Published by the EBU Office
With the financial support of
DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities
of the European Commission
Table of contents :
Blind and partially sighted air passengers’ rights take off under new European Regulation
Encouraging the development of e-Accessibility and web accessibility legislation
Modernising the international rules of the free posting service for blind people
EBU Commissions and Steering Groups
National news
Publications
Development in Action
FEATURE
[ The opinions expressed in this Newsletter are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the EBU. ]Editor’s Note
Welcome to EBU Newsletter N° 63.
This first issue after the summer break informs readers about substantial
European developments, including the new European Regulation on air travel
and on-going action by EBU to improve access to television and websites.
As you will see from a general overview put together by our Low Vision
Steering Group, a lot remains to be done in terms of service provision for
the partially sighted whereas they account for the vast majority of people
with visual impairment.
Following the successful launch of our National News section, and with a
similar view to sharing inspiring action across borders, I am pleased to
introduce the new Development in Action section. This contains material that
documents the cooperation initiatives taken by organizations in Europe to
support and partner with our fellow blind and partially sighted in the
developing world.
Our FEATURE section is devoted to standardization. It offers clarifying
information on what standards are and looks at how standards may or may not
contribute to further the case of accessibility.
Enjoy your reading !
Please feel free to send your comments on the layout and contents of our
Newsletter to
ebu@euroblind.org
Blind and partially sighted air passengers' rights take off under new European Regulation
Press release. Paris, 28 July 2008 – The European Regulation
(EC) N°1107/2006 concerning the rights of disabled persons and persons with
reduced mobility when travelling by air, entered into force last Saturday
26 July 2008.
The new Regulation is a major step forward as it seeks to guarantee fair
access to air travel and to put an end to discriminatory practices. From now
on assistance will be provided at no additional cost and will be geared to
the specific needs of the disabled person. This means for example that no
blind or partially sighted passenger should be offered a wheel chair without
having requested one.
Of particular relevance to visually impaired passengers, the Regulation
introduces designated points of assistance. In the past, assistance was
provided from the point of check-in and the visually impaired passenger had
to walk at times long distances in unfamiliar environment from the point of
set-down (train station, taxi rank, bus stop) to the check-in point. “With
the new Regulation the disabled passenger will no longer have to struggle to
find the assistance s/he needs; rather, assistance will come to her or him
at the designated point of arrival in the airport”, said EBU President Lord
Colin Low.
The provision on the carriage of assistance dogs is however not fully
satisfactory in that it remains subject to national access laws which are
not consistent across the EU.
Lord Low welcomes the entry into force of the Regulation. “We hope that the
introduction of these groundbreaking new rules will mark the true opening of
air travel for all visually impaired people in Europe. I call upon all EBU
member organisations to see to it that the new Regulation is implemented
effectively to the benefit of the hundreds of thousands visually impaired
people who have so far been prevented from travelling by air because of the
many barriers in the way of the travel chain”.
Further information from EBU Office,
ebu@euroblind.org
Encouraging the development of e-accessibility and web accessibility legislation
The European Commission recently consulted on the need to adopt a common
European approach to web accessibility and e-accessibility issues because
evidence shows that disabled people continue to face accessibility issues,
that divergent policy approaches by Member States may lead to market
fragmentation, and that Member States have previously committed to improving
accessibility of ICT (the Riga Declaration).
EBU submitted a response to this public consultation highlighting the need
for e-accessibility legislation to ensure the full inclusion of blind and
partially sighted people in society. It is not only website and online
services that blind and partially sighted people often don't have access to,
but also digital TV, electronic communications, financial services,
self-service terminals, etc. Yet ICT offer tremendous opportunities in
addressing these accessibility issues and we are calling for a coordinated
European approach on this.
EBU also coordinated its response with ANEC and EDF and will continue
working with them to urge the Commission to put forward legislative
proposals.
