Committee. The Council consists of 3 national representatives from each member country - one deafblind, one family and one professional representative. Every four years, the Council elects a Management Committee of 3 deafblind, 3 family and 3 professional representatives. The Chairperson is elected by the Council on a rotation basis among the three groups. The Council appoints a Treasurer and a Secretary. The Secretary carries out the day-to-day work of the organisation with the assistance of two part-time employees : a Development Officer and an Assistant Secretary. At present, the Secretariat is based in Denmark, the Treasurer is British and the Chairperson is Dutch.

Until 1999, EDbN had Council members from 14 EU countries (none from Luxembourg). A number of organisations from European countries outside the EU have participated in EDbN activity, and the wish to formally become part of EDbN has been expressed by many. At the Council meeting in Poitiers, France, in 1999, EDbN decided to welcome members from all European countries. Consequently, new members from Poland, Malta and Switzerland have participated in this year's Council activity.

The activities of EDbN are diverse and have developed over the years. EDbN has an annual Council meeting and seminar. Over the 12 years of its existence, it has supported about 120 different transnational projects : conferences, seminars, study groups, cultural exchanges and meetings. Three European conferences of families of deafblind people have been organised.

EDbN produces its own newsletter in print, disk and web version, as well as an email bulletin called EdbN Clipboard.

For the past three years, EDbN has received coordination grants from the European Commission. The Organisation, although mainly based on voluntary work, has become more professional, improving the communication and information exchange between members and, in many contexts, acting as an information and communication centre.

As Secretary of EDbN, being deafblind myself, I represent the Organisation in different European and international bodies. Very important is the fact that EdbN is represented on the Board of the European Disability Forum and on some of its commissions. This provides good cooperation with other European disability organisations, which is more than ever necessary at a time when the political will to support European disability organisations is decreasing.

Challenges for deafblind people in Europe

The level of services for deafblind people is very diverse in Europe, ranging from paid guide/interpreter services, publicly funded communication equipment and leisure activities, to absolutely no services. In many countries, deafblind people are dependent on volunteer helpers who often have had no basic training to provide adequate assistance. Some European countries do not recognise deafblindness as a unique disability. As a result, deafblind people have not been identified and there are no special services. Lack of services for deafblind people means lack of education and job opportunities.

Deafblind people have to devote a lot of time to getting an education, and later a job. For many, there is no spare time for organisational activity.

In many European countries, there are no independent deafblind organisations. Deafblind people are often part of an umbrella organisation, alongside with family and professionals organisations. They may also be members of organisations of the blind or of the deaf. Deafblindness being a low incidence disability, it may prove difficult, in some countries, to find deafblind people who are able and willing to do organisational work on a national and international level. Likewise, it may also prove difficult to provide those deafblind people who are available for organisational work with adequate support.

National organisations of deafblind people, in particular the poorer organisations, have expressed the strain resulting from participation in international activity : many deafblind people need 2 to 3 interpreters and/or assistants to travel to meetings, and documents must be translated. As a result, some organisations have had to withdraw from international work. It remains that for many organisations it is a question of priority to participate in European and/or international work, and to identify which international body to be involved in. Not many will be able to find the necessary resources to participate in all existing bodies : the EBU Deafblind Commission, EDbN, EDBU and the new World Federation of Deafblind People - which should hold its Founding General Assembly in October 2001, in New Zealand.

These are some of the challenges we face in the deafblind world. It is however necessary for a small group like ours to work at international level. Only exchanging information, experiences and ideas between the countries and campaigning together can strengthen and improve the situation of deafblind individuals and their families.

By Lex Grandia
Secretary, European Deafblind Network
Tel : +45 98 19 2099, Fax :+45 98 19 2057
E-mail (text only) : Lex.Grandia@TP44.frukt.org

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FAF RESCUES JOBS FOR THE BLIND IN UZBEKISTAN

On 31 May 2000, the French Federation of the Blind (FAF) completed an EU-funded Project to reactivate 3 weaving mills run by the Uzbek Union of the Blind (UUB). The Project, worth 250 000 Euros, was made possible thanks to the financial support of the European Union's Phare and Tacis LIEN Programme, which seeks to foster the development of democratic societies in Central and Eastern Europe, in the New Independent States and in Mongolia. 20 % of the total Project cost were contributed by FAF.

There were 3 major long-term objectives behind the Project : From 6 to 14 March 2000, I was in Uzbekistan to carry out an evaluation of the Project. Taschkent, the capital city of Uzbekistan, was to be my home base as UUB and the LIEN/TACIS office, two major actors in the Project, are based there.

My first visit was paid to UUB's headquarters where I met members of the organisation's leadership. My first interview with Mr Alim Ahmadjanov, President, and his colleagues gave me a clear indication that the Project was met with enthusiasm by the Uzbek partners. This initial contact also made me aware that, although resolutely looking towards Europe, Uzbek people are more Orientals than Europeans. They have their own ways, and, as Project Leader Yvonne Toros pointed out, it was very important to take into account the specific social and cultural values of our Uzbek partners and not rigidly impose the Western model.

My meeting with UUB's leadership was a good opportunity to gain insight into the organisation's structure and economic activity. As is the case of most national organisations of the blind in former Soviet Republics, UUB runs a network of " industrial enterprises ", which integrate factories, housing and other facilities for their blind employees.

Because of time constraints, I was not able to visit the weaving mill in Taschkent, which produces bathroom linen wrapped in cellophane packages and aprons for catering staff. The latter is a new production item : I was explained that the manager of the weaving mill runs a restaurant as a secondary activity, which enabled him to establish a useful network of potential customers amongst his fellow restaurateurs.

