Published by the EBU Office
With the financial support of
DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities
of the European Commission
Table of contents :
Review of the Audio Visual Media Services Directive
Review of the Postal Directive
Europe has new counterterrorism weapon : Blind detectives
National News
-
Voting procedure for the visually impaired adopted in Spain
-
Vodafone Portugal launches Vodafone Say
-
Light in Darkness Project looking for partners
FEATURE : Slovenia
[ The opinions expressed in this Newsletter are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the EBU. ]Editor’s Note
Dear readers,
Welcome to EBU Newsletter N° 59.
This is the last issue of the EBU Newsletter before the end of 2007. Members
of the EBU Office staff take pleasure in wishing our readers a Merry Festive
Season and a Happy New Year!
The Feature section in this issue takes you on an interesting trip to
Slovenia : an in-depth article provides detailed information on the status
of the Slovene blind and partially sighted, focusing on employment and
rehabilitation.
As you will see, EBU is as active as ever on the EU-front, waging several
battles at the same time : the Council Position regarding the review of the
Postal Directive is disappointing, but that was expected and our Liaison
Commission is already contemplating action during Second Reading. The
revised Media Services Directive is an improvement on the previous text as
it now makes reference to accessibility. Finally, EBU is mobilizing to
support our fellow blind in Sweden against a Commission’s decision to
challenge the reduced VAT rate applied to audio books in that country.
You will also hear from an amazing job experience : a blind detective
involved in counterterrorism ! I’m not sure to what extent this opens new
perspectives for visually impaired people’s employment, but the story is
certainly worth sharing with you all.
Finally, I hope the call by Tommaso Daniele, the promoter of the Louis
Braille Clubs, will be heard, and that, as part of their New Year’s good
resolutions, your organisations will follow the example set by the Italian
Union of the Blind and Partially Sighted and establish their own Clubs.
Enjoy your reading !
Please feel free to send your comments on the Newsletter layout and contents
to ebuoffice@euroblind.org
Louis Braille Clubs |
If Louis Braille were still alive on 4th January 2009 he would be two
centuries old. France, WBU, EBU and several national organizations of the
blind and partially sighted are staging big events to celebrate his
birthday. All that is very good, but not enough.
If Louis Braille were here now, he would probably say : “If you love me,
please don’t speak of me and my reading and writing system only on the
occasion of my birthday or to commemorate my death. Please do so every day
because it is crucial to constantly remind the world of the importance of
braille.”
If Louis Braille were here now, he would probably ask all national
organisations of the blind to create a permanent structure with the
following specific tasks : first, promote the importance of the braille
system which is original, universal and irreplaceable ; second, underline
the didactic and pedagogical value of braille which is the only direct
writing and reading system created by a blind person for blind persons.
The Italian Union of the Blind and Partially Sighted is already making Louis
Braille’s dream come true by establishing the Italian Braille Club. We have
gathered all Louis Braille’s friends in three groups : individuals, public
and private organizations. The money collected serves the following four
purposes :
Every year we give a sizeable financial contribution to the Louis Braille Birthplace Museum in Coupvray (France).
We hope that a great many organisations of the blind worldwide will follow
suit and create their own national braille clubs. All together, let us
translate into reality what a young blind from Togo once wrote : “Braille is
the hidden treasure for blind people all over the world.”
Further information from Tommaso Daniele, Italian Union of the Blind and
Partially Sighted, inter@uiciechi.it
Back to contents
Review of the Audio Visual Media Services Directive
On 29 November, the European Parliament approved
the text of the Audio Visual Media Services Directive (AVMS) which had been
submitted to it by the Council of Ministers. The European Parliament made no
amendments to the text which the Council had agreed.
This means that European negotiations on this Directive are over. The
Directive will come into force when it is published in the Official Journal
of the European Union, and this will happen at some point over the next few
days. Member States will then have two years to implement its requirements.