Further information and briefing material from Dan Pescod, RNIB European and
International Campaigns Manager,
dan.pescod@rnib.org.uk
Access to television
Representatives of EBU have continued to attend meetings with the television
industry to discuss making television broadcasts and television equipment
accessible to disabled people. Some TV manufacturers have now signed the
much-discussed "self-commitment" document. This states that they will ensure
TV equipment has certain basic accessibility features, such as easy-to-use
remote controls. We will now help to monitor the fulfilment of the
commitments in this document.
There has still not been any serious commitment by industry to make TVs
"speak". This is a key requirement for blind people, and one that we have
long called for in meetings with European TV manufacturers. The TV industry
maintained until quite recently that this would be near to technically
impossible. However, some months ago RNIB proved that it is possible by
demonstrating prototypes it has developed which have this functionality.
TV industry has since then been raising questions about the market demand
for such products, the increased costs they might entail and so on. So
despite years of talks and the exhortation of the European Commission, no TV
manufacturer has even now committed to produce TV equipment that is fully
accessible for blind people.
Between November 30th and December 2nd the second "e-Inclusion ministerial
conference" will take place in Vienna. This follows a year on from the
Lisbon ministerial conference on the same subject. EBU hopes to have a stand
at this conference at which we will highlight the failure of the market to
provide accessible television, and urge the Commission to make a legislative
proposal to require TV manufacturers to make their sets accessible to blind
people.
Further information and briefing material from Dan Pescod, RNIB European and
International Campaigns Manager,
dan.pescod@rnib.org.uk
Modernising the international rules of the free postal service for blind people
As many of you will know, we have for some time now been working to try to
modernise the wording in the international treaty which allows blind people
to send "literature" free of postal charges. We worked with Luxembourg Post
to put a proposal to the four-yearly Congress of the UN body that deals with
these matters, the Universal Postal Union (UPU). Many EBU members lobbied
their governments to support this proposal, and we received tremendous
support from Luxembourg Post, which put great effort into assisting our
campaign.
On Tuesday 5th August, at the UPU Congress, the Committee responsible for
the Luxembourg/WBU proposal to modernise the wording on the UPU Convention
considered the proposal.
Japan and China spoke against it, raising fears about costs. They suggested
that the proposal should not be put to a vote at the 2008 Congress, but
rather be "subject to further studies in the Postal Operations Council" (a
Committee of the UPU), after the Congress.
This suggestion found favour with many developing countries that perhaps
believed the fears raised about costs.
We believe that most countries at the UPU saw preserving the status quo
rather than voting for a change as the most comfortable and "risk-free"
option.
The WBU has decided that we should carry on working with the UPU to try to
achieve the modernisation the Luxembourg/WBU proposal sought to bring about.
We will shortly therefore be devising a plan for the next round of work on
this matter, and will of course share this with WBU members.
Further information and briefing material from Dan Pescod, RNIB European and
International Campaigns Manager,
dan.pescod@rnib.org.uk
EBU Commissions and Steering Groups
EBU Low Vision Steering Group
LOW VISION IN EUROPE
By Alenka Bera, Fritz Buser and Krister Inde, of the EBU Low Vision Steering
Group
According to estimates, 2 % of Europeans are visually impaired and 90 % of
these have low or reduced vision. This raises the question of terminology
which apparently still needs to be settled so that accurate data and
strategic planning for this group of people can be achieved. The issue of
the definition of low or reduced vision matters because access to services
and support largely depends on whether or not an individual falls into a
certain category. Efforts are being made to adopt a functional definition
which would not only take the medical aspects into account but also the
impact on the basic daily skills of the person with reduced vision.
Approximately one out of three people over the age of 75 has Age-related
Macular Degeneration (AMD), which is the most common cause of reduced
vision. With its ageing population, Europe faces a tremendous need for low
vision care in the near future. In responding to this need, however, we
should not neglect early intervention services and education support for
children as well as comprehensive low vision and rehabilitation services for
youths and adults. We need to acknowledge that “a partially sighted person
tries to use his or her visual capacities as much and for as long as
possible, even if these capacities deteriorate over time.”
