QUESTIONNAIRE BULGARIA

EBU Questionnaire Survey on the education, vocational training and rehabilitation of blind and partially sighted women across the 27 EU Member States

September 2008

 

Name: VASIL TRIFONOV DOLAPCHIEV

Organisation: UNION OF THE BLIND IN BULGARIA

Country: REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA

e-mail address: ssb@sofianet.net

Telephone number: +359 2 8127050 or 812705

I. Attendance to special or mainstream schools


1. - Is it possible for blind and partially sighted children to attend special schools in your country?
Answer Yes End answer

 
2. Is it possible for blind and partially sighted children to attend mainstream schools in your country?
Answer Yes End answer

 If No, please explain:


3. - In case there are both special and mainstream schools do the majority of visually impaired girls attend (Please tick one of the following):

Special schools. Answer Yes End answer
Mainstream schools
Don’t know
No information or statistics available in my country
Please explain: Answer 65% in special and 35% in mainstream schools End answer


4. – Do male and female pupils and students in practice have the same rights and opportunities to access the education system at all levels?
 Answer Yes End answer

 5. – Do female pupils and students receive in special education adequate support measures among the following:
- Books in Braille or large print                                  Answer Yes End answer
- Recorded texts                                                          Answer Yes End answer
- Braillers                                                                      Answer Yes End answer
- PCs with speech synthesizers or Braille display  Answer Yes End answer
- Texts in electronic format                                         Answer Yes End answer
- Financial support                                                      Answer Yes End answer
- Support teachers                                                      Answer Yes End answer
- Assistants at home                                                   Answer No End answer


6. - From your point of view, is this support in special education equally available to blind and partially sighted boys and girls?
Answer Yes End answer

If no, please explain

7. – Do female pupils and students receive in mainstream education adequate support measures among the following:

- Books in Braille or large print                                 Answer Yes End answer
- Recorded texts                                                         Answer Yes End answer
- Braillers                                                                     Answer Yes End answer
- PCs with speech synthesizers or Braille display  Answer Yes End answer
- Texts in electronic format                                        Answer Yes End answer
- Financial support                                                     Answer Yes End answer
- Support teachers                                                     Answer Yes End answer  
- Assistants at home                                                  Answer No End answer  
- Other - Please explain: Answer In some cases the pupils and students get help from sighted members of their families and friends  End answer  


8. - From your point of view, is this support in mainstream education equally available to blind and partially sighted boys and girls?
Answer yes End answer

If no, please explain


9. – From your point of view and experience are the teachers of blind and partially sighted women and girls qualified enough?
Answer  Yes End answer

If no, please explain

 

II. Comparison between female and male pupils and students


10. – Do female pupils and students in practice have the same opportunities to participate in the general education system on an equal basis with male pupils and students?
Answer  Yes End answer
No information/statistics available in my country
Don’t know


11. – Which qualifications do the majority of blind and partially sighted women have (Please tick one of the following)?
- Primary school level
Answer  Secondary School level  End answer
- Vocational training courses 
- University level
- Postgraduate level
- No information available in my country
- Don’t know
- Other (Please explain)


12. – Do blind and partially sighted women access the academic career on an equal basis with blind and partially sighted men?
Answer  Yes End answer
- No information available in my country
- Don’t know

If no, please explain.

 

III. Physical education

13. – Is it possible for blind and partially sighted girls to participate in physical education classes on an equal basis with non disabled girls?
Answer  Yes End answer
- No information available in my country
- Don’t know

14. - Is it possible for blind and partially sighted girls to participate in physical education classes on an equal basis with their blind and partially sighted male peers?
Answer  Yes End answer
- No information available in my country
- Don’t know

15. – Are there specific services, centres or courses for sports activities aimed at a better awareness of the potential and physical skills of visually impaired women?
Answer  No End answer
- No information/statistics available in my country
- Don’t know

16. – Are there any courses for visually impaired women aimed at acquiring a proper posture and adequate body language?
Answer  Yes End answer
- No information/statistics available in my country
- Don’t know
If no, please explain:

IV. Rehabilitation


17. – Do blind and partially sighted women access rehabilitation services and centres on an equal basis with blind and partially sighted men?
Answer  Yes End answer
- No information/statistics available in my country
- Don’t know
If no, please explain:
 

18. – Do blind and partially sighted girls attend specific daily living courses?
Answer  Yes End answer
- Don’t know

19. – Are there any personal care/look-good/makeup courses?
Answer  Yes End answer
- No information/statistics available in my country
- Don’t know
If yes, please specify: Answer  Such kind of courses we provide to the women and girls with sight problems in our National Rehabilitation Centre  End answer
 