There is a clause in there thanks to EBU’s lobbying with EDF on disabled
people. It is now in 3c and reads :
"Article 3 c
Member States shall encourage media service providers under their
jurisdiction to ensure that their services are gradually made accessible to
people with a visual or hearing disability."
Though this is not a requirement due to the word "encourage”, it is worth
quoting this when lobbying our countries for more audio description, audio
subtitling, etc. EBU will need to work with the Commission in the next
couple of years to ensure that this requirement is monitored properly and
that improvements are made in line with it.
In any case, it is a lot better than the previous directive which made no
reference to accessibility for disabled people.
Further information from Dan Pescod, European and International Campaigns
Manager, Dan.Pescod@rnib.org.uk
Review of the Postal Directive
On 8th November the Council published its Position on the Postal Directive
revision. The Council Position is in favour of wording which permits Member
States to maintain or introduce the free post service for blind and
partially sighted people, but opposes our call for there to be a REQUIREMENT
to this effect.
The Parliament is expected to have its Second Reading of the directive on
30th January 2008. As you will know, at First Reading the Parliament was in
favour of our position, and voted in amendments 47 and 26 as a result.
Amendment 47 is the key one. It states :
ARTICLE 1, POINT 14, POINT (A) Article 12, indent 1 (Directive 97/67/CE)
"Member States shall ensure the provision of a free postal service for the
use of blind and partially sighted persons."
Amendment 26 relates to Recital 23 and states :
"(23) Given the importance of postal services for blind and partially
sighted persons, it is appropriate to confirm that in a competitive and
liberalised market there should be an obligation to supply free services for
blind and partially sighted persons introduced by the Member States."
It is more difficult in the Parliament Second Reading to get amendments
through. However, the Parliament is allowed to vote back into the text
amendments that it proposed at First Reading if an absolute majority of MEPs
support this. EBU is asking MEPs to vote the amendments above back into the
text.
The Parliament's various political groups will be meeting at the beginning
of January to decide their voting position on the various issues. It is
urgent to contact the MEPs this December (2007) to ask them to support our
call for the reinstatement of amendment 47 in the directive.
EBU will contact the Rapporteur and Shadow Rapporteurs to make this request
to them, and offer EBU's availability to meet them in early January should
they wish to do so to discuss this issue further. EBU is hoping to get our
amendment back in the text, to safeguard this vital service for the future !
Further information from Dan Pescod, European and International Campaigns
Manager Dan.Pescod@rnib.org.uk
VAT on Audio Books
The European Commission is discussing bringing about an infringement
procedure against Sweden VAT rate applied to audio books (6 %).They argue
that audio books cannot be applied the reduced VAT rate applied to books
because they do not 'match' the definition of a book as it stands.
This is a clear case of indirect discrimination against blind, partially
sighted and other print disabled people, and the Swedish government, with
the support of publishers, the Swedish Association of the Visually Impaired
(SRF) and other industry stakeholders, has met with the Commission to fight
the case.
A strong letter co-signed by EBU and the Federation of European Publishers
was sent to José Manuel Barroso, President of the Commission, and to
relevant commissioners, the Council and the Parliament on this matter.
We shall of course keep our readers posted on further developments.
Further information from Anne Spinali, RNIB European Campaigns Officer,
anne.spinali@rnib.org.uk
Europe Has New Counterterrorism Weapon, Blind Detectives
ANTWERP, Belgium : Sacha van Loo, 36, is not your typical cop. He wields a
white cane instead of a gun. And from the purr of an engine on a wiretap, he
can discern whether a suspect is driving a Peugeot, a Honda or a Mercedes.
Van Loo is one of Europe's newest weapons in the global fight against terrorism and organized crime : a blind Sherlock Holmes, whose disability allows him to spot clues sighted detectives don't see.
"Being blind has forced me to develop my other senses, and my power as a detective rests in my ears," he said from his office at the Belgian Federal Police, where a bullet-riddled piece of paper from a recent target-shooting session was proudly displayed on the wall. "Being blind also requires recognizing your limitations," he added with a smile, noting that a sighted trainer guided his hands during target practice "to make sure no one got wounded."
