CONTENTS
The opinions expressed in this Newsletter are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the EBU.
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EBU Board Update
The Board of EBU held its last meeting in Madrid on 27 January 2001. Decisions made at that meeting include :
- All EBU Standing Commissions will add a gender and age perspective to their work so as to make sure that specific problems and needs faced by blind women, youth and elderly are addressed.
- The following three conferences will be held during this work period (1999-2003) :
- Cooperation with Blind and Partially-Sighted People in Developing Countries, in 2001 or early 2002 ;
- Mobility, in 2002 ;
- Employment, in 2003.
The Board is not in favour of holding more than one conference a year for obvious financial reasons, but also because there is a risk that participation would have to be spread too thin over too many events.
- A task force was set up to promote web accessibility. In particular, it will consider the possibility of introducing a " blind-friendly " symbol for accessible websites. The task force will consist of Jaap van Lelieveld (Chair), Mokrane Boussaïd and a member of the EBU Commission on Technical Devices and Services.
- The EBU Commission on Technical Devices and Services will consider a Board's proposal to launch an EBU prize to reward the best device developed for blind and partially-sighted people.
- The application by an organisation of the blind in Kosovo to become a member of EBU was turned down on grounds that Kosovo does not enjoy recognition by the UN as an independent and sovereign state.
- The EBU delegation to the upcoming General Assembly of the European Disability Forum (8-9 June 2001) will consist of Rodolfo Cattani and Colin Low, Chair and First Vice-Chair of the EBU Commission for Liaising with the EU, respectively.
- Julien Aimi, President of the French Federation of the Blind and Visually Impaired, will represent EBU at the Founding Assembly of the Francophone Union of the Blind (Union Francophone des Aveugles) to be held in Casablanca on 5-8 June 2001.
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EBU COMMISSIONS HIGHLIGHTS
EBU COMMISSION FOR MULTI-HANDICAPPED VISUALLY IMPAIRED PEOPLE
PLAN OF ACTION 1999 - 2003
General objective : To raise awareness about the existence of multi-handicapped visually impaired people, and to draw attention to their specific needs.
Methodology : The Commission's work will be directed towards parents, professionals and officials. It may include the following actions that can be implemented one after another, or at the same time for some of them.
- Devising a course in English that can be translated and given locally. The aim is to provide basic and practical information to those who come across multi-handicapped visually impaired people and have no idea how to act. Two versions could be thought of : one aimed at parents and one at professionals. To prepare this course, information could be sought from both professionals and parents.
- Holding lectures throughout Europe for small groups of relevant actors on the scene of multi-handicap (e.g. federations of parents of mentally retarded people). These lectures, which would be given by national organizations of the blind, could be followed by discussions on how to further spread information.
- Devising a brochure in English, that can be translated and adapted to national contexts.
- Making a short video-film, aimed specially at carers of mentally retarded multi-handicapped people in institutions.
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EBU YOUTH COMMISSION
PLAN OF ACTION 1999 - 2003
This plan of action contains the most important goals identified by the EBU Youth Commission at its first meeting in this work period (Athens, 21 October 2000). It provides guidelines for the Commission's work, and it shows all interested parties where the Commission intends to put its resources in the nearest future.
- EDUCATION
Education is one of the most important issues for all youth. It seems to be the only safe path to success in our societies. Being educated gives opportunity to become integrated - based on the visually impaired person's own efforts, not on pity. Education is therefore an obvious and appropriate way to fight against segregation. Still, most European countries have education systems which seriously exclude the visually impaired. This inevitably leads to employers showing negative attitudes towards qualified disabled job-seekers, even though their disability is completely irrelevant to the jobs applied for. Based on these and several other facts, the Commission wishes to closely cooperate with the EBU Commission on Education (link person : Maria-Luisa Bonzo of Italy).
- GENDER EQUALITY
The Youth Commission has cooperated with the EBU Women's Commission for quite some time already. This has proved most inspiring, because visually impaired people's fight to be recognised as equals is similar to the struggle women have fought over the last decades. EBU is committed to fighting against discrimination, and its Youth Commission is determined to contribute to this noble goal (link persons : two members of the EBU Women's Commission, namely Theodora Fardela of Greece and Maria-Jose Sanchez of Spain).
