A. LEGISLATION
1. What legislative measures are being taken in your country to facilitate the mobility of people with disabilities in general? (Accessibility of roads, transport, buildings) when should they apply?
The most important rules and laws on that subject are as below:
Act XXVI of 1998 on the Rights and Equal Chances of Persons with Disabilities
5. § Art.(1) Persons with disabilities have got the right for a built environment accessible, sensible and safe for them.
(2) The right described in Art. (1) concerns in particular orientation during transportation and n built environments.
Parliamentary Decision 10/2006. (II. 16.) on the National Disability Programme 2007-2013:
4.2 Accessibility on an Equal Basis
A basic condition for the active participation in social life is the equal access to public services. In accordance with that persons with disabilities must be ensured access, on an equal basis with others, to transportation, public spaces and public buildings use more physical aspects of accessibility, providing access to information and understanding information needs of handicapped persons subject to communication accessibility barriers.
Ministerial Decree 27/2009 (XII.3.) on the rules of training, testing and applicability of assisting dogs.
9. § (1) To ensure equal access to public services a person using assisting dog is entitled to stay and to use an assisting dog at the location of any organisation, institute or service provider providing public services, in any facility open to the public, particularly on
- means of public transportation.
- shops including food shops and restaurant,
- shopping centres,
- markets,
- exhibition and fairs,
- accommodation places,
- playgrounds,
- cultural, educational, social, child welfare, child protection facilities,
- public bath,
- zoo,
- public places
There are no deadlines set
2. Are there specific measures for the visually impaired? If so, describe them briefly.
In Hungary there are no specific measures for the visually impaired.
3. How are these measures implemented? Are visually impaired Associations associated with their application? If so, how?
The Hungarian Federation of the Blind and Partially Sighted checks and comments on the drafts of rules affecting people with disabilities, as well as gives opinion and proposals on the right ways of accessibility during their actual implementation.
4. Have they already produced tangible results?
In public areas tactile walking surface indicators as guiding pattern, audible traffic lights, inside buildings contrasting large print and Braille text information, accessible lifts.
5. What are the penalties for non-application of the above measures?
In Hungary there are no penalties for non-application of accessibility rules.
B. TRAVEL AID
6. What are the main technical aids used by visually impaired people in your country for mobility: long cane, optical aids, electronic aids, GPS?
The most widely used aids in Hungary are the white canes, GPS is is very rarely used due to price reasons, visually people can hardly afford buying an electronic mobility device.
6.1. How are they distributed?
Poor quality white canes are available on prescriptions by an ophthalmologist. Better quality white canes can be bought in the aid toll shop of the Hungarian Federation of the Blind and Partially Sighted and in those of its member unions.
6.2. Is training provided during their acquisition?
The use of a white cane is educated in the schools of blind pupils, while adults are trained by those organisations dealing with the rehabilitation of blind people.
6.3. How are they funded in the acquisition?
Those white canes prescribed by ophthalmologists are of poor quality, but only those are subsidised by the social insurance system. Better quality white canes can be bought at much higher prices, which may be partly granted by the blind organizations upon individual requests.
6.4. How are guaranteed and financed repairs, maintenance?
There is no official framework or system for the repair or maintenance of white canes.
6.5. Is the white cane recognized as a symbol of visual impairment? If yes, specify the conditions related to its attribution, sanctions in cases of abuse, specific provisions regarding its use.
The white cane is considered as a symbol of visual impairment, there are no specific provisions for its use, no abuse has been known so far.
7. Is research conducted in your country to develop new assistive devices? If yes, please specify. How are visually impaired people associated with this research?
According to the usual practice someone invents something, and then he or she asks for the opinion of our Federation.
C. LOCOMOTION TRAINING
8. How are visually impaired people in your country trained in mobility? (Specify training in the regular school or specialized in functional rehabilitation for people who lose their sight as adults, in the context of structures for the elderly.)
Those born blind or having lost their sight as a child are trained for mobility in the elementary school of the blind.
Those people who lose their sight as adults (elderly) are trained in mobility mainly in The National Institution for Blind People. They may get that kind of education in any Rehabilitation Institute specialized in the rehabilitation of visually impaired persons.
9. What is the training undertaken by mobility instructors? Is it recognized by an official certificate? If yes, specify briefly the content of the training. Is there any on-the-job training for mobility instructors?
The National Institution for Blind People provides on-the-job training for mobility instructors.
D. AUTONOMY IN DAILY LIFE
10. Help with daily life: how are the visually impaired in your country trained to be autonomous in daily life?
Training on autonomous daily life is held at the Elementary Rehabilitation Centres.
11. Is there specific support? If so by which professionals is it provided and in what context? What is the training of these professionals?
No Reply
12. Does your country have training for instructors in autonomy? Is there a certificate recognized by the State?
Special Rehabilitation Educator.
E. PUBLIC INFORMATION AND PROFESSIONALS
13. Is the public informed of the mobility needs of visually impaired people? If yes, by whom and how.
The Hungarian Federation of the Blind and Partially Sighted and its member unions keeps the public informed through the media and in frame of sensitizing courses at schools.
14. Do professionals who interact with visually impaired people have any specific training or awareness training concerning visual impairment?
Awareness training is provided at county level by the colleagues of the local member unions of the Hungarian Federation of the Blind and Partially sighted