Van Loo, a slight man who has been blind since birth, is one of six blind police officers in a pioneering unit specializing in transcribing and analyzing wiretap recordings in criminal investigations. An accomplished linguist who taught himself Serb Croat for fun, he laments that he is not entitled to carry a gun on the job or make arrests. But such is his acute sense of hearing that Paul van Thielen, a director at the Belgian Federal Police, compares his powers of observation to those of a "superhero."
When police eavesdrop on a suspected terrorist making a phone call, van Loo can listen to the tones dialed and immediately identify the number. By hearing the sound of a voice echoing off of a wall, he can deduce whether a suspect is speaking from an airport lounge or a crowded restaurant. After the Belgian police recently spent hours struggling to identify a drug smuggler on a faint wiretap recording, they concluded he was Moroccan. Van Loo, who has a "library of accents in his head," listened and deduced he was Albanian, a fact confirmed after his arrest.
"I have had to train my ear to know where I am. It is a matter of survival
to cross the street or get on a train," he said. "Some people can get lost
in background noise, but as a blind man I divide hearing into different
channels. It is these details that can be the difference between solving and
not solving a crime."
Grappling with his handicap, he says, also has given him the thick emotional
skin necessary for dealing with the job's stresses. "I have overheard
criminals plotting to commit murder, drug dealers making plans to drop off
drugs, men beating each other up. Being blind helps not to let it get to me
because I have to be tough."
The blind police unit, which became operational in June, originated after van Thielen heard about a blind police officer in the Netherlands, and was looking at ways to improve community outreach. He made the connection that blind people could prove more adept than the sighted at listening to and interpreting wiretaps. That idea, he says, was given added impetus after the Belgian government passed a law a few years ago giving the police extended powers to use wiretaps in the investigation of 37 areas of crime, including terrorism, murder, organized crime and the abduction of minors.
The police also recognized that blind officers like van Loo could be particularly valuable in counterterrorism investigations because wiretap recordings - derived from a phone tap or bug placed in the safe house of a terrorist group - are often muffled by loud background noise, requiring a highly trained ear to discern voices. Alain Grignard, a senior counterterrorism officer at the Brussels Federal Police, notes that wiretaps proved instrumental in the recent arrests of a large terrorist cell in Belgium recruiting for the insurgency in Iraq.
Beyond his keenly developed ears, van Loo is also a trained translator who speaks seven languages, including Russian and Arabic - a skill Grignard said makes him indispensable, since his knowledge of accents can help him to differentiate between, say, an Egyptian or Moroccan suspect. "You need every edge in a terrorism investigation, and a blind officer with languages could be a powerful weapon."
The Belgian police say they were amazed at the number of qualified blind applicants for the posts. Scoring high marks on a hearing test was a prerequisite for the job, as was being at least 33 percent blind. Van Thielen, the police chief, says he was forced to turn away dozens of applicants whose sight was too good, including one "blind" man who shocked police recruiters by arriving at his interview in a car.
Recruiting blind people posed other challenges, van Thielen recalls. Because they would be used almost exclusively for wiretap investigations and the force did not want to expose them to dangerous situations, they were given special status under a 2006 law tailored for forensic work that grants civilians some police powers, but forbids them from making arrests or carrying guns.
Van Thielen, a no-nonsense police veteran, also faced some resistance from other veterans on the force, who feared that having blind colleagues would be a burden. Others felt awkward about how to behave in front of blind people and wondered if saying "au revoir" - literally "see you again" - would cause offense. To assuage their concerns, van Thielen arranged for sensitivity training sessions with blind volunteers. One hint : don't leave computer cables trailing on the floor since blind officers could trip on them.
"At first when members of the police heard that blind people were coming to
work here, they laughed and told me that we were a police force and not a
charity," said van Thielen. "But attitudes changed when the blind officers
arrived and showed their determination to work hard and be useful." It
wasn't only attitudes that needed updating. In addition to installing
elevators with voice-activated buttons at the police station, the force
issued each blind officer with a special € 10,000 computer equipped with
braille keyboards, and a voice system that transmits visual images into
sound.
