Regular readers of this newsletter will be aware of the EU-funded VISAL (Visually impaired Seniors Active Learning) project designed and conducted by the European Blind Union with six partners. The aim of the project was to develop a training course specifically designed for those working with VI seniors to help them become more active and gain in self-confidence. The project officially ran from 2012 to 2014, but such was its success that it continues to have an impact today. The following article offers some examples. Three countries (Hungary, Portugal and Italy) held VISAL courses based on those developed during the project, to enable people working in close contact with elderly VI persons to help them regain an active role in society. The report from Italy is the point of view of an elderly VISAL facilitator, offering his special insight and experience.
In Austria, which was one of the countries involved in the initial VISAL project, a new VISAL-inspired project, ILIAS – Inclusion and Learning In the old Age for Seniors with and without visual impairment, is going to be carried out soon.
We are also pleased to announce that VISAL has been selected as a "success story" by a panel of experts from the Directorate-General for Education and Culture of the European Commission. It has also been marked as such in the Erasmus+ Project Results Platform. This implies that visibility and acknowledgement will be given to the project on DG Culture and Education websites, social media, and when preparing documentation for conferences or other events with high-ranking attendance. This is great news for the project and a source of satisfaction for all the partners.
These developments show the long-term value of a project which offers easy-to-share results and EBU is happy to share this information and encourage others to consider adapting a VISAL course in their countries.
VISAL sessions in three countries
Hungary
The seven sessions of the first VISAL Course in Hungary, implemented by the Hungarian Federation of the Blind and Partially Sighted (MVGYOSZ) were held during November 2015.
Applicants were received and coordinated by the facilitator, who carried out the initial interviews. There were 8 applicants; all of them completed the training course.
The preliminary interviews and the 7 sessions were planned to take 6 days. Considering the travelling difficulties of those participants living in the countryside it was agreed that on two days there would be a session both in the morning and afternoon. The day for Session 6 agreed at the beginning of the Training Course was changed so that the participants could visit an exhibition of assistive tools taking place the same day in the same venue (MVGYOSZ Headquarter).
In the summary evaluation of sessions based on the group members' feedback, the following comments were given:
- They found the information on the possibilities available for VI people (special assistive tools, rehabilitation, etc.) very useful.
- They emphasized how much it meant for them to belong to a group understanding and accepting their difficulties.
- It meant a lot to them that they were able to help each other to improve their communication and conflict management skills.
- They have become more open and motivated by seeing and meeting others facing and struggling similar problems as they do.
- They do not want things to end with Session 7, they wish to go on working together as a self-help group.
On basis of the feedback we judged the VISAL Course very useful and we intend to organise more courses. However, further series of VISAL Sessions are planned to take place at local level for VI people living in the countryside, so that they can also take advantage of the Training Course without the difficulties of travelling to the capital.
Portugal
The Portuguese VISAL sessions were held in Lisbon at the specially created ACAPO facilities for training in social/personal abilities and the functional rehabilitation of visually impaired persons.
3-hour sessions took place on four days, 7, 14, 21 and 28 January, between 10am and 5pm, and ACAPO provided both transportation and meals for all participants.
Nine elderly visually impaired seniors, from 60 to 78 years of age, attended the training sessions, having fulfilled the requirements of the project.
The choice of the venue relates to its characteristics, since it is a replica of a real home providing a warm and private ambience and promoting synergies for the interaction of all participants.
Sessions took place in an informal and positive ambience and the acquired lifelong learning skills and their importance at this stage were evaluated. Sharing experiences and seeking solutions together combined with information on support and equipment that help autonomy and improve quality of life motivated the group and promoted the active participation of all concerned.
The evaluation of the sessions was very positive and the fact that participants did not know each other before also contributed to the improvement of social networking, as the group will now continue holding a monthly meeting at their request.
To conclude, for the facilitator and coordinator (Anabela Miranda and Graça Gerardo), the results exceeded all the expectations and we can also state that it was a very satisfying and enriching experience for all those involved in the project.
Italy
Report on the Italian VISAL Course by Cesare Barca, an elderly VISAL facilitator who himself has a visual impairment.