- INDEPENDENCE AND MOBILITY
It should be obvious for any civilized human being that only criminals can be kept imprisoned. However, it is a fact that disabled people are being "locked up" in their own homes only because they are deprived of the most essential, and often cheap, mobility aids they need. This is a situation no one should accept. Lack of will and support must not be allowed to suppress young visually impaired people's aspiration for new experiences.
A true perspective can only be reached by seeing things from different points of view. This is why the Commission will endeavour to encourage exchange programmes, international youth camps, national efforts to increase visually impaired people's mobility. It will also try to create effective channels for exchange of information, ideas, friendship and all other kinds of creative cooperation.
- COMMUNICATION IMPROVEMENTS
Communication is one of the greatest challenges faced by any international organization. This is also true for the Youth Commission, and therefore this will be one of the main issues it will address in this new work period. The Commission's special efforts to improve communication are also related to the emphasis it intends to place on independence and mobility.
Good communication will broaden the perspectives and gather the strengths of all those involved in the struggle for full equality. Based on this, the Commission will thoroughly look into the possibilities open by today's technology. The Internet will obviously be the main focus because it is accessible and user-friendly for all those who have the necessary equipment.
EBU runs its own website, and the Commission will help to make it as attractive as possible to the youth. It will also help to publicize the EBU site as a discussion forum where young people can share and learn about each other's experiences and lives. Unfortunately not all youth have the knowledge or equipment to take part in electronic communication. It is therefore important for the Commission to find adequate alternatives such as exchange programmes, camps, bilateral initiatives, etc.
- FOLLOW UP ON THE WORK OF THE PREVIOUS YOUTH COMMISSION
The previous Youth Commission identified some areas for follow up by this Commission (see details in Item 6 of the Commission's Report to the EBU 6th General Assembly, Prague, 1999). Most of these areas are already covered in other sections of this plan of action.
- PROMOTION OF POLITICAL INITIATIVES AMONGST BLIND YOUTH
It is of crucial importance to achieve the broadest possible support for the bold objectives contained in this plan of action. Offensive marketing of the Commission's intentions is needed, and this can be done by building up on all existing political initiatives amongst European youth. The more commonly young politicians can be found in the EBU and its member organizations, the sooner this plan of action will become a significant set of thoughts known to all blindness organizations in Europe.
The Commission believes that the hopes and plans described here are just as important for other age groups. But, it might be easier to initiate these ideas amongst young people since they often prove to be more receptive to new initiatives, in particular when these are technology-oriented. It would of course be pointless to try and launch such initiatives if these were known only to the Commission. Hence encouraging young blind people to take part in as many political initiatives as possible - both to inspire and to learn - will be one of the Commission's main priorities.
Obviously this plan of action only sets out the major themes on which work will be focused and does not exclude the possibility for the Commission to consider other topics.
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FOCUS
The relevance of braille as a tool for literacy in the new millennium
This paper promotes the view that the Braille literacy goals are a collective social responsibility. They can only be attained through a partnership between state and government (national and local), educators, business and commerce, community and family. Perhaps the most vital force is parents and carers. In most countries, the state is gradually assuming responsibility for education, therefore school curricula have become increasingly prescribed and regulated. There is a consensus that Braille literacy teaching and learning are educational priorities, but there is less consensus about the methods and resources for achieving these aspirations.
What do we mean by literacy goals ? Parents and teachers would agree that literacy comprises reading for pleasure and information ; using Braille to understand and make sense of the world around us ; using language competently in all its rich and various forms. The suggestion that students need opportunities to become familiar and confident as much with traditional means of communication as with the new literacies of information technology, such as electronic mail, electronic text, internet, CD ROMs and other forms of multi and interactive media.
- The Tools of the Trade
The traditional means by which visually impaired students who are unable to read print can become literate in the true sense of the word, is by learning Braille. This punctiform system of reading and writing evolved by Louis Braille in 1829 remains the most versatile and effective tool for acquiring literacy skills. The Perkins' brailler and the slate and stylus have equal value to the most sophisticated Braille display and Braille printer in enabling blind students to become proficient in Braille literacy.