As van Loo transcribed a wiretap recording on a recent day, he wore earphones and passed his index finger over a long strip of braille characters on the bottom of the keyboard, whose characters altered to replicate whatever was on his computer screen, which was turned off. When he goes outside, he carries a compact police-issued global positioning system device, with a voice that directs him to his destination, street by street.
A father of two, van Loo attributes his success to having parents who taught him at an early age to be independent. He recalls that, as a young child, his father, a film buff, took him to watch movies. His father also taught him to drive a car by hoisting him on his lap and guiding his hands on the steering wheel. His ability to adapt, he says, was further reinforced by his attending a regular high school. He also attended a special school for the blind, where he learned how to maneuver with a cane and to read Russian in braille. To relax, he skis, rides horses and plays the Arabic lute. "My parents accepted my blindness, which also helped me to accept it," he said. "That they were not risk averse also helped."
Cindy Gribomont, head of training at the Brussels-based Braille League, an
institute for the blind that helped the police with recruiting, says that
overcoming employers' prejudices is her greatest challenge. "Employers need
to be encouraged because they are afraid of employing handicapped people."
Van Loo, for his part, says he remains determined not to let his handicap
overwhelm him. "Being blind isn't always very easy," he said. "I don't focus
on it. I don't deny it. But it is rather tragic that a blind policeman is
still viewed as an exception."
[ Reproduced with the kind permission of the International Herald Tribune ]
International Herald Tribune, Monday, October 29, 2007, Dan Bilefsky
http://www.iht.com/bin/printfriendly.php?id=8100944
National News
Voting procedure for the visually impaired adopted in Spain
The Spanish Council of Ministers has just adopted a Royal Decree to
regulate voting procedures for blind and partially sighted people in Spain.
This ensures voting is secret.
According to the Council, the new voting system will be used in the upcoming
general elections scheduled for March 2008.
Furthermore, the system will be used in elections to the European Parliament
and regional assemblies and also in referenda, while in the case of local
elections specific regulations must be drawn up given the complexity of the
issue.
The government believes around 15,000 voters will benefit from this measure
at a cost of 20 euro per person, so in each election the total cost will be
300,000 euro. To this must be added the cost of advertising and public
information campaigns, plus that of applying, so the total investment will
rise to 600,000 euro for each election.
The procedure adopted states that once an application has been submitted to
the Ministry of the Interior, the president of each polling table shall give
the voter an envelope containing instructions and voting envelopes for each
party running in which the name appears in print and braille.
For elections to the Senate, given that an open-list system is used the
envelope will contain a template with holes stamped out ; this is placed on
top of the normal ballot paper to enable voters to mark their preferences
with a cross.
The Royal Decree also makes it compulsory for each polling station to have a
specific, accessible and suitable space that guarantees voters’ privacy as
close as possible to the polling table.
This is a big success after a long period of negotiations.
Further information from Ana Peláez Narváez,
apn@once.es
Vodafone Portugal launches Vodafone Say
Vodafone has just launched the Vodafone Say net tariff plan offering special
terms for Mobile Broadband Internet access for people with special needs. In
August, Vodafone Portugal launched a more recent version of the Vodafone Say
(introduced onto the market in July 2005) enabling blind and visually
impaired people to make full use of all the functions of a mobile phone.
Already installed free of charge by Vodafone on over 700 phones, Vodafone
Say is a solution specially designed for the visually impaired which enables
them to use all the functions of a mobile phone by means of Text to Speech
(TTS) conversion.
This means that people who are blind or visually impaired are able to use
services such as SMS, MMS or E-mail, or navigate on the Vodafone live
portal. They can also know who is calling, make a call from the address
book, use the calendar function and check the network and battery charge, as
well as hearing the time, date, etc.
