EBU NEWSLETTER
No 43

Published quarterly by the EBU Office
With the financial support of DG Employment and Social Affairs
of the European Commission


Announcements

Coming Events

 [ The opinions expressed in this Newsletter are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the EBU. ]






New structure of EBU Commissions and Working Groups

Introduction

1. At its meeting on 30 November 2003, the Board agreed some provisional conclusions regarding a reduced structure of commissions in the new work period 2003-2007, and established a working group consisting of the President, the Secretary General and the Director to develop final proposals for consideration by the Board.


Recommendations

2. At its meeting in London on 24-25 January 2004, the Board agreed that there will be 7 commissions in the new structure as follows :

    - Commission on Equality and Diversity
    - Commission on Blind and Partially Sighted People with Additional Impairments
    - Commission on the Rights of Blind and Partially Sighted People
    - Commission on Access for Blind and Partially Sighted People
    - Commission on Social Policy relating to Blind and Partially Sighted People
    - Commission for Liaising with the European Union
    - Commission on Cooperation with Blind and Partially Sighted People in Developing Countries

Since most commissions will have a somewhat broader remit than has traditionally been the case, it was also agreed that :


3. Commissions will normally have a maximum of 12 members.

4. Under most of the commissions there will be smaller working groups of normally 5 persons to deal with particular aspects of the commission's mandate. This will enable commissions to work in a more flexible way. Full commissions should in general meet only once a year. Working groups can meet at the same time as the full commission, most of the time being taken up with working group meetings and only coming together as a full commission in plenary for a small part of the time for purposes of co-ordination. Alternatively they can meet separately, by email ; by teleconference or by a combination of all these ways of working. Subject to the Board's approval, working groups may appoint sub-groups to deal with specific areas of work assigned to them.


Working Groups

5.1 The Equality and Diversity Commission will have working groups dealing with the needs of blind and partially sighted women ; youth ; and elderly. Given the good work of the Partially Sighted Commission during the last work period in establishing policies and principles relating to the needs of partially sighted people, it was agreed to have neither a separate partially sighted commission nor a partially sighted working group under the Equality and Diversity Commission, but rather to ensure that there is good representation of partially sighted people across all commissions to help ensure that these policies and principles are implemented in all areas of EBU's work. EBU national members were asked to indicate the commissions or working groups on which their nominees to the previous Partially Sighted Commission should serve.

5.2 The Commission on Blind and Partially Sighted People with Additional Impairments will have a working group dealing specifically with the needs of deafblind people.

5.3 It will be left to the Commission on the Rights of Blind and Partially Sighted People to determine which areas of work it wishes to focus on, taking account of the priorities set out in the Board's Strategic Plan, and to decide whether it needs individual working groups to deal with particular topics.

5.4 The Access Commission will have working groups on Access to Culture, Information and Leisure ; Access to Technology ; and Mobility and Access to Transport (including guide dogs).

5.5 The Social Policy Commission will have 2 working groups covering the ground previously covered by the Education Commission and the Commission for Rehabilitation, Vocational Training and Employment. But its mandate is potentially broader and, taking account of the priorities set out in the Board's Strategic Plan, the Commission will be able to decide which areas of work it wishes to focus on.


Other commissions

6. The Commission on Co-operation with Blind and Partially Sighted People in Developing Countries will function as before.


7. Commission for Liaising with the European Union

As now, all countries in the European Union plus Norway and Iceland from the European Economic Area (EEA) will nominate a member. Bulgaria and Romania were invited to send observers to meetings of the commission, provided they cover their own participation costs. The Commission will have a chair, two vice-chairs, two other members and a secretary who will together constitute the Cabinet, which, as agreed by the Board in November 2003, is established to progress the work of the commission between full meetings of the Commission. At least two members of the Cabinet must come from accession countries.


