On 7 November 2025, a delegation of 18 people from SONS (Czech Blind United), the leading organisation supporting blind and partially sighted people in the Czech Republic, visited Paris for an in-depth exchange with our French national member (CFPSAA) and the EBU Office. The visit was designed to foster mutual learning and cooperation around accessibility, employment, education, and digital inclusion for the blind and visually impaired community.
The day began at 9:30 with a warm welcome, followed by a substantive morning meeting with representatives of CFPSAA (French Confederation of the Blind and Partially Sighted). Sarah Kefi, its new Coordinator, Pierre Marragou, it’s Vice Secretary General, and Nathan Pasco, its accessibility expert presented their organisational structure and national priorities. CFPSAA is a coalition of 20 non-profit associations focused on visual impairment, with a particular focus on accessibility in built environments and digital domains. Nathan Pasco highlighted ongoing activities in these areas and expressed keen interest in SONS’s innovative approaches, particularly their work on remote controls for public transport and acoustic signalling. The discussion highlighted common challenges in enforcing accessibility laws (both France and the Czech Republic grapple with legal frameworks dating back two decades that face persistent enforcement difficulties, especially in digital accessibility). French authorities tend towards awareness-raising rather than strict penalties, while Czech legislation includes mandatory requirements and financial incentives for employers.
Pierre Marragou, also a digital accessibility expert, emphasised the importance of exchanging best practices, particularly at the European level. He expressed a strong interest in collaborative efforts to harmonise accessibility standards across EU institutions and companies.
SONS President Dagmar Filgasová outlined the organisation’s three dedicated accessibility sections: built environment and transportation, internet accessibility, and cultural access (including audio description).
SONS was then introduced by Pavla Andrýsková, who read her French translation of a comprehensive presentation by Dagmar Filgasová President of SONS and an EBU board member. She detailed SONS’s extensive national reach, with over 360 employees, and around 8,000 registered members, providing services to 40,000 blind and partially sighted people. The organisation’s core activities cover social counselling, education, rehabilitation, advocacy, and cultural engagement through events such as the DUN professional artists’ festival and Tyfloart for amateurs. Funded primarily through national and regional grants, SONS also operates specialist centres including Tyflocentres and Tyfloservis and is the largest employer of blind and partially sighted persons in the Czech Republic.
A lively Q&A followed, focusing on practical challenges faced by visually impaired people using public transport in Paris. Both sides discussed technical and operational solutions: France is experimenting with smartphone-based orientation tools and tactile guidance, while the Czech Republic has a more elaborate multi-button remote system providing detailed transport and safety information. Concerns were raised about the accessibility of sporting events, especially the provision of live audio description, where France is pioneering digital glasses and smartphone apps, although coverage remains incomplete. SONS shared their experience with on-site guides and audio commentary groups.
The conversation turned to accessible media and literature. Pierre highlighted French advocacy on the right to translate books into Braille without financial barriers, also referencing the Marrakesh Treaty. SONS described their extensive digital library with 40,000 accessible titles available free to visually impaired users. Both countries are advancing government-supported portals for accessible media and audio description, though challenges remain in making content discoverable and widely available.
Employment was another critical topic. CFPSAA reported that about only 50% of visually impaired people in France being employed, while SONS estimated around 30% the Czech Republic. Both countries have disability employment quotas with associated fines and subsidies, though enforcement and employer awareness vary. The Czech model includes subsidies for workplace adaptations and monthly incentive payments to employers. Commonly employed roles include teachers, social workers, lawyers, and physiotherapists. Both organisations stressed the need for continued advocacy to improve workplace accessibility and broaden employment opportunities.
The discussion also covered accessibility innovations in public transport, with Paris relying on vocal systems and tactile signalling, although technical glitches and malfunctioning of vocal announcements remain problematic. France uses a simpler one-button remote, whereas the Czech system includes six remote-control functions for different types of information. Both systems strive to improve independence and safety for users.
SONS representatives shared insights on support measures for older blind people, including home visits, orientation training, and social engagement activities to combat isolation. Both sides expressed interest in advancing AI applications for the visually impaired. France currently lacks formal AI accessibility legislation but is experimenting with AI-driven white cane enhancements partially funded by health insurance. SONS participates in national committees advocating for AI accessibility, with shared concerns about discrimination and ethical use.
After lunch, the SONS delegation visited the European Blind Union (EBU) office premisses.
Part of the EBU staff, i.e. Lars Bosselman (Director), Nacho Lopez (External Communication Officer), Valerie Bertrand-Vivancos (Membership Officer) and Gary May (Information Officer) introduced EBU as a whole and their specific roles and activities, they also discussed member engagement strategies and ongoing advocacy at the European level. This exchange reinforced the importance of transnational collaboration to influence EU policies, harmonise accessibility standards, and promote the rights of blind and partially sighted people.
The visit concluded at 16:00 after an exchange of gifts and informal networking. A particular thanks must be addressed to Eva Benešová, who interpreted most of the meeting into and from English, and Sandy-Line Thezenas, who provided logistic assistance throughout the day
Overall, the visit provided opportunities for SONS, CFPSAA and EBU to share experience and learn from each other, strengthening cross-border ties and fostering a unified approach to improving the lives of blind and partially sighted people across Europe. All parties expressed eagerness to continue cooperation, particularly around enforcement of digital accessibility, employment integration, technological innovation, members engagement and empowerment at grassroot level.
To go further: A short video report of the meeting was made by EBU External Communication Officer, you can access it here.