WBU E-BULLETINVOLUME 14, ISSUE 2April 2018
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Changing What It Means to be Blind!
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CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE E-BULLETIN...............................................4PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE................................................................4WBU NEWS.....................................................................................6REFLECTIONS ON RETIRING FROM MY ROLE AS WBU CEO...............6VIDEO MESSAGE FROM THE NEW WBU CEO.....................................9WBU APPOINTS NEW HUMAN RIGHTS POLICY ADVISOR..................10WBU SUBMITS RECOMMENDATIONS TO UN CRPD..........................12UPDATES ON WBU PRIORITIES..................................................12AN UPDATE FROM THE WBU DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE...............12AN UPDATE FROM THE COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE.................14WBU STATEMENTS......................................................................14STATEMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL GUIDE DOGS DAY 25 APRIL.......14STATEMENT FOR WORLD BOOK AND COPYRIGHT DAY 23 APRIL....15STATEMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 8 MARCH...........15STATEMENT FOR WORLD BRAILLE DAY, 4 JANUARY........................15RESOURCES..................................................................................15REPORT ON THE BRIDGE CRPD-SDG TRAINING..............................15IMPLEMENTING THE UN CRPD.........................................................16THE FUTURE WE WANT...................................................................16PROJECT ASPIRO..........................................................................17CALL FOR SUCCESS STORIES, CAREER PLANNING AND EMPLOYMENT RESOURCES....................................................................................17UPDATES FROM THE REGIONS..................................................18EMPOWERING LEADERS OF ASIA-PACIFIC COUNTRIES IN HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCACY.........................................................................18THE 8TH SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS..............................................18LATIN AMERICAN LIBRARY PROVIDES OVER 50,000 ACCESSIBLE BOOKS............................................................................................19
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AFUB PRESIDENT HONOURED WITH MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. AWARD.......................................................................................................20AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR THE BLIND HONOURS MIGEL MEDAL RECIPIENTS.....................................................................................21UPDATES FROM GLOBAL PARTNERS........................................21ACCESSIBLE BOOKS CONSORTIUM ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF 2018 INTERNATIONAL EXCELLENCE AWARD...........................................21ACCESSIBLE DICTIONARY LAUNCHED IN BANGLADESH..................21FEATURES.....................................................................................22CNIB HUB STRIVES TO SMASH BARRIERS AND STIGMA AGAINST PEOPLE WITH SIGHT LOSS..............................................................22TECH UPDATES............................................................................24TECHBILITY LAUNCHES WORLD’S FIRST MOBILE APP FOR ACCESSIBILITY ASSESSMENTS OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT.........24ENVOY CONNECT - A NEW SOLAR POWERED HAND-HELD READING GADGET..........................................................................................25UPCOMING EVENTS.....................................................................25WBU - ASIA PACIFIC REGIONAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY.....................25UNIVERSAL DESIGN CONFERENCE 2018.........................................2514TH GLOBAL CONFERENCE ON AGEING........................................26WORLD SUMMIT ON ACCESSIBLE TOURISM....................................26BUILDING BRIDGES FOR BETTER ACCESS TO INFORMATION..........26BECOME A WBU FRIEND.............................................................26LETTERS TO THE EDITOR............................................................27THE WBU REGIONS......................................................................27WBU TABLE OFFICERS....................................................................28REGIONAL PRESIDENTS..................................................................28WBU STAFF.....................................................................................28OUR SPONSORS..............................................................................29
CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE E-BULLETIN
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We welcome articles from the regions and from members who wish to share their good news with the rest of the world. Our next deadline for content is July 6th, 2018. We accept submissions in English, French, and Spanish in electronic format. Please note that we retain the right to edit submissions due to space limitations. Send your news to: [email protected]
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGEDr. Fredric K. Schroeder, President, WBU
The adoption of the Marrakesh Treaty was the World Blind Union’s crowning achievement of the last quadrennium, and its impact is drawing attention throughout the world.