With this offer of special rates and adapted phones, Vodafone aims to
contribute effectively to this social group’s access to and full integration
in the Information Society.
http://www.vodafone.com/start/media_relations/news/local_press_releases/portugal/portugal_press_release/mobile_broadband_for.html
Back to contents
Light in Darkness Project looking for partners
The Hungarian Sports and Leisure Association for the Visually Impaired is
looking for 2 partner organisations to the itinerant project “Light in
Darkness”.
Sighted participants, guided by their blind peers, have an opportunity to
experience moments of visually impaired people’s life ; in turn, blind
people get a taste of activities they are usually excluded from (extreme
sports, etc.). Applications until February 1, 2008.
If you are interested, please, contact Judit Gombás (LÁSS, Látássérültek
Szabadidős Sportegyesülete),
gombas.judit@gmail.com
Back to contents
FEATURE Slovenia
Position and prospects of the blind and partially sighted adults in Slovenia
By Tomaz Wraber and Alenka Bera,
Union of the Blind and Partially Sighted of Slovenia
1. Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to describe the situation of those citizens of
the Republic of Slovenia who were more than 21 years old when they partially
or totally lost their sight. These individuals no longer have the
possibility to participate in special forms of education designed for the
blind or partially sighted. For them, being blind or partially sighted is a
completely new situation. They would therefore need, in addition to the
existing forms of assistance, access to comprehensive professional
rehabilitation programmes to equip them, in the best possible way, for
independent personal, professional and public life.
The definition of blindness and low vision for Slovenia (1) is practically
identical to the one proposed by WHO in 2003 (2).
According to the Slovene definition, there are five categories of vision
loss : 1 and 2 for low vision, 3, 4, and 5 for blindness.
2. Care for the blind in Slovenia : past and present
This year, we celebrate the 85th anniversary of organised care for the
blind. The first association of the blind was established in Ljubljana after
the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Profound changes occurred
after the Second World War. Among other things, care for the blind became
part of the government ideology. To make it simple, it understood the
situation as follows : fascism and nazism caused the war, which in turn
caused the number of blind people to increase considerably. Victims of
fascism had to be taken care of. Hence, the government established a very
solid system of education for the blind. Most blind people were given jobs
or offered retirement, and nobody was left unemployed. At the time of
general scarcity in the country, the organised care for the blind and
partially sighted was among the best in Europe. The law even stipulated that
blind switchboard operators should be given priority in employment. Alas,
later the development of care for the blind and partially sighted did not
follow the trends elsewhere in the world.
This fact becomes obvious when we compare the numbers of employed and
unemployed members of the largest among the nine associations which form the
Union of the Blind and Partially Sighted of Slovenia (hereinafter the
Union). In Table 1 we present data for the years 1968, 2000 and 2004.
Number of employed and unemployed members of the Ljubljana Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted in 1968, 2000 and 2004
Year
1968
2000
2004
Total number of
all members
420 (100 %)
830 (100 %)
960 (100 %)
Number of employed
members
114 (27.1 %)
57 (6.87 %)
-75 (7.7 %)
Number of unemployed*
members
0 (0 %)
8 (0.96 %)
15 (1.56 %)
* unemployed – registered job seekers
An alarming fact is that in 1968 there were 27.1 % employed members, while
in 2004, when the membership was practically twice as high, the employment
rate fell to 7.7 %. The low number of unemployed/job seekers in 2004 can be
explained by a high number of young retired persons, which is shown in Table
2.
Table 2
Number of employed, retired and unemployed members of the Union of Blind and
Partially Sighted of Slovenia between 20 and 65 years of age, as of 31
December 2004
___________________________________________________________________
Employed under general conditions 254
Employed under special conditions
- companies employing people with disabilities 30
Total retired persons 2,126
Retired between 20 and 65 years of age 853
Unemployed – registered job seekers 59
The reason for such a high number of retirees (2,126 out of 3,717 members)
is above all the average age of the members and a high number of early
retired. The number of employed under general conditions is relatively low –
254, and under special conditions only 30. Two figures are worrying : the
extremely high number of retired members between 20 and 65 years of age - as
many as 853 - and the extremely low number of active job seekers - only 59.