Other recommendations

8. Each commission will have a chair, a vice-chair and, where appropriate, a number of coordinators and deputy coordinators of working groups. It was suggested that commissions should have a number of vice-chairs who would in turn chair Working Groups. However the Constitution does not at present permit the appointment of more than one vice-chair per commission. The Board should consider whether it wishes to bring forward an amendment to the Constitution to rectify this situation.


9. Board representatives on commissions will be expected to be more proactive than in the past in assisting their commission to fulfil its mandate.


10. Except in exceptional circumstances, nominating countries are responsible for the travel expenses of their nominees in attending commission and working group meetings. However, the host country will cover the cost of full board and accommodation for commission and working group members from non-industrialised countries, including all the accession countries.


For further details, contact Mokrane Boussaid
Director, EBU Office
Tel : +33 1 47 05 38 20, Fax : +33 1 47 05 38 21
E-mail : ebuoffice@euroblind.org




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Needs and demands of European women with disabilities

Extract of presentation given by Ana Pelaez, vice-chairperson of the EBU Commission for Liaising with the EU and member of the Women's Committee of the European Disability Forum, at a hearing of the European Parliament Committee on Women's Rights and Equal Opportunities (18 February 2004)


The scope of needs and demands of women with disabilities coincides with those fields where it is most urgent and necessary to exercise an intense activity which will transform into reality the equality of rights and opportunity of these women with that of the rest of the citizens.

When dealing with the social reality and the objective situation of women with disabilities, the attention is focused preferably on the areas that cause more factors of exclusion for women in general, bringing a lower level of personal and social development and fewer possibilities to have a normal access to the rights, goods and services of the community.

The most common needs and requests of women with disabilities are :

    Non discrimination and equal opportunities

    Women with disabilities, taken in general, still suffer discrimination due to gender and disability ; these facts mean a violation of the rights guaranteed to everybody, independently from the circumstances.


    The incorporation in the labour market on equal terms

    This is one of the areas of concern for women with disabilities as well as for women in general, but the effects are suffered in a more negative way by women with disabilities given that, with a lack of adequate training and skills, they have fewer or no possibilities to enter the labour market, receive wages and improve their situation. For this reason, we ask for a real and effective commitment from the part of the Member States and the European Institutions to help us out by harmonising our family and working lives, in spite of this situation of multiple disadvantages.

    Furthermore, the rate of unemployment of women with disabilities is particularly worrying (it is set at about 75 % of the total population between 16 and 64 years-old), a situation which is permanent in time due to personal factors (e.g. negative self-esteem, ignorance of one's capacities and potentials, ignorance of the present characteristics of the labour market, lack of training, etc.), family factors (e.g. over-protection, lack of confidence in the capabilities of the woman with disabilities, her relegation to a non commercial activity within the family, difficulties to harmonise working and family lives, the frequent control of the wages by the family, etc.) and social factors (e.g. remaining prejudices from the employers themselves, lack of social protection measures, hostile community environment, lack of representation of the woman with disabilities in positions of responsibility in the associative disability movement itself, etc.).


    Regarding health

    women with disabilities are among the most important consumers of medical and sanitary care. Many studies show that women are more prone to be admitted in institutions than men, as well as the greater prevailing of some illnesses that end up in permanent disability in women than men. There are numerous barriers to get access to family planning and reproduction assistance, not taking into account the need for the persons concerned to control those situations. Proper awareness raising and training are necessary for the medical and sanitary personnel on the specific care of women with disabilities when they use sanitary services. It is also of basic importance to reduce the period of time until a precise and reliable diagnosis is made, in order to minimise the created anxiety and loneliness due sometimes to the time that has to elapse until reaching a diagnosis ; at the same time, we have to strengthen prenatal attention and diagnosis.


    With respect to gender violence,

    it has been proven that the confluence of factors such as gender and disability turns women with disabilities into a population running a great risk to suffer some type of ill-treatment ; the figures we have at present in Europe refer to approximately 40 % of women with disabilities suffering or having suffered some form of violence. At present, the political groups, the equal rights institutions and society in general are becoming more and more conscious of the existence of violence against women. So information, advisory and protection programmes to help women who have suffered some form of aggression have increased. Nevertheless, these programmes do not take into account the peculiarities of women with disabilities and they become inaccessible to them.