In February 2018, the World Blind Union, jointly with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), was recognized with a 2018 Zero Project Award for our work to promote literacy. The Zero Project is an initiative of the Essl Foundation, a private, not-for-profit NGO supporting social innovation, social entrepreneurship and persons with disabilities.
Each year, a Zero Project conference is held to feature the most innovative and effective solutions to problems facing people with disabilities. Together with a continuously growing network of over 4,000 experts, with and without disabilities, in over 150 countries, the Zero Project identifies the most innovative and effective Policies and Practices that improve the lives of people with disabilities, and that is why the WBU was selected as a 2018 Zero Project Award recipient - for our work to end the worldwide book famine facing blind and partially sighted children and adults.
At the Zero Project Conference, we shared information about our efforts to advance the social and economic integration of blind and partially sighted people. Conference participants were made aware
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that blind people and others with print disabilities have access to fewer than 5% of published works—fewer than 1% in the developing world. That is why, in 2008, the WBU launched its Right to Read Campaign. The campaign called for a treaty to address what we call the “book famine” in the lives of blind and partially sighted people.
In 2013 the dream of a treaty became a reality with the adoption of the Marrakesh Treaty. The Treaty encourages countries to produce more accessible books for blind people and others with print disabilities, it authorizes nations to share accessible books across national borders, and it permits the direct distribution of accessible materials to individuals—critical for people in very poor countries that may not have libraries or schools for the blind to manage distribution.
The Marrakesh Treaty is the foundation, but the WBU also addressed the “how.” The most cost-effective way to share accessible works is through the exchange of electronic files, but to read electronic text, the blind person must have access to technology. Refreshable Braille devices (mechanical braille generated by computer-driven pins) allow blind people to read electronic text in braille.
While refreshable braille devices have been available for decades, cost has been a limiting factor—in excess of $5,000 USD. To address the high cost, in 2012, the WBU launched an initiative to develop a low cost refreshable braille display (under $500 USD, one tenth the cost of previous technology). We called the initiative “Transforming Braille,” and it led to the development of the Orbit Reader.
With the Marrakesh Treaty allowing the cross-border sharing of accessible works together with the Orbit Reader, access to print has the potential of increasing in ways never before imagined. For the cost of a single hard copy braille book, the Orbit Reader will give blind children and adults access to thousands of books. Accessible books can be stored on inexpensive thumb drives, and for people who have internet access, they may be downloaded. While cost will continue to be a barrier to universal distribution, the cost is orders of magnitude lower than the production and distribution of hard copy braille.
Our call to the participants of the Zero Conference was to help support the ratification of the Marrakesh Treaty. For the Marrakesh Treaty to fulfill its potential, more countries must participate in the sharing of
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accessible works. As each new country ratifies the Marrakesh Treaty, more and more books will be available for distribution.
The Zero Project Award is an honor for the WBU and a recognition of our work, and it is an opportunity to spread the message to ratify the Marrakesh Treaty in every country around the world. The movement of blind and partially sighted people toward full integration, equal opportunity, is the goal and the Marrakesh Treaty is a vital and tangible advance toward our goal of equality.
Dr. Fredric K. Schroeder, President, WBU
WBU NEWS
REFLECTIONS ON RETIRING FROM MY ROLE AS WBU CEOBy Dr. Penny Hartin, Retiring Chief Executive Officer, WBU
Dear WBU Friends,
It is with very mixed and bittersweet feelings that I make this final contribution to the WBU E-bulletin as Chief Executive Officer for the World Blind Union. Those of you who attended the General Assembly in Orlando will recall that I announced then my intention to retire prior to the next GA. My goal had been to retire in the first part of 2018 so that the work of the current quadrennial would be well underway and also allowing sufficient time for my successor to learn the role and be prepared for the next General Assembly in 2020. As you know, the recruitment for a new CEO was undertaken in the last part of 2017; José Maria Viera was hired as my replacement and now that José has received all required Canadian government permissions and his work visa, he started his new role in Toronto in mid April. Having had the opportunity to work with José for the past two years in his capacity as WBU Human Rights Policy Advisor, I know he will do a fine job and you will be well served by him as your new CEO. I have agreed to stay on
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until the end of May to assist José with the transition period. While the WBU has a tiny office, the CEO role is very complex, and I want to ensure that José has the most information and preparation possible as he assumes his new responsibilities.
