EBU NEWSLETTER No 66
January - February 2009

Published by the EBU Office


With the financial support of
DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities
of the European Commission
 

Table of contents :

Editor’s Note

EU Update

EBU Update

National news

Development in Action

Announcement

FEATURE

Coming events

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





Editor’s Note

by Lord Colin Low, President of EBU

This is the first issue of the EBU Newsletter in 2009. It is somewhat shorter than usual, probably because activity is slowly picking up after the Festive Season and has not yet reached its momentum.

Our National News section is still well concurred and I can only encourage our members to continue contributing because this is key to sharing experience, learning from others and spreading good practice.

Finland is our "development champion" this time round. In our Development in Action section, the Finish Federation of the Visually Impaired conveys a beautiful message: they have grown over the years and part of that growth is dedicated to helping the visually impaired who live in the less advantaged parts of the world. This is what solidarity is all about !

Our feature is dedicated to Louis Braille's 200 birthday. Celebrations were launched on 4 January on the occasion of a moving ceremony at the Pantheon in Paris where his ashes are deposited. This was followed by a major conference on Braille at the UNESCO headquarters. Yet another event, this time on what it means to be visually impaired today, will held in June in Coupvray, a small village some 30 kilometres away from Paris where Louis Braille was born 200 years ago.

We have received many requests seeking information on what commemorations were being planned to honour the memory of our Liberator around the world. The list we publish is far from exhaustive but gives an idea of the outstanding recognition and gratitude of the blind community.

Enjoy your reading

Mokrane Boussaïd

Please feel free to send your comments on this Newsletter’s layout and contents to ebu@euroblind.org 

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EU UPDATE

Copyright Treaty Campaign


Only around 5% of books are ever published in formats accessible to blind and partially sighted people. This is what has been aptly dubbed the "book famine".

Moreover, sharing these books is made difficult by copyright constraints. It is vital that we are able to share those few books or electronic files of books that we, voluntary organisations of blind people, make accessible, with our partners in other countries. In that way we can radically increase the amount of books accessible to blind people across the world. But currently international barriers in copyright law prevent this from happening.

In 2008, EBU called all its national members to lobby their governments to support a proposal for an international copyright treaty. Last November, at the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), the UN body that makes international treaties on copyright, the World Blind Union (WBU) and our partners proposed a draft treaty on access for visually impaired people, known as the “VI Treaty”.

The VI treaty would remove the copyright barriers mentioned above by formally allowing works made accessible under a copyright law "exception" in one country to be shared with other countries. Further details, including the VI Treaty, are available in English, French and Spanish at http://www.keionline.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=210&I

At the November meeting, we found widespread support for our proposal from WIPO Member States. In fact, over 100 countries supported us. However, we encountered very strong opposition from a group of powerful developed countries. Notable amongst them was the EU bloc.

They in fact made common cause with rights holders' organisations, publishers associations and others. This nearly led to a conclusion to dismiss further study of our treaty proposal. Happily we avoided that outcome. The VI treaty is still our main aim at international level, therefore, and it is still something we have a chance to push for successfully.

On 25 May 2009, the WIPO standing committee on copyright will meet in Geneva. EBU’s aim is to have a WIPO Member State formally table our VI treaty in this Committee, and to ensure it is supported by the vast majority of the Member States present. If that happens, the Treaty would then become a part of the Committee's formal work plan. That would mean the Committee would work on its details and we would have a chance of it eventually becoming international law.

The WBU’s Right to Read Committee is working in the USA on the new Obama government. The USA under the Bush administration was against our treaty, but we are hopeful that the "change" Obama talks about will extend to copyright matters.

We already have good support in developing countries and our WBU colleagues will work to maintain that. But one of the real keys to getting a treaty on the table at WIPO is getting EU support (or at least avoiding EU opposition).

