The European Blind Union was founded in 1984. It is in very good heart after
its 20 years' existence and, as shown in the following account of the work
carried out in the last four years, it is increasingly creative and productive.
John Wall, President 2000-2003
Colin Low, President from November 2003
- EBU held its 7th General Assembly in Athens (Greece) in November 2003. It was attended by in excess of 150 delegates and their guides, and excellent arrangements were made for us by the Panhellenic Association of the Blind. The Assembly was preceded by a Women's Forum and also by a seminar on violence funded under the European Union's Daphne Programme. Running three events end to end like this made the whole event rather long for those who attended all three. Fewer delegates attended the Women's Forum on this occasion than in 1999, and it may be necessary to undertake some rationalisation of the programme on future occasions. 34 Resolutions were considered (though a number had to be referred to the Board for lack of time), and the Assembly heard presentations on human rights from William Rowland, second Vice-President of WBU, and transport from an expert from the United Kingdom. At the end of the Assembly, Colin Low was elected President in succession to Sir John Wall.
- Over the last four years, conferences were held on education, mobility and transport and employment. Discussions of substance took place at all three and important Resolutions were passed to shape EBU policy and guide action. In addition, the Human and Social Rights Commission's Hermes Campaigning Network held a seminar in September 2002, the object of which was to brief delegates on the draft UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled People and provide input on campaigning techniques. A youth camp was held in Dibka (Poland) in July 2003 which those who participated found both enjoyable and inspiring. The Fifth Deafblind Conference took place in October 2003, and EBU co-operated in the founding of the European Deafblind Union (EDBU) at the same time. Unfortunately concern has subsequently been expressed that EDBU has had difficulty in sustaining its initial momentum.
- Following its General Assembly, EBU has streamlined its structure of Commissions. The number of Commissions has been reduced from 14 to 7, covering equality and diversity, access, social policy, rights, blind and partially sighted people with additional disabilities, developing countries and liaison with the European Union. In addition 9 small Working Groups have been established under these Commissions to deal with particular topics (education, employment, mobility and transport, technology) and groups (women, deafblind people, etc.). It may seem that this arrangement is just as cumbersome as before, but it is hoped that the system of small Working Groups under a smaller number of Commissions with a wider remit will be able to operate rather more flexibly.
- Our Commission on Co-operation with Blind and Partially Sighted People in Developing Countries has continued to work in Africa. Additionally, with funding from Denmark, study visits were conducted in Syria, Iran and Yemen in the autumn of 2002 to assist in fostering organisations of blind people in those countries.
- In the past, EBU owned the plaster mould of a gold medal : the Louis Braille Medal. This medal could be, and was, conferred on individuals whom EBU wished to honour for their work. This was handed over to the World Blind Union. It was felt, however, that EBU should still be able to honour those it felt had made an outstanding contribution. Accordingly we have set up a Working Group, chaired by one of our Vice-Presidents, Tommaso Daniele, to make recommendations on the form the award should take. It has canvassed suggestions from national members and its report will be considered at the next Board meeting in December.
- At the Athens General Assembly, we received a major policy document on equality
"Towards a Culture of Equality", covering all of EBU's activities.
As just one example of the increasing emphasis being given to issues of equality
in EBU, the Assembly asked the Board to devise a system of sanctions against
national members whose Assembly delegations do not in future display gender
balance. Mention has already been made of the Women's Forum held before the
last Assembly. The project on violence under the Daphne Programme, and also
our Commission on Human and Social Rights, have been collecting evidence of
violence against blind and partially sighted people, particularly blind and
partially sighted women, and as already mentioned, this culminated in a seminar
on violence which also took place before the General Assembly. The Assembly also
agreed a major policy statement on the particular needs and rights of partially
sighted people, and the Assembly was also concerned to ensure that partially
sighted people were adequately represented throughout EBU's institutions. As a
result, the Board has decided not to have specific Commissions dedicated to
partially sighted and children's issues, but to call for these issues to be
"mainstreamed" in the work of all Commissions, which are now asked to give them
specific attention. All Commissions are also being asked to appoint Equality and
Partially Sighted Champions, and to report specifically on the work they
are doing around issues of equality and partial sight. In April of this year,
EBU's Board agreed a Strategic Plan covering EBU's new work period up to its
next General Assembly, in 2007.
