Special
A word from our Executive Director
Dear readers of the EBU newsletter, As we are starting into a new Year, I wish all of you first and foremost a very happy, healthy and successful 2024! With only few weeks to go until our 12th General Assembly, it is obvious that this year will bring quite a number of changes.
Our campaigns
Latest Campaign Updates
All the latest news from our ongoing campaigns.
EBU activities
More feedback -International conference "I choose to choose - Independent, secret, dignified"
People with disabilities demand better representation in political life Following on from last month’s report, a detailed look at the contents of the conference.
A survey for braille users
As the 4th of January is World Braille Day, to celebrate this occasion, EBU invites you to take part in a survey to enhance the use of braille displays.
“Accessibility is non-negotiable”: a recap on the 2023 European Day of Persons with Disabilities
Improvements in the areas of accessibility and inclusion are fostered, among others, thanks to networking exchanges that take place between stakeholders. As is the case each year, an EBU delegation was invited to participate in the 2023 European Day of Persons with Disabilities (EDPD). Hosted by the European Commission in Brussels on 30th November and 1st December. The event gathered more than 400 policy-makers, high-level experts and disability advocates across the EU.
EBU E-commerce accessibility contest results
Earlier this year, EBU launched a contest within its network to promote good practices in e-commerce Accessibility. The EBU Jury composed of Jakob ROSIN (EE) Jan URBANEK (CZ) and Peter TEPLICKÝ (SK) met in October 2023 and decided to grant an equal financial reward of 2000 EUR to 3 different initiatives presented by our member associations from Lithuania, Montenegro and Ireland.
Webinars for inclusion: key areas for people with low vision
Building an inclusive world is an objective which needs to be considered from many perspectives. This transversal approach was the cornerstone of the online sessions focused on key areas for partially sighted people which the Union of the Blind and Partially Sighted of Slovenia organised on the first three Fridays of December. An initiative coordinated with the EBU Office, these webinars also served as excellent discussion points for sharing best practices in the areas of access to employment, the development of assistive technologies aimed to improve personal mobility and mental health.
Culture
AUDECON - International Conference on Audio Description
On November 14, 2023, the evocative Fellini Hall in Cinecittà (Rome, Italy) hosted AUDECON, the International Conference on Audio Description. Promoted and organized by Artis-Project (Italy) in collaboration with CulturAbile, MovieReading and Cinecittà, AUDECON managed to catalyze a qualified audience around the three planned sessions: academic research and new perspectives on audiodescription, a round table of associations of blind people, and a round table of audiovisual experts.
Focus
From Kyiv to München: a testimonial from a Ukranian blind refugee
Since the start of the Russian invasion, many Ukrainians have been forced to leave their country, including those who are blind, partially sighted or have lost their sight or part of it because of the war. During this period, many of EBU’s National Members have committed themselves to help visually impaired Ukrainians who have moved to their respective countries. Through contact with our German member DBSV, Leonida Ponomarova, a 31 year old blind woman from Kyiv, recently shared her testimonial with us.
News from EBU members
Switzerland has launched e-voting trials
Under the current regulations and conditions, blind and visually impaired Swiss citizens cannot exercise their voting rights fully independently. They are dependent on the support of an assistant when filling in their ballot papers. A successful pilot project in the canton of Basel-Stadt demonstrated a few years ago that e-voting is a valid way of enabling people with visual impairments to participate independently in the voting process.
Germany – Louis Braille Festival
The German Federation of the Blind and Partially Sighted, DBSV, is delighted to share the invitation to the Louis Braille Festival from 3 to 5 May 2024.
Irish Road Safety Authority (RSA) Leading Lights Award
Our Irish member Vision Ireland won the Education in the Community Award at this years’ RSA Leading Lights Awards in Dublin on the 7th December.
The sounds of Armenia
The musical collectives of the Association of the Blind of Armenia, which has a professional four-part choir and an orchestra of folk instruments, was founded in 1976. visually impaired, on the initiative of composer Simon Hovhannisyan.