    - We must not forget that within the population of women with a disability there are a number of groups which are specially vulnerable as a result of a series of additional factors which aggravate the discrimination they suffer : children, severely disabled women, women who cannot represent themselves, women in rural settings, immigrants, etc.


    Families

    It is important to encourage an attitudinal shift within families to free women with a disability from the particular over-protection they suffer in comparison with other members of the family and which is much stronger than in the case of males with a disability. In a family setting both women and mothers with a disability suffer discrimination due to the social role traditionally assigned to them.


    Self-perception and social image

    In many cases, women with a disability have low self-esteem due to the influence of the disability on women's body image, which does not fit with the image of feminine beauty created and disseminated by the mass media. The disability itself plays a negative role in maintaining social relations, especially those of an emotional nature. In general terms, the image of women with a disability is mistaken and insufficient. She is considered asexual, intellectually challenged and so on.


    Conclusion

    These are, in short, the guidelines which, in the opinion of the European Disability Forum, the new policy regarding women with a disability in Europe should follow. This new policy will come out of the work of this Committee, work in which we have placed so many of our hopes. If I may, allow me to urge you to ensure that all the hard work of so many people has practical, real effects on women with a disability in the European Union.





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    Council Of Europe : A Challenging Experience

    By Tommaso Daniele
    EBU Second Vice-President

    Before 1999, I hardly knew anything about the Council of Europe (CoE). I had vaguely heard something about it but I did not have any opportunity to go deeper into the subject, that is, to go beyond a general and generic knowledge of it. My first significant contact with the Council of Europe was in 1999, during the EBU 6th General Assembly in Prague, when a CoE senior official presented an excellent report on his organisation and spoke about its origins, structure, aims, legal and political tools and the impact its activities have on the lives of disabled people.

    In particular, he referred to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the European Social Charter, and their shortcomings with regard to disability issues. I listened with great attention but I could only retain part of the extensive information given ; so I still had little knowledge about the CoE but my interest in that organisation had grown considerably.

    This is why I accepted without much hesitation to represent the EBU at the Council. By that time I had been elected EBU Second Vice-President. Then an invitation came from Strasbourg to participate in the Plenary Conference of the Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) working with the CoE. I learnt from the minutes read during my journey to Strasbourg that there are 400 NGOs enjoying consultative status with the Council distributed into ten thematic groups. A Liaison Committee has been established to act as an interface between the NGOs and the CoE, consisting of 24 persons elected by the Plenary Conference.

    During the sessions of the conference I made the voice of EBU heard, stressing the need for the Council to make up for being behind in the field of the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities. In the work period 2000 - 2003, I attended a number of meetings of the groupings EBU had joined - in particular, the Human and Social Rights Grouping -, regularly reporting back to the EBU Board.

    It was an interesting and, in some aspects, fascinating experience. I discovered new and multifarious realities, which considerably widened my cultural horizons. In particular, I understood how deep human suffering is because of the denial of rights and how many reasons for suffering there are in the world.

    Then, the time of the EBU 7th General Assembly came. I was sure to be re-elected as Second Vice-President since I was the only candidate for that position. The new EBU President, Colin Low, who undoubtedly over-estimated my achievements, wanted me to continue representing EBU at the Council. Partly to comply with his wish, but much more due to my lack of consideration for the consequences, I accepted once again even though I knew that my work engagements had increased in the meantime as I had become the President of the Federation of National Associations of Persons with Disabilities in Italy.