It is difficult to believe that when I told Euclid Herie back in 1990 that I would be interested in the work of the WBU Women’s committee, how that would change my life. I had, up until then worked in various Management positions within CNIB in Toronto and in different provinces and continued to do that for the next 15 years or so before leaving CNIB to join WBU as your first CEO. But the opportunities to become involved in the Regional and then the International Women’s committee and the Human Rights Committee were amazing opportunities. I remember well my first General Assembly, in Cairo in 1992, where there were I think only 6 female delegates, and only 3 of those were blind or partially sighted women. I then had the opportunity in 1996 to coordinate the first WBU Women’s Forum held in Toronto just prior to the General Assembly. It was from that point that WBU really embraced gender equity and ensured that sponsored delegations would consist of an equal number of women and men.
It is difficult to comment on all the highlights over my time with WBU, but of course the key ones would be: our role in getting the UNCRPD adopted; the modernization of the Universal Postal Union Convention; the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille; our advocacy related to the quiet vehicles, and of course, what I think many of us would consider our greatest achievement – the Marrakesh Treaty.
All these things, and of course many more, are achieved not by a few people, but by many people doing and contributing what they can to make a difference. I am often asked how the WBU is so strong and effective as they know we have a very tiny staff. My response is always that we are blessed by having members in almost every country of the world and a strong structure of competent and dedicated leaders supported by very hardworking committees and working groups who take on the work for us. I am very clear with them that I am doing very little of this work myself but rather provide coordination and support to facilitate the achievement of our objectives and priorities. I really encourage you to continue to work in this way to achieve our goals
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since, as Hellen Keller, a very famous deafblind woman once said: “alone we can do so little – together we can do so much”.
I also believe that the WBU leaders were very courageous and forward thinking when they decided to establish a permanent office. Having a permanent base enabled the consolidation and systematization of a lot of technical and administrative processes that previously had been undertaken by elected Table Officers and which often had to then be relocated when new people were elected. So, all of those systems that allow for a smooth organizational functioning are now well established. That also freed up the time of elected officers to work with members and to take on the more political roles for which they were elected. I congratulate you for that leadership and vision. And I also thank those core sponsors who provided the initial operating costs to support the office operations for the first many years and who continue to provide additional substantial voluntary contributions to ensure our core funding remains stable. Without that ongoing commitment from our committed core sponsors we would not have been able to achieve what we have. I do hope that more members will come on board as core sponsors, or to assist with fund development activities as this support is a real need.
I could say much more, but I am conscious that you will want to read other things in this e-bulletin besides my comments. Before concluding though, I would like to acknowledge the kindness and support I have received from all of you during my more than 25 years involvement with WBU and particularly during the last 11 ½ years as your first CEO. I feel that I have friends in every part of the world – that is a wonderful feeling. I would like to thank the four WBU Presidents under whom I had the privilege to serve: William Rowland, Maryanne Diamond, Arnt Holte, and our current President Fredric Schroeder. I could not have asked for better leadership. I had the privilege to work closely with four different Officer Boards, and I thank all of you for your dedication and support. And finally, our small staff. Ianina has been with me nearly since the beginning – ten years this August and her knowledge, support and attention to detail have been a tremendous asset to us. We have had others who have worked with us for shorter times in various positions, and of course José who has worked for us as Human Rights Policy Advisor for two years now and is moving into my shoes. Terry has been with us nearly a year now, helping us improve our communications and resources for members,
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so we are very happy to have her on board. And we welcome Florence who has just joined our team and has taken on José’s former role as Human Rights Policy Advisor.