3. Rights of the blind and partially sighted in Slovenia
And what rights can an adult person who has partially or totally lost her
sight enjoy in Slovenia ? On the basis of compulsory health insurance, such
a person is entitled to some basic aids : a white cane, a pair of dark
glasses, a cassette player and a pair of telescopic spectacles. Under
certain conditions, a blind person can obtain a braille typewriter or a
guide dog. However, she is not entitled to electronic magnifiers or to
computers adapted for the blind.
Pension and disability insurance is compulsory by law for any fully employed
person. In case of blindness (categories 3, 4 and 5 according to the Slovene
definition) a person is entitled to an assistance allowance, amounting to
239 euros after tax per month (for the sake of comparison : in 2004, the
average gross salary in Slovenia was around 1,112 euros per month, i.e.
around 700 euros after tax). Those who have lost their sight due to an
accident at work are entitled to a disability allowance of approximately 83
euros per month. If the accident causing the blindness is not work-related,
the disability allowance is usually lower, i.e. approximately 58 euros.
Partially sighted belonging to category 2 are only entitled to 50 % of the
assistance allowance.
The system in Slovenia does provide for material and financial assistance
for the blind and partially sighted, but this assistance is not sufficient
for independent living. Talking to many blind and partially sighted adults,
we established that their biggest fear is social exclusion or losing their
job as a basis of their existence. Good and comprehensive rehabilitation
would considerably enhance their capability for independent life.
4. Possibilities for rehabilitation in Slovenia
What are the possibilities of comprehensive rehabilitation in Slovenia ? The
legislation provides for rehabilitation for the blind and partially sighted
only in two cases : The Act on Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with
Disabilities, which came into effect in June 2004, provides for
rehabilitation of unemployed people with disabilities in view of improving
their employability. Unfortunately, the implementing regulations have not
yet been adopted and the Act doesn’t apply yet.
The Pension and Disability Insurance Act allows professional rehabilitation
for all employees who become disabled during their employment, provided such
rehabilitation re-qualifies them for another job. However, this right may be
exercised only up to 50 years of age. The data about rehabilitation is shown
in Table 3.
| Year | New members above 21 year |
Number of requalified members at CSS |
Percentage requalified |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 139 | 11 | 7.91 |
| 1991 | 144 | 6 | 4.18 |
| 1992 | 142 | 10 | 7.06 |
| 1993 | 131 | 6 | 4.59 |
| 1994 | 152 | 10 | 6.58 |
| 1995 | 184 | 13 | 7.06 |
| 1996 | 246 | 9 | 3.67 |
| 1997 | 219 | 9 | 4.11 |
| 1998 | 147 | 11 | 7.51 |
| 1999 | 215 | 6 | 2.79 |
| 2001 | 194 | 9 | 4.64 |
| 2002 | 205 | 6 | 2.93 |
| 2003 | 192 | 7 | 3.64 |
| Total (1990 to 2003) | 2,437 | 119 | 4.88 |
| Total (1994 to 2003) | 1,833 | 86 | 4.57 |
| - | - |
In the past 14 years, in average 174 new members a year adhered to our Union, with a slight upward trend. In these 14 years, only 4.84 % of all members managed to exercise their right to rehabilitation, and in the last 10 years, only 4.75 %. These figures are far too low. Does this mean that practically 95 % of people with visual impairment should be considered as redundant, useless, and too unworthy for anybody outside the Union to care ? The condition of low vision is at least 10 times more prevalent than is actual blindness (3), which means that the number of people in need for rehabilitation is much higher. As in 2004, 2,237 out of the 3,717 members of the Union were blind and only 1,480 partially sighted, it can be concluded that outside the organisation there are at least several thousand partially sighted people.
There has been another worrying development : the only professional institution for rehabilitation of the blind and partially sighted in Slovenia, the Centre for the Blind and Partially Sighted in Skofja Loka, ceased its activities in 2004, following a Government decision. The decision was later amended, but so far the Centre has not yet resumed its activities.