Low vision services include three important aspects: magnification,
appropriate lighting and emotional support. These services must be provided
by properly trained and highly skilled professionals as well as low vision
organisations.
The most advanced service delivery systems in Europe are found in the Nordic
countries. Together Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland and Denmark have 90 low
vision centres. The centre in Stockholm is the biggest with 82 staff members
and five multidisciplinary units of excellence. The Spanish low vision
centres, created through ONCE, are modelled after Swedish services. In Italy
low vision care has been incorporated in 14 centres. In Switzerland there is
a network of about 20 multidisciplinary centres specialised in low vision
and blindness.
Some countries are also involved in research and development. In Great
Britain a new project aims to discover the best way of using residual
eccentric vision and in Germany the EU-funded AMD Read Project has involved
several research partners.
Service development is a great challenge in many countries in Eastern
Europe. Efforts are being made in countries such as Poland and Hungary, but
it is urgent to meet low vision needs as we are facing rapidly growing
demographics. However, these Eastern European countries should not be seen
as the only places suffering from underprovided low vision care. Countries
like France, Germany and England are developing countries in terms of low
vision service delivery.
It was an ophthalmologist who took the initiative to develop the first low
vision clinic in Europe in Copenhagen in 1960. That is also the case in
countries like Germany and Italy. But where and who is not what matters.
According to the Oslo Document “Toward a Reduction in the Global Impact of
Low Vision from 2004”, instigators may come from rehabilitation, medicine or
education. The important thing is that we as stakeholders can inspire
entrepreneurs, researchers and practitioners to start providing low vision
services and training for children, adults and the elderly now.
Visually impaired organizations must also play an educative role to raise
awareness on what partial sight is, on our specific needs and the adequate
solutions. Partially sighted people are too often afraid of sighted people’s
reaction when using specific devices, but using low vision aids in public is
and will be a normal situation that we should not be ashamed of.
This raises another issue: promoting the principles of design and society
for all so that access to the built environment, media and public services
is ensured and the need for specialized solutions and adjustments is
minimized.
EBU has shown great awareness of the special needs entailed by low or
reduced vision by establishing a dedicated Low Vision Steering Group. A Low
Vision session was held during the last General Assembly and a Low Vision
seminar will take place over the current working period as part of EBU’s
Strategic Plan. However, low vision should not be seen as a separate issue
and should be on the working agenda of each Commission since EBU is
committed to supporting both blind and partially sighted people.
EBU is made up of blind and partially sighted people so the knowledge is
there and the responsibility is on us. Out-reaching and raising awareness is
basically a matter of good campaigning. We should not just wait for things
to change, we need to create change.
Low vision services in Europe have much to share and learn from one another.
Role models and examples of good practice from different countries can be
implemented everywhere while taking into consideration cultural variations
and differences.
Further information from Alenka Bera, Low Vision SG Coordinator,
alenka.bera@guest.arnes.si
National News
France
In July 2008, for the first time since its creation in 1947, the Avignon
Festival became partially accessible to the visually impaired. A third of
the shows presented were audio described at no additional cost to VI users.
A special team known as the Accessibility Brigade catered to the VI public,
offering advice about the literary content of the different shows and
providing appropriate seat placement to ensure the best hearing conditions.
Further information from Le Fonds Théatral Sonore,
http://www.lefondstheatralsonore.com/
Slovakia
Put in Motion is an EU-funded international training course jointly
organised by the Slovak Association of the Visually Impaired Youth and the
Slovak Blind and Partially Sighted Union under the Youth in Action European
Programme.
The training took place in Slovakia in late June 2008 and gathered 35
trainees, support staff and guides from 10 European countries.
The course mainly looked at the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities. Other themes included youth exchange projects, cooperation
with EU neighbouring countries, the European Voluntary Service and blind
youth structures in Europe. Each participant was tasked with drafting a
virtual youth project which included networking and finding projects
partners.
Further information from Stanislav Sokol,
international@netopier.sk
United Kingdom
The Hire Vision campaign was launched by the RNIB, the Liverpool City Council, Social Firms UK and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation in Liverpool on 15 July 2008.
