QUESTIONNAIRE CZECH REPUBLIC

EBU Questionnaire Survey on the situation of blind and partially sighted people
across the 27 EU Member States

September 2007

 

Name: Rudolf VOLEJNIK

Organisation: CZECH BLIND UNITED (Czech acronym = SONS)
Country: Czech Republic

e-mail address: volejnik@braillnet.cz

Telephone number: +420 221 462 469, +420 777 938 217


1/ Benefits


1.1. Does your country have any form of benefits system/ allowance for blind or partially sighted people?
Answer Yes End answer

1.2. If yes, is this allowance sufficient or does it need to be increased ?
Answer Sufficient End answer


2/ Transport / Mobility

 
2.1. Does your country provide blind and partially sighted people with any form of assistance for access to public transportation?
Answer Yes End answer

2.2. If yes, in what form?
Discounts, accessible timetable information, orientation devices a stations and stops, sound identification of trams and buses, including info on their destinations, etc.

2.2.1. Facilities allowing a better accessibility of public transport for blind and partially sighted people:
Answer Yes End answer

2.2.2. Financial aid:
Answer Yes End answer

2.2.3. If yes, is this assistance available :
At reduced cost. Answer Yes End answer 
Free of charge. 
Other (please explain)
Don’t know
 


2.3. Are there any measures facilitating the mobility of blind of partially sighted people?
Answer Yes End answer

 2.3.1 If yes, are they:

Financing of guide dogs. Answer Yes End answer
Tactile paving. Answer Yes End answer
Provision of auditory means of communication. Answer Yes End answer
Provision of auditory signals at crosswalks. Answer Yes End answer
Other (see 2.2.)
Don’t know.
 


2.4. Concerning accessibility / transport in general, what suggestions for improvement do you have?
 Answer Reasonable accessibility requirements should be part of both EU and national relevant regulations (which is, at least partially, the case of my country. End answer


3/ Employment


3.1. Are private companies under any obligation to recruit a certain number of disabled people?
Answer Yes  End answer

3.2. Are some jobs reserved in priority for:

3.2.1. Disabled people?
Answer No End answer

3.2.2. Blind or partially sighted people?
Answer No End answer 


3.3. Are there any targeted wage subsidies or bonus for employers who recruit blind and partially sighted people?
Bonus.  Answer  Yes End answer
Targeted wage subsidies.
Other (please explain)
Don’t know.


3.4. Does your country have sheltered workshops or any other kind of structure employing only blind and partially sighted people?
Answer  Yes End answer

3.5. Are there any other incentives in your country to facilitate blind and partially sighted people’s employment?
Yes / No / Don’t know


3.6. What is the situation with regard to the employment of blind and partially sighted women:
Under-employment. Answer  Yes   End answer
Discrimination in recruitment.
Discrimination in wages.
Don’t know.

3.7. Concerning employment in general, what kind of suggestion for improvement do you have?
Answer On the part of blind people = more incentives to work; on the part of employers = more open approach; on the part of the government = more stress on regulation employment of severely disabled people, including the blind.



4/ Education


4.1. Does your country have specialized schools for blind of partially sighted children?
Answer  Yes End answer

4.2. Is it possible for blind of partially sighted children to attend mainstream schools?
Answer Yes End answer

4.2.1. If yes, are there any support services for blind and partially sighted children?

Provision of books in Braille. Answer Yes End answer
Provision of Braille writing devices. Answer Yes End answer
Provision of adapted electronic devices.Answer Yes End answer
Support by specially trained teachers. Answer Yes End answer
Other (please explain)
Don’t know.



4.3. Can blind or partially sighted students at university benefit from some form of financial aid to purchase an adapted computer?
Answer Yes End answer


4.4. With regard to education in general, what kind of suggestions for improvement do you have?
Answer Stop parental brainwashing about panacean benefits of mainstreaming at primary & secondary education level. As a result of mainstreaming at all costs, parents learn the hard way that their blind children are, as a rule, non-competitive at an open labour market. End answer



5. REHABILITATION CENTRES FOR BLIND AND PARTIALLY SIGHTED PEOPLE


5.1. Does your country have any rehabilitation centre for blind or partially sighted people?
Answer Yes End answer 


5.2. Concerning rehabilitation centres, what suggestions for improvement do you have?
Increase the number of centres. Answer Yes End answer 
Improve existing centres.  Answer Yes End answer 
Increase the capacity of the centre. Answer Yes End answer 
Improve the training of staff (auxiliary nursing staff, special education teacher …) Answer Yes End answer 
Modernise the methods of rehabilitation to daily life.
Modernise professional training.
Other (please explain)
Don’t know.


5.3. Have you noted any progress in these areas?
Answer  No (please explain) End answer


5.3.1. If no, did you notice a decline in the quality of the rehabilitation measures for blind and partially sighted people?
Yes / No / Don’t know

 

6/ VOCATIONAL TRAINING


6.1. Does your country have a specialized vocational training centre for employed or unemployed blind and partially sighted people?
Answer Yes End answer

6.2. Can blind or partially sighted employed or unemployed people attend mainstream vocational training centres?
Answer Yes End answer

6.3. If yes, are there any support services for the blind and partially sighted?
Provision of books in Braille.
Provision of Braille writing devices.
Provision of adapted electronic devices.
Support by specially trained teachers.
Other (please explain)
Answer Don’t know  End answer

6.4. Have these measures been adopted since your country’s accession to the EU or did they exist before?
 Answer Old End answer

6.5. With regard to vocational training in general, what kind of suggestions for improvement do you have?
Answer Less traditionalism and exploring new, previously untested occupations. End answer
 


 

7. ACCESSIBILITY OF ICTs


7.1. Is it possible to obtain support for ICTs for blind people of all age categories:
At school. Answer Yes End answer
At university. Answer Yes End answer
At work. Answer Yes End answer
At home. Answer Yes End answer
What kind of support ? (Please explain)
Answer Non-mandatory funding from national budget distributed by local authorities in applicant’s place of permanent residence. End answer


7.2. Is it possible to obtain support for ICTs for partially sighted people of all age categories ?
At school. Answer Yes End answer
At university. Answer Yes End answer
At work. Answer Yes End answer
At home. Answer Yes End answer
What kind of support ? (Please explain)
Answer Non-mandatory funding from national budget distributed by local authorities in applicant’s place of permanent residence. End answer




8/ E-GOVERNMENT

8.1. How do you evaluate the accessibility of public websites (E-government; documents, forum, services, interactive pages, etc.)
Very good.
Answer Good.  End answer 
Medium.
Bad.
Very bad.


8.2. Is your government doing anything to make E-government websites accessible to blind and partially sighted people?
Answer Yes End answer
 


9/ EU INFLUENCE

9. Do you think that the EU has had a positive influence on the situation of blind and partially sighted people in your country ?
Answer Yes End answer
 

10/ Finally, do you have any expectation with regard to your country’s belonging to the EU?


10. Do you have expectations with regard to:
Employment. Answer Yes End answer
Education.  Answer Yes End answer
Vocational training.  Answer Yes End answer
Rehabilitation centres.
Transport / mobility.  Answer Yes End answer
Accessibility of buildings and traffic lanes.
Access to information (accessibility of ICTs) Answer Yes End answer
Financial support.  Answer Yes End answer
Gender equality.
Other (please explain)
 

Back to Content