Thus, the member associations of our Union are the only organisations still involved in rehabilitation/training of the blind and partially sighted. However, these associations offer only basic rehabilitation in form of one or several days group seminars. There are no one-to-one training programmes and the members themselves run most of the seminars, with only occasional help from professionals.
The consequences of such very limited and recently nearly non-existent possibilities of rehabilitation can be seen in Table 2. It is to assume that good comprehensive rehabilitation would at least considerably reduce the number of early retirees and also yield other results.
5. Discussion
To summarise : In Slovenia, adults who have partially or completely lost
their sight are entitled to some financial benefits and some basic aids.
Until recently the right to rehabilitation was, in its rather reduced form,
accessible only to a few. Although now the law stipulates this right, it
cannot be exercised, as there is no institution to actually carry it out.
The Slovene legislation does not recognise a right to comprehensive
rehabilitation that would emanate from blindness or low vision per se. Any
loss of sight is a consequence of a disease or injury ; therefore the right
to comprehensive rehabilitation should be enshrined in health legislation,
i.e. in the Health Care and Health Insurance Act. We, the blind and
partially sighted of Slovenia, are doing our best to bring about a change in
the legislation, in particular as this right is already included in the
legislation for persons with reduced mobility.
The bases for organising comprehensive rehabilitation for the blind and
partially sighted in the framework of the health sector already exist. A low
vision department operates within Ljubljana and Maribor Eye Clinics
respectively and there are enough ophthalmologic outpatient clinics as a
part of the health care network. The health sector has an established system
of triage and referrals to specialist and sub-specialist offices and often
cooperates with non-medical professions. Thus there is no reason why
ophthalmologists could not involve other experts, like special pedagogues
for visually impaired, orientation specialists, low vision therapists, etc.
And last but not least, there are practically no age related limits for the
medical profession. This means that comprehensive rehabilitation of the
blind and partially sighted in the framework of the health care system would
be accessible also to the elderly.
To conclude, we would like to draw your attention to an important fact : the
European Union has passed very detailed legislation, which is binding for
all Member States in many areas. Alas, there are no binding standards on
minimal protection of rights of the blind and partially sighted, which
should include the right to comprehensive rehabilitation emanating from the
blindness and low vision per se. It might be appropriate for the European
Blind Union and the professional associations of ophthalmologists to take
the initiative and propose, as soon as possible, to the competent EU bodies
the adoption of relevant legislation in this field.
Binding standards would be the way to improve the position and prospects of
the visually impaired and enhance their possibilities of independent living
– not only in Slovenia.
References
(1) The definition of blindness and low vision for the Republic of Slovenia
was adopted on 6 March 1996 by the enlarged technical team for
ophthalmology, and on 6 November it was adopted by the Medical Council at
the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Slovenia.
(2) WHO. Prevention of blindness and deafness. Consultation on development
of standards for characterization of vision loss and visual functioning.
Geneve, 4-5 September 2003, WHO/PBL03.91.
(3) Colenbrander A, Fletcher DC. Basic concepts and terms for low vision
rehabilitation. Am J Occupat Ther (AJOT) 1995; 49:865-9.
Further information from Tomaz Wraber,
Tomaz.Wraber@rtvslo.si
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Fact sheet Slovenia
Official name: Republic of Slovenia
Political system: multiparty parliamentary democracy
Area: 20,273 km2
Forest: 10,124 km2
Vineyards: 216 km2
Surrounding countries: Austria, Italy, Hungary, Croatia
Length of coast: 46.6 km
Capital: Ljubljana
Population: 2 million
Ethnic origin of population: Slovene (83.06 %), Italian (0.16 %), Hungarian (0.43 %), others (11.57 %)
Language: Slovene
Religion: Roman Catholic (82 %)
Climate: Alpine, Continental, Mediterranean
Average temperatures: July : 21°C ; January : 0°C
Currency: Euro since 1 January 2007
Education: Universities in Ljubljana and Maribor
Further information : www.slovenia.si
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Coming Events |
EBU Board
8 - 10 February 2008 UK
Joint meeting of the Board with Commission Chairs/Group Coordinators.