The campaign aims to support recruitment and employment model of good practice so that greater numbers of visually impaired people can move into work.
The opening event provided professionals with information about the UK’s Disability Discrimination Act as well as practical examples of best practice from the private, voluntary and government sectors. It included workshops led by Human Resources, Business and Corporate Social Responsibility experts.
Further information from Hire Vision, http://www.rnib.org.uk
Publications
European research on discrimination
The Directorate General (DG) for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal
Opportunities of the European Commission has published two new studies on
anti-discrimination issues.
“How to Measure Progress in Combating Discrimination and Promoting Equality”
(PDF format only) is a working paper that presents new ways to identify
discrimination issues in the EU. It argues that precise evaluation is key to
developing adequate corrective measures and that merely counting the number
of complaints and legal proceedings is insufficient for evaluating the
effectiveness of anti-discrimination policies. Instead, the paper calls for
the development of shared European data indicators in order to achieve
greater convergence between Member States. The indicators include
disability, age, religion, ethnic origin and sexual orientation.
The second publication is the latest Eurobarometer survey on public opinions
in the EU. It is titled “Discrimination
in the EU: Perceptions, Experiences, Attitudes” (PDF format only). Survey findings show that Europeans believe
that disability-based discrimination is one of the most widespread forms of
discrimination in the EU. 83 % of respondents are in strong support of the
implementation of specific measures aimed at providing equal opportunity for
the disabled in the field of employment.
Further information from DG Employment, Social
Affairs and Equal Opportunities,
http://ec.europa.eu/social/home.jsp?langId=en
Development in Action
EBU Development Commission shares these cameos of international development cooperation with EBU National Members to show the benefits of sharing your expertise with brother and sister organisations in the developing countries where your knowledge and experience can so easily and valuably be re-invested.
.gif)
Real development for the blind in Rwanda
By John Heilbrunn, Danish Association of the Blind (DAB)
The Rwanda Union of the Blind (RUB) was founded as Rwanda engaged in the
path of civil reconstruction in the aftermath of the 1994 Genocide.
In many ways the post-war situation was intensely confusing. The war took
many lives and displaced scores of others; as a result many people were
completely isolated or they did not know where their surviving relatives
were. The RUB was not primarily established to provide food relief;
nonetheless it was the first service it offered to the blind because the
need for food was acute at that time.
With the support of the DAB, the RUB Secretariat was created in 1998 and the
First General Assembly was held in 2000. These were important steps in terms
of building a democratic structure within the newly established blind
organization.
Since 1999, the on-going collaboration with the Swedish Association of the
Visually Impaired has led to the creation and continuous development of
Masaka, a rehabilitation centre for the blind.
Over the years RUB grew stronger and expanded its reach by establishing
bases in several districts in Rwanda. These branches are run by blind people
and profit-making work is encouraged through various projects.
RUB identifies young blind children and oversees their referral to Rwanda’s
only school for the blind. Likewise, young adults are directed to the Masaka
centre.
Blind people gained visibility in the post-war disability movement of Rwanda
largely through the activities carried out by the RUB. Today the only
representative of disabled people at the East African Parliament is a blind
man from Rwanda.
For further information contact John Heilbrunn, Chair, EBU Development
Commission, jh@dkblind.dk
ONCE and the Saharan blind children
By Rafael Gonzalez, ONCE (Spanish National Organisation for the Blind)
Thanks to joint international solidarity between ONCE, municipalities and
local associations in Spain, blind children in the Saharan camps of Tindouf,
Algeria, regain hope.
How did this educational solidarity project start ?
At the beginning of the current decade, some municipalities and associations
from Catalonia and the Regions of Valencia and Murcia were assigning help to
Saharan refugee camps. They detected a total lack of schooling for blind
children and decided to create small schools for them, monitoring the
situation from Spain through ONCE. This initiative was joined by
professionals from ONCE's Joan Amades Educational Resource Centre to set up
a team of teachers trained in educating blind children and to identify and
supply the first basic specific materials required. This way, a special
school was built in each of the five camps, necessary teaching materials and
furniture were distributed and the first local teacher training course took
place.