Despite our efforts last autumn, the EU came out against our treaty. To have a chance of success in May, we now really must persuade them to think again. The Czech Blind Union will be supporting this important campaign by lobbying their Government, since the Czechs have Presidency of EU for the first half of 2009.

If you want to learn more about how you can support the efforts of the Czech Blind Union and help make the treaty a reality,
please contact Dan Pescod, RNIB European and International Campaigns Manager, dan.pescod@rnib.org.uk
 

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e-Accessibility Update

In December, the European Commission published its communication "Towards an accessible information society". This was the Commission's response to the consultation on "e-Accessibility and Web Accessibility" which it issued in the summer of 2008, and to which EBU responded.

The Communication can be read on the Commission’s website. In short, the Commission concluded that there was no need for further e-accessibility legislation at this stage. Whilst welcoming the Commission's recognition that current disability measures need to be better implemented, EBU strongly disagrees that there is currently no need for further legislation.

In January, EBU sent a short response to this Communication, where we make the point that "business as usual" will not solve the problems of inaccessibility. We urged the Commission to reconsider the legislative route.

Further information from Dan Pescod, RNIB European and International Campaigns Manager, dan.pescod@rnib.org.uk

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Electronic Communications Update


In March, RNIB and other leading UK disability charities RNID, Leonard Cheshire Disability and Sense will meet Malcolm Harbour MEP, Rapporteur for the Directive on “universal service and user's rights relating to electronic communications networks”.

The areas covered by the Directive (which is part of the “Telecoms Package” currently under review) are of significant importance to blind and partially sighted people as electronic communications play an increasing role in our society.

Discussions on the draft directive are ongoing between the Commission, the European Parliament and the Council as the second reading in Parliament is scheduled for April.

Further information from Carine Marzin, RNIB European Campaigns Officer,
carine.marzin@rnib.org.uk


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EBU UPDATE

Intergenerational Learning: the benefits of diversity



The following is a press release from EBU.

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

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

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

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

Further information from EBU Office, ebu@euroblind.org
 

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Visually Impaired Adults learning languages

The following is a press release from EBU.

Education, skills and the ability to make a positive contribution to civil society are key to social inclusion. It is therefore crucial that teaching and training processes adequately address blind and partially sighted
people’s specific needs.

With the financial support of the Education and Culture DG of the European Commission, the European Blind Union (EBU) is leading a two-year project looking into how languages can be taught most effectively to visually impaired adults. The project involves three other partners from countries of the EBU network: the Pancyprian Organisation of the Blind, the Czech Blind United, and the Slovak Blind and Partially Sighted Union.

Learners in both mainstream and specialised settings will be a central part of the project with a view to conducting an effective and grounded assessment. A fact finding study will be carried out and guidelines and recommendations for effective educational practices will be published.

EBU is looking forward to conducting this project which supports the exchange of experience and expertise among education professionals at European level and promotes educational opportunities for all.

Further information from EBU Office, ebu@euroblind.org
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National News

Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Library of the Blind and Visually Impaired of Srpska, based in Banja Luka, has launched a new website www.bsrs.rs.

The website contains information about the Library in Serbian and English and uses both the Cyrillic and Latin alphabets.

An illustrated monograph was also published to present the Library collections and services.

Further information from the Library of the Blind and Visually Impaired of Srpska, www.bsrs.rs
 

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Denmark

The Danish Association of the Blind (DAB) has been busy working on several successful campaigns at national level.

“Nice Dogs” was launched in late 2008 to raise awareness among taxi drivers. Groups of guide dog users posted in the four biggest Danish cities handed blankets to cab drivers with the message: “A guide dog is a nice and clean dog. Accept the dog in your taxi”. The campaign was positively received by taxi professionals and generated much media coverage.

DAB also conducted a large campaign among the general public, distributing some 565.000 calendars with pictures of puppies which will be trained to become guide dogs. This has prompted Danish people to support DAB’s work by making significant donations.

18 talking ATMs were launched by Danske Bank, in agreement with DAB, in January 2009. 100 more will gradually be installed across Denmark by the end of the year.