17
– 18 May 2008
The Netherlands
19
– 20 September 2008
Rethimnon
(Crete)
Contact : Birgitta Blokland, EBU Secretary General
Email : bjb202@hotmail.com
Other organisations
28 January 2008
PARIS (France)
Accessible e-books : an opportunity for the disabled
The conference will be held under the patronage of Nicolas Sarkozy, President of the French Republic, Christine Albanel, Culture and Communication Minister, and Valérie Pécresse, Higher Education and Research Minister.
Programme and registration :
http://inova.snv.jussieu.fr/evenements/colloques/ebooks/Description/index_en.php
7 February 2008
BRUSSELS (Belgium)
Conference on "Vision in Action : Accessibility for All to Next Generation Networks"
The conference will address :
* What is the potential of new communication technologies for older and disabled people and how can we help industry deliver this potential ?
* What are the main concerns, issues and requirements of the industry ?
* How can we ensure that older and disabled people are included in the opportunities offered by network generation services ?
This conference may not be able to provide all the answers but through live enactments of current and future scenarios, the participants will experience some of the main issues whilst being able to propose possible solutions to live actors on stage. This interactive session will be an opportunity to explore potential benefits and engage directly in the debate.
The conference is free of charge, and has been organised by COST 219ter (Accessibility for all to services and terminals for next generation mobile networks).
Further information and a registration form is at www.tiresias.org/cost219ter/mtgs.htm
25 – 29 March 2008
PONTEVEDRA (Spain)
First International Congress for Blind and Partially Sighted Children
Hosted by the Spanish National Organisation of the Blind (ONCE) and the World
Blind Union Children’s Committee.
Contact person : Ana Pelaez, rrii@once.es
25 – 30 April 2008
ZAGREB
(Croatia)
6th EBU Deafblind Conference and Second European Deafblind Blind Union
General Assembly
Contact : Tajana Tarczay, project coordinator,
edbu2007@dodir.hr
6 - 10 July 2008 MONTREAL (Canada)
9th International Conference on Low Vision
The Conference will feature plenary and concurrent sessions during which
distinguished academics and researchers will present the results of their work
on vision science research, services of rehabilitation and psychosocial
aspects of reintegration.
www.vision2008.ca
9 - 11 July 2008
LINZ
(Austria)
11th International Conference on Computers Helping People with Special
Needs.
“eQuality: A Global Challenge” - Equal Access to the Information Society as
a Global Challenge
www.icchp.org
16 – 22 August 2008
GENEVA (Switzerland)
7th General Assembly and 4th Women’s Forum of the World Blind Union
www.wbu2008.ch
25 – 28 August 2008
QUEBEC
(Canada)
21st World Congress Rehabilitation International.
Disability Rights and Social Participation : Ensuring a Society for All
The Congress theme showcases the new United Nations Convention on the Rights
of Persons with Disabilities, which provides the framework for the
development of good policies, actions and projects to drastically improve
the living conditions of hundreds of millions of people worldwide with
disabilities.
The RI-Québec 2008 World Congress also presents an opportunity to connect to
more than 1,500 of experts, researchers, disability rights advocates,
government representatives, service providers, civil society leaders during
three days of an extensive program, events and sightseeing tours of
beautiful Québec City. It is a chance to meet exhibitors from around the
world showcasing their brand new products and services.
The RI network, consisting of more than 700 organizations in approximately
100 countries, is a catalyst for developing innovative approaches and
providing solutions. Its mission is to promote social change, inclusion and
rights of people with disabilities.
www.riquebec2008.org or www.riglobal.org
4 – 7 January 2009
PARIS
(France)
200th Anniversary of Louis Braille Birthday - International Conference
Information and draft programme are available from Association Valentin Haüy.
Contact : Christian Coudert,
ch.coudert@avh.asso.fr