How did the project carry on and develop thereafter ?
With over 15 collaborating partners, the project required a renewed
coordination and complementary actions. Between 2003 and 2004, ONCE’s
General Council, through its International Relations Executive Office,
provided this new impetus. A "Coordination Desk" was created where each
partner institution set out an annual commitment.
Agreements were then communicated to the Saharan Authorities to support
co-responsibility in the project. Annual commitments covered all aspects of
the project, from facility maintenance to food and from furniture to
adequate transport arrangements to ensure children’s attendance.
What is the role of ONCE in the project ?
Apart from the coordination tasks previously mentioned, ONCE carries out
more specific actions in the field of education. It supports and funds the
work of our professionals who, year after year, go to the camps to further
the training of local teachers. To this day, 30 teachers have been trained
to a more than acceptable level. Likewise, we supply all special educational
materials and low vision aids, for reading and writing or for leisure.
Finally, our intervention has led, this year, to the creation of two
classrooms equipped with aids and appliances, where children can enjoy the
opportunities offered by the information society.
What are the results of this project ?
It is estimated that over 100 children benefit from this project, half of
which are already attending school. The complete assessment of the social
advantages brought by the project, taking into account factors such as the
traditional Saharan culture and the vast distances, will be a long-term
process. In any case, prior to this project, many blind children used to be
kept in their tent, scared of getting lost and dying of a sunstroke. Now
their educational conditions and level of training are better than that of
their sighted peers who attend ordinary schools. This project, in which
united action, coordination between partner institutions and
co-responsibility with local authorities are truly fulfilled, can be
regarded as a case model in international development cooperation. In such
an inhospitable environment as the middle of the desert, with so many
adverse natural and social conditions, we find blind children who have gone
from being a heavy and worrying burden to their families to finding
themselves in a situation where they have regained hope, the possibility to
control their own future and to escape from the emptiness in which they
lived.
For further information contact Rafael Gonzalez,
rgmi@once.es
FEATURE :
About Standards
By Sarah Ghlamallah
INTRODUCTION
Standards emerged in industrialized countries from the late 19th century
onward in the context of an increasingly technological world. They are now
very much a part of everyday life, from the computer software we use to the
office we work in. Today the evolution of public interests reverberates on
the evolution of standards and criteria such as design for all are
progressively coming into force in the field of standardization.
At European level, standardization is known as Technical Harmonisation. This
complements European legislation and is very much coupled with the rise and
development of the single market. In effect, standards are an important
aspect of the free movements of goods between member states.
Manufacturers and companies alike tend to highlight their compliance to
standards because they are often regarded as the positive indicators of good
practice. However, there are different types of standards, different types
of standardization processes as well as certain instances where the term
standard is misused or even abused. As a result, the consumer is often at a
loss.
This FEATURE tries to shed some light on this essential matter by providing
key definitions and facts on what standards are and what they are not. It
also looks into the relevance of standardisation to the visually impaired
and outlines the recent developments in accessibility standards.
1. DEFINITIONS
The word standard is a loose term that applies to a wide range of
fields from engineering to ethics.
The following key definitions are excerpts from the European Commission
website and the ANEC website (European Association for the Co-ordination of
Consumer Representation in Standardisation).
1.1. Technical standards
Technical standards are voluntary agreements elaborated by standard bodies
and stakeholders like industry and consumers on a consensus basis. The
agreement that is reached results in a technical standard that defines how a
product or service will function and provides technical rules and guidelines
for manufacturers. Standards are most typically concerned with safety and
interface requirements.
The 3 types of technical standards are:
Standards which are created as part of a voluntary process of cooperation
and consensus among interested parties. These are produced either by a
formally established standards body or by a recognised professional body ;
Standards which are created as part of the European regulatory process ;
Standards which are produced by the market (de facto standards such as
Microsoft Windows).