Further information from the Danish Association of the Blind, www.dkblind.dk

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Montenegro

The Republic of Montenegro is experiencing significant legislative developments with respect to the rights of visually impaired people. In particular, a law on guide dogs and a law on transport concessions were adopted in late 2008.

The Law on Guide Dogs now ensures that guide dogs are allowed on public transports and in public places. A fee system has been included as part of this new legislation to sanction and deter non compliance.

The Law on Transport Concessions entitles blind passengers and their guide to 12 free return domestic train trips per year.

The Government of Montenegro is now working on the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities as well as on a future anti-discrimination law.


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Development in action:

The Finnish Partnering Experience

by Timo KUOPPALA, International Affairs, Finnish Federation of the Visually Impaired

EBU Development Commission shares this cameo 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.

As it grew from a modest to a large organisation, the Finnish Federation of the Visually Impaired (FFVI) learned firsthand about the relevance of a strong organisational base. Today, the Federation shares its experience with others through development projects in Namibia, Ecuador and the Palestinian Territories.

For most of the 20th century, Finland was a poor country. The war years (1918 and 1939-1944) were particularly difficult and life was hard both in rural areas and cities. Much of the nation’s resources were invested in post-war development. FFVI was set up in the late 1920s. At first, guidance from other countries was important to share information about new ways to improve and ease the life of the visually impaired. FFVI promoted talking books, guide dogs, white canes and other useful devices in every way they could, but for many years they were told “our country cannot afford these things”. They nonetheless kept at it and eventually lead a more prosperous Finland to look into the needs of its visually impaired citizens.

Finland is now a wealthy country and yet the needs of the blind and partially sighted are still not always adequately addressed. Economic growth is not the only condition for social progress and lobbying remains crucial to make sure blind and partially sighted people benefit from the general prosperity. That is why FFVI felt strongly inclined to share its experience and knowledge with other countries, in addition to being as active as ever on the Finnish front.

FFVI has established strong partnerships with the Namibian Federation of the Visually Impaired, to help develop rehabilitation services, and with the Ecuador Federation of the Visually Impaired to further Braille literacy. They also train professionals in the Palestinian Territories in the fields of mobility and daily living skills. All the practical work is carried out by FFVI with the financial support of the Finnish Government.

Reaching out to sister organisations in the developing world fits with the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. International organisations such as the World Blind Union can offer guidance in selecting partners and projects. Today 95% of the visually impaired children in the world have no access to education. Only a few blind people are Braille literate and the white cane is still an unfamiliar mobility aid to most.

FFVI calls upon all organisations to look into sharing their wealth and experience for there is still much work to be done to strengthen the visually impaired voice in the world.

Further information from Timo KUOPPALA, FFVI Head of International Affairs, timo.kuoppala@nkl.fi
 

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ANNOUNCEMENT

Visually Impaired 2009 : International Congress

The following is a press release from the CINAL.
The International Committee for the commemoration of the bicentenary of the Birth of Louis Braille (CINAL), in partnership with the Federation of the Blind and Visually Handicapped of France (FAF), are delighted to announce the International Congress “Visually Impaired 2009”.
The Congress is held in Coupvray, the birth place of Louis Braille. Blind and partially sighted people from across the world will gather to reflect on the theme: 200 years after Louis Braille, what future are our societies offering to those who cannot see ?
The programme covers three main strands :
  “Living without seeing” investigates independence in today’s world
  “Inclusion” focuses on education, training and career matters
  “Access to knowledge” addresses the barriers that remains in the fields of media and culture

The Congress will result in the publication of 10 key political proposals to promote the visually impaired’s rights. A celebratory concert will be held in Paris at the end of the Congress.

Further information on the website www.cinal-dv2009.com

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Daisy 2009 : Connecting the future

The following is a press release from the Daisy Consortium.