- Teaching Braille
The ability of the student and the fluidity of the teacher are as important as the methods used in teaching Braille. Every child has the right to be taught the basic skills of reading and writing, and the teacher must have a patient understanding of the problems involved. He or she should possess a thorough knowledge of the processes necessary for teaching reading and writing. These include an understanding of linguistics, the psychology of learning, an appreciation of differences of individual learners as well as familiarity with evaluation and testing methods. Above all the teacher should have a love of and mastery of the Braille code and its internal logic. Teacher training courses, whether in service or at universities, require to place greater emphasis on the teaching of literacy and numeracy, and not simply give accreditation for a knowledge of the Braille code. Courses in the production of embossed diagrams and graphic representations should be mandatory for teachers of the visually impaired. Visually impaired students are expected to respond in a meaningful way to graphic representations, and therefore require formal training as part of the curriculum. Software for creating tactile graphics is available and has been specifically adapted so that it is practical for a blind person to create his own graphics.
- Reading Readiness
When teaching Braille to any age group, the teacher should ensure that his or her students are ready for reading. For example, the young blind child who is acquiring literacy skills through touch has to be developmentally ready to read.
Areas of importance are : cognitive ability, emotional security, background experiences in auditory and language skills as well as a basic awareness of phonics. The students must also be physically able to track a line of Braille. Training in developing fine and gross motor skills is necessary. The students must develop high level of tactile discrimination in order to discriminate different Braille signs and characters.
The aim of teaching pre-Braille skills to all beginners in Braille is to encourage rhythmical movements and light touch with finger pads when tracking a line of Braille. Two handed reading should be encouraged from the start and, if possible, two or more fingers on each hand.
- Contracted or Uncontracted Braille
In some European countries the practice is to teach uncontracted Braille to those blind children capable of learning this medium. The thinking behind this method is that the learner can give undivided understanding to the sense of the context rather than having to decipher word signs and sequences. In the USA and in the UK past practice favoured teaching grade 2 Braille from the outset, but today more and more pupils are given a grounding in grade 1 before progressing to a fully contracted system. The finger pads can traverse contracted words at a greater speed and more meaning can be compacted into fewer symbols, leading to faster reading and fluency.
- Order of Introduction of Contractions, Letters and Symbols
As yet, there is no theoretically or generally agreed optimum order of presentation. The order in which signs are usually introduced is determined by frequency of use, ease of learning, and usefulness for writing naturally flowing prose. Signs that are reversals of one another are taught well apart. The content of reading materials should be age appropriate, lively and interesting and reflect a variety of styles. For the very young readers, materials should be stimulating and attractively presented. Illustrations made from a variety of textures and even impregnated with scent help to motivate. Print and Braille on the same or adjacent pages encourage parents and siblings to read alongside touch readers. Reading and writing should be taught simultaneously.
When a student has to change from print to Braille as his means of literacy, whether in a mainstream or special setting, he should be given time to learn Braille. The temptation to push on as quickly as possible is understandably hard to resist when this student urgently requires Braille for a course of study which must be completed in a relatively short time. A crash course in Braille is often suggested but unfortunately it can be counter-productive because of the heavy pressure it imposes on the young learner. In my opinion, it is preferable to give the course of instruction before the student embarks on his course of study. There is no short cut to competency in using Braille, and forcing the pace, however laudable the reason, can produce tension, frustration and confusion, and is of little service to the learner. If Braille is to be learned thoroughly and become a useful tool, the pace of instruction as far as possible should be geared to the learning pace of the individual student.
Education authorities and school boards should be committed to recruiting qualified teachers of the visually impaired to teach these very special communication skills. There is a great danger that in the climate of cost effectiveness and efficiency as watchwords, the specialised services will become subsumed with generic services as the needs of the majority prevail.
