QUESTIONNAIRE GREECE

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

September 2007

 

Name: Ilias MARGIOLAS

Organisation: PANHELLENIC ASSOCIATION OF THE BLIND

Country: GREECE

e-mail address: pab@otenet.gr

Telephone number: +30 210 5245001


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 Needs to be increased 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?
Answer Discounts, Tactile guidance pathways, audio announcement of the
stops in tram, metro and some bus lanes. Traffic lights alarms in some
main roads in largest towns. End answer
 

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 No End answer

2.2.3. If yes, is this assistance available :
At reduced cost / Free of charge /
Answer Other Other (explanation) Only at the airport there is a help desk providing assistant to all disabled travellers. End answer
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 (please explain) Answer see 2.2 End answer
Don’t know.
 


2.4. Concerning accessibility / transport in general, what suggestions for improvement do you have?
Answer Expanding and improving auditory information in all bus lanes, bus stops, and at train station platforms. Also expanding sound signals in the traffic lights. 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 Yes 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
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?
Answer  No End answer


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 There is a need for new employment areas especially in small and medium enterprises.
Based on that new technology adaptive equipment must be funded by the state.
Setting-up alternative measures both for employers and encourage blind and partially sighted people to have employment opportunities in the open market. End answer
 



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.
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 No End answer

4.4. With regard to education in general, what kind of suggestions for improvement do you have?
Answer There is lack of governmental funding for pupils and students with visually impairments. Although the legislation for this is partially available there is no solid policy and excepted procedures in order for child to purchase all the needed adapted equipment funded.
New educational methods are needed in order to include all the new technologies adaptive educational tools in the every day educational procedure. 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.
Improve the training of staff (auxiliary nursing staff, special education teacher …) Answer Yes   End answer
Modernise the methods of rehabilitation to daily life. Answer Yes   End answer
Modernise professional training. Answer Yes   End answer
Don’t know.


5.3. Have you noted any progress in these areas?
Answer  No 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?
Answer  No End answer

 

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 There is a governmental training centre providing training for telephone centre operators and customer relation management (crm) End answer

6.2. Can blind or partially sighted employed or unemployed people attend mainstream vocational training centres?
Answer No 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).
Don’t know.

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 New employment sectors suitable for visually impaired individuals. Acceptance of visually impaired students in other vocational training centres. 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
At university
At work.
At home.
What kind of support ? (Please explain)



7.2. Is it possible to obtain support for ICTs for partially sighted people of all age categories ?
At school.
At university.
At work.
At home.
What kind of support ? (Please explain)
 



8/ E-GOVERNMENT

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


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


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 ?

(Please explain):

 


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.   Answer Yes End answer
Transport / mobility.  Answer Yes End answer
Accessibility of buildings and traffic lanes. Answer Yes End answer
Access to information (accessibility of ICTs) Answer Yes End answer
Financial support.   Answer Yes End answer
Gender equality.  Answer Yes End answer
 

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