    At the beginning of 2004, I was invited to attend the NGO Plenary Conference on 27 January. One of the items on the agenda was the election of one-third of the Liaison Committee members (8 out of 24). The invitation came with a form for putting forward a possible nomination for the Liaison Committee. I duly informed the President of EBU, and, after consultation with the other members of the Board, he decided that EBU should be a candidate. I was not really concerned at this prospect, as my name was not so familiar to the representatives of the 400 NGOs entitled to vote as to run the risk of being elected. I therefore went to Strasbourg with no anxiety. At the conference I learnt that 22 nominations had been submitted to fill in the 8 vacant seats in the Liaison Committee. Before the election took place, candidates were given the opportunity to make a brief speech of introduction, and, as it had to last two minutes only, I managed to give it in English ! I introduced myself and the organisation I represent, and explained the reasons for my candidature : in short, EBU wanted to upgrade its participation in the activities of the Council and, most importantly, to bring the ideas and experience of a disabled person to an organisation which had neglected to protect the rights of persons with disabilities on many occasions.

    Then the results of the elections were given ; the first seven elected NGOs were announced in rapid sequence. A pause - we breathed a sigh of relief, it seemed as if it was over. But it was not : 52 NGOs had voted EBU. "The die is cast", we were members of the Liaison Committee. How can one be possibly unhappy with this result ? This meant a lot of additional work for sure. But never mind, the role of EBU had been recognised and its prestige and credibility increased. We are no more one of the 400 NGOs, we are one of the 24. A considerable difference in quality, but also an equally considerable difference in responsibility which we will try to fulfil as best as we can, convinced by the strength of our arguments : full citizenship, independent life, active participation of persons with disabilities in society. My new, stronger and higher qualified engagement within the Council of Europe coincides with a moment of great vitality for NGOs, which have won a big battle with the CoE : a CoE resolution has upgraded the NGOs status from consultative to participatory. This means that NGOs, through the representatives of the Liaison Committee and Working Groups will play an active role in decision-making processes and the elaboration of global policies. This also means that NGOs will constitute the fourth pillar on which the CoE is founded, the three original pillars being the Committee of Ministers, the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities. In the end, this also means that, through the NGOs, civil society, with its many different needs and requirements, is more present in the CoE.


    What is the Council of Europe ?

    It is an intergovernmental organisation, more or less the European equivalent to the United Nations. It was founded in 1949 and now has 45 members with nearly 800 million citizens, and the territory of its membership stretches from the Iberian Peninsula to Siberia. It should not be confused with the European Union.

    The Council of Europe has, as its main objective, the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, pluralist democracy, the respect of law, democratic stability and social cohesion.

    To fulfil its aims the Council of Europe has legal and political instruments. Conventions are its main legal instrument. Recommendations and Resolutions are political instruments. During its more than 50-year-old history, the Council of Europe has drawn up more that 170 conventions on many different subjects, ranging from bio-medicine to sport for all, from the prohibition of torture to the protection of social minorities.

    The most important convention is the one on the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, the equivalent of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. Another important CoE convention is the Social Charter, the equivalent to the United Nations Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The first convention protects civil and political rights, the second protects the right to work and social protection.

    The Council of Europe has established the European Court of Human Rights with jurisdictional functions and a Commissioner for Human Rights in order to promote the above rights. Special mention should be made of Recommendation 92-6 for a Coherent Policy for People with Disabilities, which includes guidelines for the full citizenship, independent living and participation in social life of persons with disabilities, the equivalent of the Standard Rules of the United Nations.

    Also Resolution AP 95-3 on the Vocational Assessment of People with Disabilities deserves our attention, as it shifts focus from the disabilities to the abilities of the persons with disabilities in search of a job.

    Two of the weakest points in the above papers are article 14 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights, which lists the grounds on which discrimination is forbidden with no mention of disability, and article E in Part V of the Social Charter, where again no mention is made of disability among the grounds on which discrimination is forbidden.

    My main duty as representative of the European Blind Union at the Council of Europe will be to address these issues.

    Naturally our hopes go far beyond that. Our ambition is to write new words on the way to equal dignity and opportunities.