While I am formally taking my retirement at the end of May, I will still be around for information and support as needed. I plan to do some sailing this summer, explore new areas of Toronto and other places with Guide Dog Chicory and enjoy my garden for the first time in a while. And then I may perhaps look at some small projects later on. I have also been recruited to some volunteer Boards, so I suspect I will not be bored. I have also volunteered to continue my work with the Low Vision Committee which is personally important to me. I do hope to see you at the next General Assembly. Since you honoured me at the last GA with an Honorary Life membership, for the first time in many Assemblies now I will actually have the right to vote, which makes me very proud.
It has been a true privilege and honour for me to have worked with and served you over the past many years. I wish each of you only the very best as we continue to do what we can to change the world for the benefit of those of us who are blind and partially sighted.
VIDEO MESSAGE FROM THE NEW WBU CEO
Mr. Jose Viera, from Argentina, has assumed his role as the new Chief Executive Officer of the World Blind Union at the Head office in Toronto. He takes over from retiring CEO Dr. Penny Hartin.
In his greeting message, Mr. Viera expressed his commitment to lead the organization and welcomed new ideas to improve and empower the WBU community. "I believe a stronger WBU is possible if we have stronger national members" says Mr. Viera.
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Watch full message at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGFDErkT4DA&t=36sAlso Read more about Mr. Viera on the WBU website: http://worldblindunion.org/English/news/Pages/Appointment-of-New-WBU-Chief-Executive-Officer.aspx
WBU APPOINTS NEW HUMAN RIGHTS POLICY ADVISOR
The World Blind Union is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Florence Ndagire, from Uganda, as the new Human Rights Policy Advisor, effective April 1st, 2018. She replaces Mr. Jose Viera, the new Chief Executive Officer of the WBU.
Ms. Ndagire combines an excellent professional background with a personal commitment to improving the life of people with disabilities. She is the first visually impaired female lawyer in Uganda and has more than 10 years of experience in the field of human rights and inclusive development.
Ms. Ndagire has worked in several capacities in various civil society organizations. She worked with the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities and she has been the senior Program Officer Advocacy/ Project Coordinator of the Action Peace Building and Inclusion for All in the Rwenzori region at ADD International. Additionally, she worked on a project called ‘My Story, My Rights’ in partnership with NUDIPU and Light for the World. She is the current Chairperson of the UN Women Civil Society Advisory Group of East and Southern Africa. Ms. Ndagire worked with the Uganda National Association of the Blind as the Human Rights and Fundraising Officer in 2012 where she popularized the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
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Also, she oversaw corporate sponsorship in partnership with Light for the World that generated funding for eye care services.
Ms. Ndagire holds a Bachelor of Laws from Makerere University and a Master of Law in international and European human rights law from the University of Leeds, United Kingdom.
In welcoming the new Human Rights Policy Advisor, Dr. Penny Hartin, the retiring CEO of the WBU said "we received applications from all six WBU regions with a high presence of female applicants which is indeed very encouraging, especially in a global context where gender balance remains such a challenge. As result of this distinct selection process, we now have a new member in the WBU family, who I believe will significantly contribute to our human rights advocacy work."
For more information about Ms. Ndagire follow the links below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dhr6dgQpBYk http://www.monitor.co.ug/Magazines/Health---Living/Exclusion-fuelling-
HIV-among-PWDS/-/689846/3144298/-/uph21pz/-/index.html https://youtu.be/GdJhmNmbcv8 https://www.justgiving.com/Florence-Ndagire/
WBU SUBMITS RECOMMENDATIONS TO UN CRPDThe World Blind Union has submitted recommendations to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) on Articles 4.3 and 33.3 about participation in monitoring the Convention. Among the recommendations are:
Blind/ partially sighted persons and their organizations should be adequately consulted regarding the implementation of the rights enshrined in the convention.
The general Comment must include clear examples where the right to meaningful participation is fully respected, protected and upheld so that States parties receive clarity through the views of the Committee around these articles.
The general comment must set out clear recommendations regarding budget allocations for persons with visual impairments during consultative processes to enable their full and effective participation in the decision-making processes.
The full submission paper is available on the WBU website.