V. Reproductive health education


20. – Do young blind and partially sighted women have the opportunity to attend general and specific sexual education and is it possible for them to get information and training materials in accessible format?
Answer  Yes End answer
- Don’t know

 


VI. Music education


21. – As music education is highly formative for everybody and playing a musical instrument facilitates integration, do women have the opportunity the opportunity in your country to access music education either as amateurs or as professionals?
Answer  Yes End answer
- No information/statistics available in my country
- Don’t know


22. – Are there any visually impaired women who teach music education?
- In special schools Answer  Yes End answer
- In mainstream schools Answer  Don't know End answer
If no, please explain :
 

23. – Are there any blind or partially sighted women who have established themselves as concert performers?
Answer  Yes End answer
- No information/statistics available in my country
- Don’t know
 

VII. Other training courses


24. – Have there ever been any leadership courses, neuro-linguistic programming courses or public speaking courses open to or mainly targeted at blind and partially sighted women?
Answer  No End answer
- No information/statistics available in my country
- Don’t know

25. – Are these courses:
- organised regularly Answer  No End answer
- never organised Answer  No End answer
- organized but women did not participate Answer  No End answer

26. – Who offers these training courses?
- mainstream services Answer    End answer
- special services for blind and partially sighted persons? Answer  No End answer 
 


VIII. Vocational training centres


27. – Are there any special vocational training centres carrying out courses for blind and partially sighted women?
Answer  Yes End answer

28. – Is it possible for blind and partially sighted women to attend vocational training courses in mainstream facilities?
Answer  No End answer

29. – Do those attending vocational training courses receive texts/notes/handouts in accessible formats?
Answer  Yes End answer

30. – Are blind and partially sighted women supported by specialized staff?
- At school Answer  Yes End answer
- At university Answer  No End answer
- At vocational training centres Answer  Yes End answer
- Other (please explain)
 

IX. Access to information


31. - Do visually impaired women have access to new technologies and information on an equal basis:

- with visually impaired men
Answer  Yes End answer
- No information/statistics available in my country
- Don’t know


- with non disabled persons
Answer  Yes End answer
- No information/statistics available in my country



32. – Do blind and partially sighted women get technical aids in order to access information? :
Answer  Yes End answer
- No information/statistics available in my country
- Don’t know


If yes, where is it offered?
- At school Answer  Yes End answer
- At university 
- At work Answer  Yes  End answer
- At home 
Other (please, specify)

 


33. – If yes, what kind of support is received? explanation: Answer  In our two special schools for children with visual impairments are provided computers with programs with synthetic speech and other technical aids. The rest of students must pay at their own to receive the necessary technical aids.  End answer

 


X. Mobility and transport


34. - From your point of view, do blind and partially sighted girls and
women benefit from special support facilities/concessions when travelling to school or university?
Answer  Yes End answer


If yes, what kind of support?
- Financial aid Answer  No End answer
- Reduced fares on public transport for them Answer  Yes End answer
- Reduced fares on public transport for their accompanying persons Answer  Yes End answer
-Taxis Free-of-charge Answer  No End answer
- Permanent personal assistant Answer  No End answer
- Special transport for disabled people Answer  Yes End answer
 Other (Please explain)



35. – Do blind and partially sighted women have the same level of mobility independence as blind and partially sighted men?
Answer  No End answer
- No information/statistics available in my country
- Don’t know
If no, please explain:


............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

36. - When travelling to school, university or training courses blind and partially sighted women mainly move (Please tick one of the following):
Answer  Accompanied by a family member End answer
- Alone, with a white cane
- With a guide dog
- With a GPS and a white cane
- With a GPS
- Accompanied by paid staff
- Accompanied by a volunteer


XI. E.U. impact


37. – Do you think that the European Union has had any impact on the status of blind and partially sighted women in your country?
Yes, a positive impact 
Yes, a decisive impact
Please explain your choice


Answer  No impact  End answer
Please explain: Answer  Republic of Bulgaria is a EU member since 2007 and till now there is no any changes in this field. End answer

 
Yes, but a negative impact
Please explain


Don't know
No information available
Other (please explain)


38. – To sum up, do you think that education, vocational training and rehabilitation in your country are carried out along the lines of the dictates of the equal opportunities policy?
Answer  Yes End answer
- No information/statistics available in my country
- Don’t know
If no, please explain


39. – Do you have any expectations with regard to (Please tick one or more of the following):

Answer  Education End answer
Answer  Vocational training End answer
Answer  Leadership and Capacity Building courses End answer
Answer  Mobility End answer
Answer  Access to information End answer
Other (please explain): Answer  We expect financial support from the specialised EU funds for the people with disabilities, for arranging in Bulgaria of any kind educational courses especially for women and girls with visual impairments. End answer



 

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