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    Achievements of blind and partially sighted people in the United Kingdom

    Paper given by Tony Aston, Chairman of EBU Commission on the Rights of Blind and Partially Sighted People, at a Conference on Human Rights held in Lithuania in October 2003


    Between 1997 and 2000 RNIB carried out research that looked at the lives and needs of over 1000 people of all ages in the UK with serious sight problems. The status and employment of 457 people in this sample who were 16 to 60 years old were looked into. 234 of this sample qualified for registration as blind or partially sighted. The results were published in a Report entitled 'Employment and Unemployment among People with Sight Problems in the UK'. The authors were Ian Bruce and Mark Baker and it was published in 2000.

    This Report divided the sample into two groups. One group had a visual acuity of less than 6/18, broadly equivalent to the criterion for registration as blind or partially sighted. The second group had visual acuity of 6/18 to less than full sight. I shall refer in this presentation only to the group who qualify for registration as blind or partially sighted. I shall consider 3 specific areas of analysis discussed in the Report :

    - People in work and looking for work
    - Identifying people who want to work
    - The range of jobs being done by blind and partially sighted people

    I shall then attempt to distil some of the key lessons we should learn from this research.


    People in work and looking for work

    At the time the research project was conducted, more people in the UK than ever before were in work and the UK had lower rates of unemployment than any other country in Europe. Despite this very buoyant situation only 27 % of the 234 blind and partially sighted people in the sample were in employment. This compares with employment rates of approximately 75 % for the population as a whole.

    In the UK there are many financial and moral incentives as well as government initiatives to encourage unemployed disabled people to seek work. It is therefore surprising that only 3 % of the unemployed people in the sample had either been working or actively been looking for a job during the four weeks prior to their research interview. This suggests that a very large proportion of unemployed blind and partially sighted people do not wish to work, though we do not fully understand the reasons. Is it perhaps because they think they cannot work, they might lose state benefits or fear prejudice ?

    Clearly, a key factor in determining whether someone wishes to work is the nature and extent of the help they get in looking for a job. Less than 20 % had received assistance from government agencies. Nearly 80 % had received no help at all. Nevertheless, approximately 60 % of those people who are unemployed would very much like to have a job.


    Identifying people who want to work

    Perhaps one of the most interesting findings of the research is that many blind and partially sighted people do not seem to want work and do not seek work for the first two years after sight loss. Levels of motivation to work increase significantly during the 3 to 5 year period following loss of sight. This is a key lesson for agencies seeking to help blind and partially sighted people to look for jobs. In my experience agencies tend to concentrate their efforts during the first couple of years after the onset of visual impairment, this emphasis needs to change.

    Participants over 40 years of age were asked if they considered themselves to be retired and whether they wished to retire. 2/3 considered that they were retired, but only 21 % had actually wished to retire at the time of sight loss and 37 % regretted that decision.

    The views expressed by people who had lost their jobs at the time of sight loss underscore the importance of doing everything possible to help people who are losing their sight to retain their jobs if at all possible. However, it is by no means easy to convince people in this situation that it is possible to continue to work. 61 % considered that time off for rehabilitation, changing jobs, special equipment and re-training would not have helped them to stay with their former employer. We should however, keep in mind the findings of some previous research carried out by RNIB (Bruce et al 1991) that people who do not take early retirement on health grounds because of their sight problem are much more likely to be in employment several years later. It is therefore crucial to act to try to persuade employers and blind and partially sighted people to do everything possible to retain their previous job or find another with their existing employer.

    All unemployed survey respondents over 40 years of age were asked if they thought they would ever work again. 60 % thought they would never do a paid job. Only 8 % did not want to work. The reasons that underpin these perceptions are interesting and important. 77 % thought that no one would employ them. 67 % considered they would need help with, for example, transport or communication. 57 % would need training. 53 % thought there were no jobs in their area. 27 % were concerned about loss of state benefits. Thus, the two principal perceived barriers to regaining employment are employer attitudes to visual loss and lack of appropriate training and support.