1.2. European standards
Standardisation is typically industry-driven but in the EU context the
European Commission can also request standards in order to implement
European legislation. EU-driven standards can be:
A mandated standard is a standard that originates from an EU mandate. This standardisation is mandated by the European Commission, through the Standing
Committee of the respective piece of legislation (Directive). The output
must therefore be accepted by the EU Member States, which are delegates to
the Committee, and the EFTA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway,
Switzerland) if they made a similar arrangement.
A harmonized European standard is prepared in the framework of the New
Approach to Technical Harmonisation and is cited in the Official Journal of
the EU. Products manufactured in accordance with these standards benefit
from a presumption of conformity to the essential safety requirements of the
respective directive or in others terms are considered as safe.
The New Approach to Technical Harmonisation was introduced in 1985 as one
pillar of the Internal European Market. According to the New Approach, the
EU defines the essential safety requirements while the technical solution is
provided by the European standards bodies.
1.3. Standards bodies
A standards body, standards organization or standards development
organization is an entity whose function is to develop, produce, maintain
and revise standards in order to address a wide user interest.
At European level there are three reference organizations:
CEN (European Committee for Standardization) is the largest standardization
body in Europe ;
CENELEC (European Committee for Electro technical Standardization) was
established to support the Single Market ;
ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute).
There are also a number of international standards bodies. The World Trade
Union recognizes 8 international reference standard bodies including ISO,
the International Standardization Organization, which is the international
equivalent of CEN.
2. THE STANDARDIZATION PROCESS
Standards organizations are organized into technical committees that are
responsible for examining and overseeing the various aspects of standards.
Members of standards committees are drawn from a range of interest groups
which include trade associations, professional bodies, government
departments, industry representatives, certification bodies, testing
laboratories, research bodies as well as industry user and consumer
representatives.
The formal standardization process is typically divided in several distinct
steps:
Proposal: Usually the need for a new standard is raised either by industry
sectors, other interest groups, standards organizations themselves, or by
the EU.
Preparation: New standard proposals are passed on to the relevant technical
committees who appoint experts to constitute a working group. The working
group issues a standard draft.
Consultation: The consensus-building phase can last several months.
Technical committees review and comment on the draft and national committees
negotiate specifications.
Approval and publication: A process of formal approval validates the new
standard, which is then officially issued.
Most published standards are available to manufacturers across industrial
sectors on a commercial basis. The commercial distribution of standards
across industries generates the principal funding source of standards bodies
and covers the extensive time, funds and resources involved in the standards
development process.
Standardization is said to encourage greater product quality and
interoperability. Each new standard also sets a new precedent for updated
product requirements. However, the scope of a standard differs from that of
policy in one important sense. The publication of a new standard does not
imply that all products manufactured thereafter will abide by the standard
but rather that manufacturers are given the option to endorse it on a
voluntary basis. In other words, a product is only subject to a standard’s
rules and requirements if the manufacturer decides to implement such
standard. The product is then strictly evaluated by a certified body to
validate its compliance and it will be regularly checked over time. In that
sense, a standard is authoritative but only on a voluntary basis.
Moreover, the quality and relevance of the standard’s content depends on
many factors. Consumer organizations have long pointed at the unbalance
ingrained in the standardization process, which tends to be dominated by
powerful industry interests rather than end users needs. As a result,
standards are too often issued with little if any end user input. This is a
challenging situation that highlights the need to promote extended testing
practices both as part of product development and within the standardisation
process.
3. NON-FORMAL STANDARDS AND THE EUROPEAN CONFORMITY MARK
3.1. Non-formal standards
An issue in the standardization process is the amount of time and resources
that is required in order to deliver a published standard. Some even argue
that the formal standards-making process is ill equipped to produce the
standards required by an increasingly fast-paced market. This situation
encourages the proliferation of non-formal standards.
The term non-formal standard refers to a product that has not undergone the
official standardization procedure. They are becoming prominent in sectors
such as Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Non-formal
standards serve a central purpose in those industry sectors that are faced
with constant timing challenges but they have been severely criticised by
consumer organisations on the basis on a lack of transparency and end user
input.