The Italian implementation of the VISAL training course took place in Verona at the local office of the Italian Union of the Blind and Partially Sighted. The results of the course were very satisfactory for both organizers and participants. The facilitator Cesare Barca and coordinator Elena Ginelli developed a course of seven sessions (every Tuesday and Friday from 11 November to 1 December, starting at 9:30 am) with the participation of eight elderly people with severe visual impairments from different social backgrounds and situations.
Sat in a circle, in a large but completely dedicated space to allow direct and clear communication and good synergy, participants described the main difficulties that, for all of them, resulted in a common state of depression and lack of reactivity. Therefore during the meetings the facilitator invited participants to voice their personal problems, sometimes helping them to lower the defences they had put in place to protect themselves. The fear of blindness and of their new condition, thoughts of suicide and worthlessness, the sense of abandonment and self-isolation, the inability to perform ordinary household activities especially in the kitchen, the unavoidable use of canned food, all this caused a loss of their capacities and made them feel depressed.
Subsequently, participants were introduced to technical aids that could help them to regain independence. Also opportunities to socialize and combat loneliness were introduced, such as the “Senior” monthly publication in mp3 format, the UICI virtual telephone room called "Speak, a friend is listening to you" that Cesare Barca has run for 3 years and the Tirrenia holiday centre, adapted to people with visual impairments. Participants were taught to consider the importance of touch and orientation skills (perceiving obstacles and sounds) and other sensory capacities. In addition, information was given about social security provisions such as the list of aids that visually impaired people can get for free to increase their level of independence.
The course, as a whole, achieved the objective of encouraging people to be more independent and increasing their self-esteem. We highlighted how it is necessary to live day by day in order to gradually recover self-confidence, serenity and independence and how families should understand and facilitate this process. It was pointed out that you have to keep trying because when you make mistakes you learn and you adapt, albeit slowly, to your new condition. Nothing is straightforward and easy, but nothing is impossible, and patience is an essential quality. The course focused on low vision because the situation in which these people find themselves is extremely difficult. Often after a "normal" life many people find themselves suddenly and without any preparation, facing a new condition and they feel that they are a burden for their family.
Partial or complete loss of vision does not negate a person's existence, but it imposes a change and acceptance of the new situation. As a consequence, family members must understand and accept the situation of their loved ones, avoiding overprotection which would prevent them from recovering their habits and resuming their daily activities. Instead, we must allow those who have a sensory loss to make mistakes, have improper behaviour, etc. It should be noted that excessive attention and overprotection enslave both the person with sensory problems and family members who feel bad about the difficult situation that they erroneously consider definitive.
For all these reasons useful indications and tips were proposed at each meeting to be put into practice in daily life and family members and relatives were asked to cooperate. Cooperation is a very effective tool, especially when it is integrated with communication, exchange of experiences and emotions. In conclusion all participants, albeit to different degrees, felt encouraged to continue on the pathway to re-inclusion in their family and society from which they felt completely excluded. All participants asked that further educational and support meetings be organised.
Austrian VISAL follow-up project granted!
The Austrian project ILIAS – Inclusion and Learning In the old Age for Seniors with and without visual impairment – is the first project based on the outcomes and experiences of the VISAL project and is funded by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection.
The Vienna based two year project started in October 2015 and is led by the Austrian Federation of the Blind and Partially Sighted (BSVÖ). Drawing on the general idea of VISAL but trying to make it even more inclusive, the project is going to train 3 teams of sighted and visually impaired seniors to become peer group leaders. In 7 sessions they will learn the didactic and communicative skills they need in order to develop, organize and facilitate their own ILIAS courses for their peers. This way we want to make sure that visually impaired seniors are de facto included in their communities, being in regular contact not only with other visually impaired seniors but also with their sighted peers.
BSVÖ will cooperate with Austria's largest seniors' organization, Pensionistenverband Österreich (PVÖ), as well as with the biggest home for visually impaired seniors, Österreichische Blindenwohlfahrt (ÖBW), therefore hoping to reach as many people aged 60+ in Vienna as well as in the rest of the country.
The first phase of the project includes the development of a guide for the training of the ILIAS teams as well as holding the 7 training sessions. In the second phase, the teams develop and plan their courses and start recruiting. And in the final phase of the project, each team will hold at least one ILIAS course consisting of 7 sessions, followed by a final conference and an evaluation phase.
Stefanie Steinbauer, Officer for International Cooperation, BSVO
For further information on the project please contact international@blindenverband.at
More information is coming soon on www.blindenverband.at