    The range of jobs being done by blind and partially sighted people

    The survey found that 27 % of blind and partially sighted people in the UK work. This is an important finding as it demonstrates that, despite all the difficulties, it is practicable for people with a serious visual impairment to find a job and to remain working. Prior to this research, very little was actually known about the range of jobs being done by blind and partially sighted people. It was known that they worked as typists, physiotherapists, rehabilitation workers, lawyers and telephonists. However, the diversity of occupations was a real surprise.

    Here is a list of the occupations identified in the survey being done by blind and partially sighted people. The job descriptions are those given by the respondents.

    Partially sighted workers
    cleaners (2), community paediatrician, dinner lady, domestic, help desk controller, minister (clergyman) in training, proprietor/partner, solicitor, teachers (2), administration purchasing assistant, advocacy officer, housing officer, IT specialist, labourer, machine setter, personal tutor, accounts clerk, receptionist/telephonist, sales assistant, secretary, security guard, security officers (2), senior sales advisor, stonemason and test rig operator.

    Blind workers
    administration officer, cleaner, general manager, local manager, settlement manager, child physiotherapist, performer, assembler, audio typist/word processor, care assistant, child protection administrator, computer help desk officer, customer services clerk, customer services telephonist, futures trader, logistics worker, machine operators (3), machinist, mattress builder, book binder, project support worker, PR consultant, sales person, script reader/story consultant, senior social worker, sheet metal worker, stores person, trainee rehabilitation officer (for people with sight problems) and ties worker.

    The following is a list of the occupations of people who lost their sight before 16 years of age, reflecting the range of jobs that have been and are being held by people who have in the main been educated and trained after sight loss.

    Horse stable groom, telephonist, van loader, assembler, audio-typist, bricklayer, capstan lathe operator, cleaner, clerk typist, computer programmer, cook, craft instructor, hairdresser, mains layer, machine sock maker, packer and labeller, process worker, road worker, speech worker and warehouse manager.

    Those in employment were asked if they considered they were treated as well as, worse than, or better than their normally sighted colleagues in three key areas : training opportunities, promotion opportunities and job security. 67 % considered they had the same training opportunities, 90 % the same promotion opportunities and 74 % the same level of job security. The report concludes that these findings demonstrate that there are fewer sticky floors and glass ceilings than might be supposed and that discrimination against blind and partially sighted people by employers is more evident when finding a job than it is in the factory or office.


    Lessons we should learn from the research

    What does this research tell us about the real and perceived barriers confronting blind and partially sighted people who are seeking work or trying to stay in their current post ? What does it tell us about the attitudes of blind and partially sighted people towards work ?

    This research points to the crucial need for support to find a job and to keep the job people have at the time of loss of sight. It is also vital this support is given at the right time - three to five years after the onset of blindness. To fail to give sufficient support, such as training and job search, is to create a barrier to employment. To provide this help at the wrong time is not likely to be effective, as blind and partially sighted people need to be psychologically ready to look for work. There is some evidence that the benefits system also creates a barrier to employment. However, perhaps the greatest problem is the perception that unemployed blind and partially sighted people have of their extremely poor prospects of obtaining a job. Whether this perception is based on experience or expectation is impossible to say on the basis of these findings. It is evident that people in work certainly do not consider that they are discriminated against, believing that they are treated equally and have the same job security as their peers. Discrimination however, may well exist at the time people are looking for a job. Whilst the scope of jobs being done by blind and partially sighted people is much more diverse than had been previously assumed, it must nevertheless be true that a severe visual impairment inevitably restricts job prospects, regardless of ability, training or levels of unemployment. These limitations can however, be ameliorated by the provision of special equipment and adaptations. These enable employers plant and equipment to be operated and to help overcome the communication difficulties and facilitate access to information.

    The report helps us to identify three specific groups of blind and partially sighted people that agencies providing employment services need to support.