- Adult Learners
Many factors need to be taken into account when teaching Braille to adults. In cases where blindness has occurred as a result of an accident or illness, the emotional readiness of the person must be assessed. An immediate abandoning of print and the immersion of the fingers in Braille may be psychologically damaging to the learner, thus causing him to be antagonistic towards this enforced handicap instead of producing the desired result of encouraging him combating written communication barriers by learning Braille. Courses should contain pre Braille training and ought to be devised to suit differing intellectual abilities and age groups. Many adults may require Braille for simple communication and reference. Braille is a tool for functional skills, labelling household items, shopping lists and telephone directories. A fully contracted system may not be suitable for every learner.
- Technology
The ability to do word processing in Braille, to edit Braille text accurately and to convert it to hard copy, represents one of the greatest advances in communication available to blind persons. Modern technology with synthetic speech or Braille displays provides access to digitally stored information. Data can be loaded on to a hard disc of a computer or another data carrier and can then be read by a tactile line or embossed page. Even digitalised graphics and picture illustrations can be recognised by a scanner and turned into Braille representation. At present there is a project called the Daisy Consortium which is bringing about international standardisation of storing digital information for talking books etc. which can also be translated into Braille. Human language is already being digitalised to appear as writing on the screen, and although this is in its infancy it will be possible to produce Braille text which has been digitally stored by speech input, either as talking books or Braille books. The visually impaired student, through the use of a modem, and a computer, can now access a wealth of information via the internet and the world wide web.
These developments do not lead to the decline in Braille. What is marvellous about these developments is that the information retrieved can be translated into Braille at any time because of the many translation programmes available. This access to information in my opinion has made Braille more important as a source of acquiring information. It has become absolutely indispensable. When teaching Braille I used a Thiel Braille blackboard and proved time and again that written information is not forgotten quickly, and it is what blind people feel with their fingers is the lasting concept.
One of the most important educational tasks of a teacher of blind children is to teach Braille literacy. However, in today's classrooms, I am concerned that a growing dependency on laptop computers with speech output may undermine the acquisition of literacy skills. Louis Braille's writing system is of global significance and universally used. Its extensions make it possible to portray complicated mathematics and technical formulae as well as music notation, computer codes and a myriad of different languages. Braille is an integral and indispensable tool for teaching programmes both in integrated and special settings. Not all visually impaired people will have access to the high tech equipment and thus their only means of communication, be it receiving or in the transmitting of information, will be via the medium of Braille.
Braille books and magazines are being recycled and sent to readers throughout the world.
Many organisations, agencies and individuals will need to be mobilised to ensure an improved level of Braille literacy in the new millennium. There is a need for governments, at local and national level, to take a lead in co-ordinating and supporting what must be a global campaign to improve literacy standards for visually impaired people.
Isobel Yule
United Kingdom
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Cyprus Braille
The Pancyprian Organization of the Blind publishes a bi-monthly newsletter in grade 2 braille. The " Cyprus Braille " is available free of charge to braille readers and agencies all over the world. It contains information on topics such as the blind welfare in Cyprus and other countries, economic and political issues, historical events, cultural activities and environmental issues. Readers' contributions are also welcome.