3.2. CE Marking
The CE mark or marking is a European conformity mark affixed to many
products placed on the European single market. It is particularly widespread
on goods such as toys and machinery and is commonly mistaken as a formal
standard by the general public.
According to studies conducted by the DG for Health and Consumers in 2000
and 2001, two thirds of European consumers are convinced that a product
bearing the CE marking has been subjected to specific tests involving third
parties.
The marking is mandatory for products that fall in the scope of EU
legislation but it is the sole responsibility of the manufacturer to check
this. In practice, the intricate rules of the CE marking appear to include
self-certification. Far from being a standard, the CE marking is essentially
a mere self-declaration from the manufacturer and it does not guarantee that
a product complies with the relevant European requirements.
National trading authorities in the Member States have the responsibility
and powers to suspend any unsafe product and to prosecute non-complying
suppliers. While many manufacturers abide by the CE rules, abuse is also
reported. Unfortunately tests by consumer organizations have shown that a
significant number of products placed on the European market with a CE mark
do not meet the minimum CE requirements.
In this context, user organizations have suggested the CE conformity marking
should be affixed to the technical file only and not to the product itself
because it is misleading consumers. The example highlights the difference
between a formal standard, which concerns certified products or services,
and a conformity mark which is much less stable.
4. STANDARDS AS A MEANS TO FOSTER ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSION
4.1 Design for All and Assistive Technology
According to the European Commission, people with disabilities and older
persons make up for approximately 20% of the EU population, appropriate
products are therefore part of a fundamental inclusion issue facing EU
countries. For the visually impaired, a combination of good design and
specific assistive technology is what works best to ensure independence and
social participation.
Many see technical standards as the way forward both to the international
harmonisation of assistive technologies and to the generalisation of Design
for All (DFA) in mainstream products. DFA is an approach to product design
that directly builds on the concept of a more inclusive society: it is about
ensuring that environments, products and services work for as many people as
possible irrespective of age and abilities. However, this is very much
dependant on the appropriate inclusion of blind and partially sighted users
within the standardization process.
A recent example in the field of assistive technology is that of pedestrian
traffic lights. Signals for street crossing vary greatly from one country to
another, which can be confusing when travelling. In 2008, an international
standard was published by ISO to set out clear technical requirements
concerning the equipment and operation of acoustic and tactile signals in
pedestrian street crossings. This standard therefore provides the basis for
international harmonisation. Moreover, if largely used, it may help to
ensure blind and partially sighted persons can travel more independently.
4.2 e-Accessibility
Accessibility is a highly relevant issue in the fast-paced ICT world and it
is becoming an official EU priority. However, blind and partially sighted
people still face multiple accessibility barriers when using ICT. Again,
progress can only be reached if the visually impaired input is taken into
account.
An on-going developing thread was initiated by the 2005 EU Mandate
addressing the European standardisation bodies and calling for accessible
ICT products and services including websites. Following the publication of
this mandate, the Support EAM project (Supporting the creation of an
E-Accessibility Mark), a partnership of European expert groups working under
the coordination of Braille Net, organised a CEN workshop.
This workshop resulted in the publication of the 2006 CEN Agreement 15554 on
Specifications for a Web Accessibility Conformity Assessment
Scheme and a Web Accessibility Quality Mark. The Agreement presents good
practice processes and schemes that can be readily used.
Whilst the CEN Agreement is an excellent initiative, it is not an official
standard. Rather, it stands as a reference tool that may help future
e-Accessibility efforts. The impact of this document on future standards
therefore remains to be seen.
CONCLUSION
The European standardization process has grown steadily over the years.
Since 1987 some 25 EU Standard Directives came into force in the EU and
various standards, ranging from domestic appliances to toys, were published
by the European and international standardisation bodies. In many cases,
however, standards have been issued with little if any end user input. In
this context the needs of the visually impaired initially remained uncared
for.