    Those who have lost their sight and their job in middle age are likely to be unemployed for a long time. Some will never wish to work again. Others, with assistance given at the right time, might be helped to obtain a job, although this may well be at a lower wage than they previously earned. It should, on the basis of this research, be sensible to talk to this group three to five years after sight loss.

    The second group that requires skilled intervention is those still in work, but whose livelihoods are threatened by imminent loss of sight. They may not believe that rehabilitation and re-training will help them to get back to their former employer. However, they might be persuaded to give rehabilitation and training a try if they understand what others have achieved and that loss of their current employment status almost certainly means extremely limited opportunities for alternative work at a later date. Having persuaded the visually impaired person, it will almost certainly be necessary to persuade the employer to give rehabilitation a try.

    The third and final group that require support services is the people who manage to find a job or remain in work after loss of sight. On the face of it, they are as secure as their sighted colleagues. However, the workplace is an increasingly volatile place these days. People constantly need to adjust to new tasks, equipment and working methods. Visual loss significantly decreases adaptability. In consequence, visually impaired workers are more vulnerable when changes take place and we know from this research that once a job is lost, it is very difficult for visually impaired people to find another one. New equipment and assistive technology for blind and partially sighted people is also being developed rapidly these days. Employers and visually impaired workers cannot be expected to keep up to date with developments and may not have the skills to identify solutions to new problems in the workplace. Agencies providing employment services must keep up to date in this area, learn how other visually impaired people are overcoming new workplace difficulties, and make sure their knowledge and expertise is extended to help visually impaired people in work to stay in work.




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    Announcements

    Housing Sight - A new guide to building accessible homes for people with sight loss

    "Housing Sight" is the first in the series of innovative guides to be published by RNIB Cymru (Wales) which provides practical advice and suggestions on building houses which are accessible to blind and partially sighted people. These guidelines, produced after long consultation with blind and partially sighted people, have already been put into practice in a newly built house in Cardiff.

    The guides give a great deal of insight into the problems that can occur due to bad design. An activity that many people take for granted becomes difficult because of bad design. For example, the guide recommends that a level access shower with a separate bath facility should be provided, with a non-slip finish to the base. Good design tips like this would make life safer for everyone and help prevent slips and falls in the bathroom.

    Having an accessible house means that people can live safely and independently with a reduction in the risk of accidents. It also means that if people lose their sight they can remain in their own homes with only minor adaptations.

    The guides are amongst the first of their kind to be published anywhere. RNIB hopes that they will be rolled out across Europe with the aim that one day all newly built housing will be accessible.

    For further information about this project or to order a copy of the guidelines, please contact :
    Linda Rees, Social Housing Development Officer
    RNIB Cymru
    Trident Court, East Moors Road
    Ocean Park, Cardiff CF24 5TD (United Kingdom)
    Tel : +44 29 2044 9572
    E-mail : Linda.Rees@rnib.org.uk






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    Reminder - Guide dog seminar

    An international seminar for guide dog user organizations will be held in Finland from 8 to 10 October 2004, provided that at least five countries participate. The seminar will take place at the Holiday and Course Centre for the Blind, Onnela
    Address : Rantatie 34, Tuusula
    Tel : +358 9 258821

    The price for
    a double room : 92.80 euros
    a single room : 118.80 euros
    including dinner on Friday evening, breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday, and breakfast and lunch on Sunday.

    The programme will be quite informal. On the Saturday participants will provide an update on guide dog-related issues (e.g accessibility, etc.) in their country, to be followed by a discussion on arising matters. On the Sunday, a visit will be organised to a guide dog school.