A few days later, I flew to Urgensch, some 800 kilometers north to Taschkent. My visit to the weaving mill there was most interesting. I could see for myself blind personnel comfortably working with the new equipment provided by LIEN/TACIS (weaving, sewing and cutting machines). This had been made possible through training and equipment adaptations, such as protection edges on cutting machines to avoid accidents.

The weaving mill in Urgensch had been reactivated thanks to the replenishment of stocks of raw cotton purchased in the vicinity. Its products - cushions and mattresses - seemed to be successful on the local market. Two new productions had been introduced : jeans and futon-like mattresses.

I felt frustrated at not being able to talk directly to the blind workers themselves. I therefore asked for interviews to be organised : the interviewees all sounded very grateful to FAF and the EU "to have rescued" them from misery and despair. One blind woman explained that, before the Project started, she had been notified that she would lose her job because the activity had dropped down drastically. Now, they had new machinery, better working conditions (the factory had been refurbished), and she was full of hope again. Of course, one may think that the blind workers interviewed could only be praiseful towards a Project that brought them huge amounts of fresh money. But, I could feel a genuine satisfaction at the way the Project was being handled.

The factory in Bokhara produces more traditional items such as colourful carpets, cushions and mattresses. They had enriched their gammut with two new items : bathroom linen and cotton towels, and dungarees in weaved cotton.

Whilst in Bokhara, I attended an Open Day organised by the weaving mill. The event had been carefully prepared : more than 100 visitors, in particular shop-keepers from the local bazar, came and placed numerous orders. The Open Day was a good illustration of the philosophy behind the Project : take into account social and cultural values and make the best of the local market structure. Yvonne Toros in person visited the Old Bazar to invite shopkeepers, emphasizing how important it was to help UUB's weaving mill in Bokhara, and arguing that products were of good quality and of reasonable price. She would also insist on the fact that, although the Project was EU-funded, Uzbek people should not leave it only to foreign aid and should have their share of the efforts to ease the social integration of the blind in Uzbekistan.

Across the board, the strategy for all 3 weaving mills consisted in reactivating traditional productions, with an emphasis on quality product improvement. This was coupled with the introduction of new production items that would effectively meet market demand.

One may safely assume that the Project is a success in that it effectively helped retain the jobs of some 800 blind workers (60 % of whom are women). This was confirmed at my meeting with the LIEN/TACIS office in Taschkent. They expressed their deep satisfaction at the Project and encouraged the French Federation of the Blind to lead new initiatives in the framework of LIEN/TACIS.

On my way back to Paris, I could not but wonder what would become of those enthusiastic blind workers who sounded so eager to lead meaningful lives. Indeed, UUB's leadership has gained enhanced managerial skills, which in itself is a major asset to ensure that the Project has a durable impact. However a more long-term follow-up strategy is needed to avoid that our fellow blind in Uzbekistan find themselves in square 1 again, namely poverty.

No doubt, the Project is but a drop in the ocean of needs. A lot remains to be done : I can still hear the verses of the Koran chanted by blind beggars in the bazars.

By Mokrane Boussaid
Director, EBU Office

Further information on FAF Project in Uzbekistan is available by contacting Yvonne Toros at Tel : +33 1 44 42 91 91, Fax : +33 1 44 42 91 92, E-mail : y.toros@wanadoo.fr

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9th INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION OF BLIND AND PARTIALLY SIGHTED MUSICIANS

The Competition was organised by Czech Blind United (SONS) during the second week of February 2000, on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the foundation of the 1st Czech Music School for the Blind, and in the framework of 'Prague - European City of Culture 2000', a programme which should be running over the whole year.

As readers know by now, the Competition has been held every 3 years since 1975. Participants are selected among students or graduates of music schools, i.e. young professional or pre-professional blind musicians. This year's edition welcomed 31 participants from 11 European countries. The International Jury was composed of jurymen from the Czech Republic and 5 other European countries. Although Russian and Czech participants had the highest numerical representation, we were very pleased to welcome artists from such countries as Romania and Portugal, and to see that there has been not only an increase in, but also a diversification of participating countries.

The Competition has 3 rounds : this year, the first round staged performances by all 31 competitors, 18 were selected for the 2nd round and 8 were finally retained for the last round. Performances included vocal and instrumental interpretations (clarinet, piano, guitar, flute, accordion, trumpet and violoncello).

The International Jury is usually composed of university professors, music composers and highly talented musicians. This year, the Jury was led by Jiri Teml, music composer and drama adviser at the Czech Radio. Other members were Miroslav Dvorak, Director of the Prague Conservatoire of the Blind ; music composers - Gleb Smirnov (Russia), Kalman Dobos (Hungary), Leif Martinussen (Denmark) ; excellent blind musicians - Jan Budin (Czech Republic) and Jozef Rudai (Switzerland) ; and music teachers - Ulrich Mayer-Uhma (Germany).

During the gala concert, the West Bohemian Symphonic Orchestra performed the Celtic Symphony by Alejandro Besteiro de Silva, the Spanish blind composer, who attended the concert. We were also honoured by the presence of the Spanish Ambassador in Prague.

We are now looking forward to the 10th Competition, which I hope will be held in 2003. We appeal to all blind musicians to prepare hard for this major musical event.

Vaclav Polasek
Director, SONS International Department


RESULTS

9th International Competition of Blind and Partially Sighted Musicians

1st prize : Alexei Panov (piano, Russia)
2nd prize : Sonia M.C. Ferreira (flute, Portugal)
3rd prize : Natalia Tcherniavskaya (singing, Russia)

Honourable mentions :
8th International Competition of Blind and Partially Sighted Music Composers

(No first prize)
2nd Prize : Heinrich Hartl (Germany)
3rd Prize : Silvia Zaru (Italy)
Honourable mentions : Kalman Lobos (Hungary) and Jan Budin (Czech Republic)

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