In addition to internet, DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) is the most important internationally developed and globally used information technology for people with significant reading difficulties which means not only blind and visually impaired but also dyslexic and mentally handicapped people.

To bring forward this capable technology, the German Central Library for the Blind Leipzig organises an international conference and meeting week in Leipzig/Germany from 21 to 27 September 2009: DAISY2009.

The programme consists of a DAISY International Technical Conference, a German-language conference with the title “Barrier-free Preparation of Documents” and a public DAISY User Forum. Additionally, there will be further workshops of the EBU Commission on Technology, the board of the European Blind Union and the DAISY Board.

Further information on the website www.daisy2009.de or by contacting info@daisy2009.de

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The EBU Newsletter now available in Braille



The Pancyprian Organization of the Blind (POB) is offering to print the EBU Newsletter in English Grade 2 Braille. POB will issue the newsletter for a year, starting with the current issue.

The Newsletter will be made available to any interested blind and partially sighted organization in Europe as well as to any visually impaired person.

To order your copy, please send your request and mailing address to : Pancyprian Organization of the Blind
P.O. Box 23511, 1684 Nicosia, Cyprus.
Fax : +357 22 49 53 95, E-mail: pot@logos.cy.net

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FEATURE :

Celebrating Louis Braille’s legacy



4 January 2009 marked the two hundred birthday of Louis Braille, the inventor of the reading and writing system that brought literacy, education and enlightenment to blind people the world over. As EBU President Lord Low put it “two hundred years after Louis Braille’s birth in 1809, Braille is still alive and will continue to enlighten generations of blind people to come”.

The blind of Europe and their organisations are commemorating Louis Braille’s Bicentenary in an inspiring and meaningful manner. What follows is an overview of events held to celebrate and promote Braille across Europe this year.


Bosnia and Herzegovina

On the occasion of the Bicentenary, the Srpska Blind Union and the Library of the Blind and Visually Impaired of Srpska jointly organized an exhibition of aids and teaching tools and launched an Internet Club. A Braille essay contest was organised. Winning essays were published and writers and poets were invited to attend the celebratory gathering.


The Czech Republic

The Czech Blind Union is conducting a series of events in order to promote Braille among both the blind and the general public throughout the Bicentenary year. The programme includes press conferences, seminars, and a Reading and Writing Braille contest.


Denmark

The two hundred hundred birthday of Louis Braille was marked by a church organ concert organised jointly by the Danish Library for the Blind, the Danish Association of the Blind and a number of other organisations. The concert was broadcasted on national radio.


Estonia

Two major events took place on 4 January : the first was held by the Estonian Minister of Social Affair in Tallinn; the second was hosted by the Speaker of the Estonian Parliament in Tartu. The Estonian winner of the Junior Prize in the 2008 Onkyo Braille Essay contest was also announced on the occasion. Blind and partially sighted musicians played music throughout the day and various workshops were organised to raise awareness among the general public. These celebrations successfully gained primetime media coverage. The Estonian Federation of the Blind is also planning to stage a number of events throughout the Bicentenary year including essay contests, information days, exhibitions and concerts throughout Estonia.


France

On 4 January, an international commemorative day was organised in Paris which included a religious mass, an organ concert in the Notre Dame Cathedral and the official opening ceremony of the Bicentenary year at the Pantheon. A four-day symposium titled “Braille 2009: six dots writing and its future” was subsequently held at the UNESCO. A travelling exhibition on Louis Braille and his legacy will be launched in March and it will be presented across France and Europe throughout the year. An International Congress on visual impairment is planned in June in Coupvray, the birth place of Louis Braille, and will cover independence, social inclusion and access to knowledge with a view to producing a policy statement known as the Coupvray Charter. A big concert will be organised in Paris at the end of the Congress.


Germany

The German Federation of the Blind and Partially Sighted (DBSV) is conducting a programme of activity entitled Tour de Braille. An opening ceremony was held that the French Embassy on 4 January and the renaming of streets after Louis Braille was announced. Tour de Braille events include an interactive exhibition at the Museum of Communication in Berlin, a reading contest, the publication of new Braille children’s books, information days and an awareness raising campaign, a European Youth Forum and a big summer festival.