    Registrations should be sent, no later than 31 July 2004, to :

    Anneli Salminen
    Marsuntie 10 D 17
    FI-04320 Tuusula (Finland)
    Tel : +358 400 493390
    e-mail : anneli.salminen@pp.nkl.fi





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    Coming Events

    EBU Board

    - 4 - 5 September 2004, PARIS (France)
    - December 2004, CAPE TOWN (South Africa)

    Contact : Vaclav Polasek, EBU Secretary General
    Tel : +420 2 2146 2246
    Fax : +420 2 2146 2145
    E-mail : polasek@sons.cz


    EBU Commissions

    - 21 - 23 May 2004, DUBLIN (Ireland)
    Commission for Liaising with the EU
    Contact : Rodolfo Cattani
    Email : inter@uiciechi.it

    - 30 - 31 May 2004, BOGNOR REGIS (West Sussex, UK)
    Commission on the Rights of Blind and Partially Sighted People
    Contact : Tony Aston
    Email : taston@enterprise.net

    - 10 July 2004, LISBON (Portugal)
    Commission on Cooperation with Blind and Partially Sighted People in Developing Countries
    Contact : John Heilbrunn
    Email : jh@dkblind.dk

    - 2 - 3 September 2004, PARIS (France)
    Commission on Social Policy
    Contact : Philippe Chazal
    Email : ph.chazal@avh.asso.fr




    Other Organisations

    29 June - 2 July 2004, GRANADA (Spain)
    Conference and Workshop on Assistive Technologies for Vision and Hearing Impairment : State-of-the-Art and New Challenges

    This is the third event in the international conference series on assistive technologies supported by the European Commission. The conference event will take place on 30 June - 2 July, with tutorial workshops being held on 29 June.

    More information is available on the conference website, at : www.elec.gla.ac.uk/Events_page/CVHI
    Or from Ms V. Romanes, CVHI 2004 Secretariat
    E-mail : V.Romanes@elec.gla.ac.uk




    5 - 6 July 2004, PRAGUE (Czech Republic)
    Equal rights in an enlarged Europe

    Conference given within the framework of the European Commission Community Action Programme to combat discrimination 2001-2006

    Contact : conference secretariat GOPA-Cartermill
    Tel : +32 2 280 1737
    Fax : +32 2 280 1912
    E-mail : conference-antidiscrimantion@gopa-cartermill.com




    7 - 9 July 2004, PARIS (France)
    9th International Conference on Computers Helping People with Special Needs

    ICCHP conferences focus on all aspects of information, communication and assistive technology for people with disabilities and elderly people.

    Contact : Klaus Miesenberger
    Tel : +43 732 2468 9232
    Fax : +43 732 2468 9322
    E-mail : icchp@aib.uni-linz.ac.a
    Website : www.icchp.org




    8 - 10 October 2004, TUUSULA (Finland)
    Guide Dogs Seminar

    Contact : Anneli Salminen
    Tel : +358 400 493390
    E-mail : anneli.salminen@pp.nkl.fi




    27 - 29 October 2004, VIENNA (Austria)
    e-Challenges 2004 Conference and Exhibition

    This is the fourteenth in a series of annual conferences supported by the European Commission, which regularly attracts over 500 delegates from commercial, government and research organisations around the world.

    This year's conference themes include eBusiness, eGovernment, eWork, eEurope 2005 and ICT Take-up by SMEs, and International Collaboration. It will also look forward to the future by focusing on the thematic priorities of FP6. The European Research Area and research priorities and trends for the future will also be discussed.

    More information is available on the conference website, at : www.echallenges.org
    or from e2004@adera.fr




    28 November - 2 December 2004, CAPE TOWN (South Africa)
    5th AFUB General Assembly : Changing what it means to be blind

    This AFUB 5th General Assembly will include a cocktail of activities beginning with the Women's Forum, region meetings, launching of AFUB HIV/AIDS campaign and a number of entertainment interludes. Delegates will take stock of the achievements of the Union during the last four years (2000-2004) and will approve the Union's 4-year strategic plan for 2005-2008. The Assembly will then culminate in the election of the new Board of Officers and members of the Women's Committee who will direct the Union's policy in the next quadrennial.

    An exhibition of equipment and crafts made