The Estonian Federation of the Blind is a national umbrella organisation with 16 member organisations of blind and partially sighted people. According to our new development plan, we intend to become also a competence centre capable of giving advice on how to improve the life quality of people with blindness and low vision in Estonia.
A first important step has been made in this direction. In 2016, the Estonian Federation of the Blind compiled a manual of accessibility of the built environment. This manual gives detailed instructions on how to ensure that the environment, both indoor and outdoor, is accessible for blind and partially sighted people. The manual provides environment planners, designers, developers and officials of local authorities with specific instructions on how to take into account the special needs of blind and visually impaired people when planning a new public building or an outdoor facility. The manual also briefly describes the requirements on how to make services and information accessible for blind and partially sighted people. We are going to continue this work to include the requirements in our legal regulations and laws.
The manual is available on our website http://www.pimedateliit.ee/juhttee/projekteerimisjuhend. It is only in Estonian for the moment.