21 January 2009

For immediate release

INTERGENERATIONAL LEARNING : THE BENEFITS OF DIVERSITY

The European Blind Union (EBU) is committed to the promotion of an inclusive society for all where the blind and partially sighted can achieve maximum independence.

Based on its on-going work with junior and senior visually impaired people, EBU is conducting a two-year project on intergenerational learning. With the financial support of the Education and Culture DG of the European Commission, the INTERGEN project aims to design and disseminate a model of knowledge exchange between these two groups.

Each generation has to deal with its own obstacles, but also has its own know-how. Young visually impaired people have an excellent grasp of new technologies that their senior peers are keen to learn about. In turn, senior visually impaired people confidently go about their essential daily tasks in a way that younger people could learn from. A valuable exchange between the two groups would therefore benefit all.

The project involves six partners from countries of the EBU network: the German Federation of the Blind and Partially Sighted (DBSV), the Italian Union of the Blind and Partially Sighted (UIC), the Italian Institute for Research, Training and Rehabilitation (IRIFOR), the Turkish Federation of the Blind, the Turkish Six Dots Foundation and EBU. Each partner will host practice workshops with a view to developing an applicable model, which will be tested in a final seminar. Partners will then look into disseminating this model as widely as possible in training and rehabilitation centres, youth organisations and elderly people’s homes.

Further information from Mokrane Boussaïd, Project Coordinator: ebu@euroblind.org

The European Blind Union is a non-governmental European organisation representing, protecting and promoting the interests of blind and partially-sighted people in Europe.