For copies of the " Cyprus Braille " or if you would like to have your name on the mailing list, please contact Mr Christakis Nicolaides at the following address :
Pancyprian Organization of the Blind
P.O. Box 23511
1684 Nicosia (Cyprus)
Tel : +357 2 813382, Fax : +357 2 495 395
E-mail :
pot@logos.cy.net
Please note the following changes
- New e-mail address of Sir John Wall, EBU President :
carol.bird@rnib.org.uk
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COMING EVENTS
EBU BOARD AND COMMISSIONS
20 - 24 April 2001, MOSCOW
EBU Commission on Activities of Deafblind People
Contact : Serguei Sirotkine
Tel : +7 095 923 6160, Fax : +7 095 923 9149
E-mail :
oms@vos.org.ru
5 - 6 May 2001, Romania
EBU Commission on Human and Social Rights
Contact : Tony Aston
Tel : +44 1444 870 462, Fax : +44 1444 258 557
E-mail :
taston@enterprise.net
12 - 14 May 2001, COPENHAGEN
EBU Commission for Liaising with the EU
Contact : Rodolfo Cattani
Tel : +39 06 699 88375, Fax : +39 06 699 88378
E-mail :
inter@uiciechi.it
11 - 14 May 2001, Norway
EBU Commission on Mobility and Guide Dogs
Contact : Jill Allen-King
Tel : +44 1702 477 899, Fax : +44 1702 711 171
E-mail :
peter@fedtalk.demon.co.uk
18 - 20 May 2001, MOSCOW
EBU Board
Contact : Norbert Mueller, EBU Secretary General
Tel : +49 7621 799230, Fax : +49 7621 799231
E-mail :
norbert@dbbw.de
24 - 26 May 2001, ROME
EBU Commission on Technical Devices and Services
Contact : Bernhard Stoeger
Tel : +43 732 2468 9608, Fax : +43 732 2468 9322
E-mail :
Bernhard@aib.uni-linz.ac.at
28 - 30 June 2001, LONDON
EBU Commission on Access to Culture and Information
Contact : Henri Chauchat
Tel : +33 1 44 49 27 27, Fax : +33 1 44 49 27 10
E-mail :
avh@avh.asso.fr
July 2001, Switzerland (to be confirmed)
EBU Commission on Activities of Partially-Sighted People
Contact : Giuseppe Castronovo
Tel : +39 06 699 88375, Fax : +39 06 699 88378
E-mail :
inter@uiciechi.it
14 - 16 September 2001, CHORZOW (Silesia, Poland)
EBU Board
Contact : Norbert Mueller (see contact details above)
September 2001, Sweden
EBU Commission on the Advancement of the Interests of Blind and Partially Sighted Women
Contact : Birgitta Blokland
Tel : +31 30 299 2878, Fax : +31 30 293 2544
E-mail :
c.verbeek@sb-belang.nl
September 2001, Spain
EBU Youth Commission
Contact : Einar Fisvik
E-mail :
Einar@eifi.net
End of September 2001, GRAZ
Commission for Multi-Handicapped Visually Impaired People
Contact : Coen de Jong
Tel : +31 343 526 501, Fax : +31 343 526 856
E-mail :
m.weisz@bartimeus.nl
OTHER ORGANISATIONS
1 - 5 June 2001, MONTREAL (Quebec)
International world congress, Inclusion by Design - Planning the Barrier-Free World, hosted by the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work
Contact : Karine Toupin
Fax : +1 416 260 3093
E-mail :
ktoupin@ccrw.org
More information on
http://www.ccrw.org
5 - 8 June 2001, STOCKHOLM
11th Annual INET Conference
This year's event will be hosted by Internet Society (ISOC). ISOC acts not only as a global clearinghouse for internet information and education but also as a facilitator and coordinator of internet-related initiatives around the world.
INET provides an international forum for advancing the development and implementation of Internet networks, technologies, applications, and policies. The world's internet leaders meet at INET conferences to exchange experiences and shape the future of the internet.
Contact : Conference Secretariat
Tel : +46 31 779 3600, Fax : +46 31 779 3660
E-mail :
inet2001@exponova.se
Website :
www.isoc.org/inet2001
and
www.exponova.se
2 - 5 July 2001, WARSAW (Poland)
TRANSED 2001
The theme of the Conference will be "Safety, independence and security."
Contact : Fax : +48 22 831 6525
E-mail :
transed2001@idn.org.pl
24 - 29 July 2001, The Netherlands
5th European Conference on Deafblindness
Contact : Anneke Balder, Conference Secretariat
Tel : +31 30 276 9970, Fax : +31 30 271 2892
E-mail :
sdg@wxs.nl
Website :
http://www.deafblindinternational.org
7 - 12 October 2001, AUCKLAND (New Zealand)
7th Helen Keller World Conference - What it means to be deafblind,
organised in conjunction with the 1st General Assembly of the World Federation of the Deafblind
Contact : Jan Scahill, International Conference Committee
PO Box 14-076, Tauranga (New Zealand)
E-mail :
jscahill@rnzfb.org.nz
19 - 20 October 2001, NEW YORK
Symposium " Integrating differences : Theories and applications of Universal Design ".
Contact : Universal Design Symposium 2001
Fashion Institute of Technology
E-mail :
dkoslin@fitsuny.edu
Fax : +1 212 217 7910
Next issue : June 2001
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