In 2001, a working guide titled “Guidelines for Standards Developers to
Address the Needs of Older Persons and Persons with Disabilities” was
published and an “Accessibility for All” Working Group will become operative
at the CEN in 2009 with a view to implementing these guidelines. These
developments in the standardization field show that accessibility and DFA
now seem to be on the agenda.
It is important to keep in mind that standards cannot pressure product and
service providers in the way that legislation can because standards only
provide manufacturers with the option to apply requirements on a voluntary
basis. Nonetheless, standards are much stronger incentives than
certification or marking and can usefully complement public procurement,
particularly where international harmonization is on the cards. Standards
are in fact most effective when they are coupled with legislation.
In many ways, standards are indicators of how far the equality movement has
come and also of how much more remains to be achieved. Much has been
accomplished through the intense lobbying of organisations such as EBU, the
European Disability Forum and ANEC. On the occasion of the 2008 General
Assembly of the World Blind Union (WBU), Stephen King of the WBU’s
Technology Working Group forcefully reiterated that standardization can and
indeed should be influenced by blind organizations. Today the need to
consistently voice end user input remains strong to make sure standards are
relevant to visually impaired persons.
Further information from EBU Office, ebu@euroblind.org
Coming Events |
EBU Board
26
– 28 September 2008
Rethimnon
(Crete)
Contact : Birgitta Blokland, EBU Secretary General
Email : bjb202@hotmail.com
EBU Commissions
4 - 5 October 2008 LONDON (UK)
EBU Commission on Technology
Contact : Peter Brasss
Email : mail@pbrass.de
4 - 5 October 2008 LONDON (UK)
EBU Commission on Culture and Education
Contact : Carol Borowski
Email : carol.borowski@tiscali.co.uk
10 - 11 October 2008 TALLINN (Estonia)
EBU Commission for Liaising with the EU
Contact : Rodolfo Cattani
Email : inter@uiciechi.it
Other organisations
Until 8 March 2009 STRASBOURG (France)
Temporary Exhibition "Dialogue in the Dark";
www.dialoguedanslenoir.com/en/dialogue-dans-le-noir-en/
October 2008
Art Beyond Sight Awareness month
This is an international initiative to promote art by and for people with
vision loss and other disabilities, and to encourage multimodal approaches
to art education and creativity. It is organized by Art Education for the
Blind - USA and its more than 200 Art Beyond Sight collaborative partners
around the world.
For information on special events near you, accessible museums and
multi-sensory programs for blind and partially sighted students, see
www.artbeyondsight.org
27 October 2008
Art Education for the Blind's annual Telephone Conference Crash Course
This free telephone conference features more than 20 experts on art,
education and accessibility.
http://www.artbeyondsight.org/change/aw-crashcourse.shtml
21 - 23 November 2008 MADRID (Spain)
TIFLOINNOVA - International Exhibition of Assistive Technology for People
with Visual Disabilities
Organised by ONCE-CIDAT, this year's edition will display the latest
products and trends within the world market of assistive technology for
blind and partially-sighted people
http://tifloinnova2008.once.es/index.cfm?idi=ing
3 – 5 December 2008 BIRMINGHAM (UK)
4th International Tactile Graphics Conference and Exhibition
This event, also offering pre-conference workshops and excellent networking
opportunities, will cover all aspects of tactile graphics for blind and
partially sighted children and adults in education, work and daily life.
Presentation topics will include challenges and solutions, applications and
good practice, technologies for producing and accessing tactile graphics,
training, and tactile graphic literacy.
www.nctd.org.uk/conference/Conf2008/index.asp
20 - 23 April 2009 WROCLOW (Poland)
Conference and Workshop on Assistive Technologies for People with Vision and
Hearing Impairments: Past Successes and Future Challenges
This is the sixth event in the CVHI international conference series on
Assistive Technologies and Rehabilitation Engineering supported by the
European Commission. CVHI is part of the CWST project,
http://cwst.icchp.org.
Topics will deal with the engineering and scientific aspects of assistive
technology for sensory impaired people.
Information soon available from:
www.elec.gla.ac.uk/Events_page/CVHI/cvhi