Poland

The Polish Association of the Blind issued a commemorative calendar, in both Braille and print, and launched a website to promote the Braille Bicentenary year. Events include a Braille essay contest, an exhibition of Braille machines at the National Library, media campaigns including a supplement to a national daily newspaper featuring the Braille alphabet and a short text in Braille as a riddle for sighted readers. The Braille system will also be promoted through a three-day conference, the republishing of Braille teaching manuals, and training workshops for education professionals.


United Kingdom

The Royal National Institute of the Blind will be using the year not only to raise awareness about Braille but also to encourage more people (particularly adults) to learn it. A major piece of research on the issues facing adults learning Braille is to be published in the spring and two new learning tools will be launched : a grade one Braille course and an innovative upward writing frame. A number of celebratory events are planned throughout the Bicentenary year including essay contests, advertising campaigns and awareness raising events.



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Coming Events

 

EBU Commissions and Steering Groups

   4 April 2009                     TIRANA (Albania)

Access to Information Commission
Contact : EBU Office
Email : ebu@euroblind.org


     8 – 9 – 10 May 2009                  LONDON (United Kingdom)

Mobility Commission
Contact : Jill Allen King
Email : jill.allenking@tiscali.co.uk 

 

     15 – 16 – 17 May 2009                     DUBLIN (Ireland)

Europe for Citizen Seminar
Contact : EBU Office
Email : ebu@euroblind.org

 

     26 – 27 May 2009                     MOSCOW (Russia)

Capacity Building Working Group
Contact : Alexander Neumyvakin
Email : oms@vos.org.ru

Other organisations

     Until 8 March 2009                         STRASBOURG (France)

DIALOGUE IN THE DARK – Exhibition
www.dialoguedanslenoir.com/en/dialogue-dans-le-noir-en/

     30 March 2009                         PARIS (France)

THIRD EUROPEAN E-ACCESSIBILITY FORUM – Conference
This Third European e-Accessibility Forum focuses on the application of new technologies for a better inclusion of people with disabilities at the workplace. Various situations will be considered, covering different needs related to training, mobility, access to information or communication and solutions will be presented, ranging from commercial products to research prototypes. The speakers are specialists involved in organisations representing users and consumers with disabilities, research organisations and companies operating at a European level or worldwide.
http://inova.snv.jussieu.fr/evenements/colloques/mobtel/Description/index_en.php

 

     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

 

     18 - 20 June 2009                        COUPVRAY (France)

INTERNATIONAL BRAILLE CONGRESS

The Congress is organised by CINAL in Coupvray, the birth place of Louis Braille and in the Disneyland Convention Centre in Marne-la-Vallée. The programme will cover independence, social inclusion and access to knowledge. The Congress will result in the publication of 10 key political proposals to promote the visually impaired’s rights. A celebratory concert programme will be held in Paris at the end of the Congress.

http://www.cinal-dv2009.com/fr/le-congres-international-dv2009.html

 

     5 - 10 July 2009                     DUBLIN (Ireland)

ICEVI 7th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE
This Conference is organised by ICEVI, the International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment. Under the conference theme of 'Living in a Changing Europe', topic areas such as children, rehabilitation of adults, multi disabled, deaf blind, children and youth with Batten's Disease are included.
http://www.icevidublin2009.org

 

     1 - 27 September 2009                     LEIPZIG (Germany)

DAISY 2009 – Conference
DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) is the new standard for Digital Talking Books : it is a groundbreaking information technology for all people with reading difficulties, including the visually impaired and people with dyslexia and other handicaps. The Conference brings together users, developers and experts of DAISY and offers a technical strand, a public user forum and several workshops.
The programme is available in German and English on http://www.daisy2009.de/

 

 

 
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