- Following work undertaken during the last work period, the Assembly adopted a policy statement on genetics. But this is a complex and sensitive area, and so it also called for further work to be done. The policy statement on genetics is thus only an interim policy statement.
- As already stated, the Human and Social Rights Commission's Hermes Network held a training seminar in September 2002 for its Europe-wide network of persons charged with the task of spearheading campaigning in the area of human and social rights.
- We have given support to our Romanian colleagues when their government required all blind children to be educated in residential schools. Not only this, but they expected their parents to pay the high cost of such arrangements. If they could not pay, they lost their parental rights. This last point has been resolved, but there are still questions hanging over the future of education policy in Romania.
- Much campaigning is undertaken in relation to the European Union through our Liaison Commission with the EU. May 2004 saw the historic enlargement of the Union from 15 to 25 member nations. EBU is determined to ensure that blind and partially sighted people in the new "accession countries" experience the full benefits of EU membership, and also that blind and partially sighted residents of non-accession countries do not become second-class citizens. As a contribution to ensuring this, EBU held a capacity-building seminar for organisations of the blind from the new entrant countries in Prague this May.
- The EU already has legislation to combat discrimination in the field of employment covering all those groups who experience discrimination in this area, including disabled people. Our most important campaign now is to secure a Directive, the EU's term for legislation, to combat discrimination against disabled people in all areas of life, such as already exists in the field of race. So far, however, the Union prefers to concentrate on implementation of existing Directives and non-legislative measures to promote inclusion of disabled people before contemplating new Directives.
- In other areas we have had a considerable amount of success with the EU. The new Euro currency came into general use in twelve countries at the beginning of 2002 and we were very successful in influencing the design of Euro notes so that blind and partially sighted people could tell them apart. Despite our best efforts, we were not so successful with coins, but still the situation is far from disastrous.
- We have produced, in English, French and German, guidelines on how the European Union could make its information more accessible to blind and partially sighted people, which have been very positively received. We have also been successful in persuading the European Parliament to pass an amendment to ensure that budgetary provision would be made for producing information in accessible formats.
- We have persuaded the Union to agree that medicines should be accessibly labelled, and also in a Directive on public procurement, that it is permissible to take account of design for all criteria and accessibility for disabled people in awarding contracts. It will also be permissible to give preference to contracts that support sheltered employment programmes which contribute towards integrating disabled people into the labour market, but we were not successful in securing agreement to tenderers' equal opportunities policies being taken into account in awarding contracts. Finally, the relaxation of quarantine restrictions now means that visitors to the United Kingdom may bring their guide dogs with them.
- Faced with the threat to freepost services for blind people posed by the liberalisation of postal regimes, we have produced a policy paper on the principles which ought to govern freepost services. Complex negotiations are taking place regarding audio-description and access to digital television, but progress is being made and the European Commission has undertaken to produce a Communication on the subject which includes a good deal of input from EBU. Negotiations are also taking place which are intended to lead to a Directive establishing a series of rights for disabled travelers by air. These have been long drawn out and seem to run into difficulty from time to time, but I am sure they will ultimately result in what amounts to a charter of air passengers' rights for disabled people which, when it happens, will potentially be an extremely important achievement.
- European Computer Driving Licence is a qualification for people who want to have proof of basic computer skills. Unfortunately, one of the modules was constructed in such a way as to be impossible for blind people to pass. Negotiations are in progress to remedy the situation, and we feel confident that a solution will be found.
- 2002 was the 150th anniversary of the death of Louis Braille. In 2003 and 2004 respectively, the Swiss and Italian postal authorities issued postage stamps aimed at giving greater publicity to the unique reading and writing system he invented. Discussions have also been held with UNESCO about promoting the use of braille, and the EBU Board is considering mounting an exhibition at Mother Language Day in Paris next February in order to draw attention to the value of braille. In the meantime, the cost of maintaining Louis Braille's birthplace as a museum continues to be a problem, and EBU is encouraging the formation of Louis Braille Clubs in all countries across the globe to assist with this, with an international Louis Braille Club to co-ordinate the initiative.
- 2003 was European Year of Persons with Disabilities. To mark this, a European Parliament of People with Disabilities met at the Eur