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UPDATES ON WBU PRIORITIES AN UPDATE FROM THE WBU DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE By Mr. A.K, Mittal, Chair of WBU Development Committee
The first meeting of the WBU Development Committee was held in Tokyo on November 8, 2017. Members of the Committee consisted of Presidents of all the six Regional Unions of WBU and representatives of Norwegian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted (NABP) and Danish Association of the Blind (DAB) and International Members--SightSavers International and CBM. President, Dr. Fred Schroeder and Immediate Past President and leader of the Strategic Priority, Mr. Arnt Holte, also participated.
The Committee decided that an international survey needs to be undertaken on "Disability-Specific vs. Cross-disability" approaches to implementing rehabilitation programmes for blind and partially sighted persons. The aim of the survey is to find out which of the two approaches National Members prefer and why, as well as which approach is supported by national governments. The findings would help WBU to take a clear stand regionally and internationally on which of these two approaches need to be advocated and why. The WBU will then develop a comprehensive position paper on Rehabilitation, to be prepared during the present quadrennium.
Two documents were finalised and translated into French and Spanish; one indicates the purpose of the survey, explains the various sections of the document attached therewith (the Questionnaire) and provides guidelines for answering the questions. The second document is the Questionnaire itself, which has mostly multiple-choice items and can be completed by our members in just about twenty minutes or so. The questions can be answered in English, French or Spanish.
Both of the above survey documents along with their French and Spanish Translations have since been forwarded to each of the six Regional Presidents with a request to circulate them among National Members in their respective regions. Members have to complete the Questionnaire in English, French or Spanish, and return it to their Regional Presidents by 30th June 2018.
Other activities reached at the Tokyo meeting are underway:
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• The question of translation of the Resource Manual which contains information on about 50 potential funding agencies, into Arabic and Russian is receiving ABU Regional President's attention.
• A Seminar on SDG's and CRPD is being planned as a part of the WBU- Executive Committee meeting in Ottawa at the end of May.
• Also, we are in touch with the concerned Strategic Objective leaders on specific areas of collaboration between the Development Committee and WBU Workplan Initiatives regarding CRPD and SDG's.
• Diana Stentoft of DAB (Denmark) is preparing a document to lay out the structure and format for the help of members to report on capacity-building good practices.
Progress on all the above matters will be reviewed at a face-to-face meeting of the Development Committee scheduled in Ottawa in the afternoon of 28th May 2018.
AN UPDATE FROM THE COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE By Terry Mutuku, WBU Communications Officer
The Communications Committee, chaired by Mr. Fernando Riaño, met online last November. The committee reviewed and approved the WBU communications plan for 2017-2020.
The committee also appointed three sub-committees to review the WBU website, the E-bulletin and the WBU social media platforms. The sub committees undertook the following actions:
• Identified international days to be recognized by the WBU through press releases and social media campaigns. An annual content calendar including themes of these days was sent to the regional presidents with a request to circulate to members in their regions and help generate stories and content for WBU campaigns.
• Recommended various improvements for the WBU website which are in progress.
• Recommended improvements for the E-Bulletin such as providing a Letters to the Editor section for feedback.
• Developing a social media toolkit to build the capacity of our members.
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• Offering free translations of monthly tweets in Spanish and French
Progress on all the steps taken will be reviewed regularly by the communications committee.
WBU STATEMENTS
STATEMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL GUIDE DOGS DAY 25 APRILIn recognition of the Guide Dogs day, the WBU expressed concern about stringent restrictions by some airlines on travel with dogs. The WBU urged airlines to recognize and respect the crucial role that guide dogs play in the lives of visually impaired people. The WBU recommends that travel policies that apply to blind passengers should be developed in consultation with organizations representative of blind people. See full statement https://bit.ly/2wbn0Fx STATEMENT FOR WORLD BOOK AND COPYRIGHT DAY 23 APRILOn this occasion, the WBU called on all countries to ratify the Marrakesh Treaty in order to enable people with print disabilities have full access to books and other printed works. WBU also called on governments to stop imposing laws and regulations that restrict cross border sharing of print works. The WBU wants governments to consult with print-disabled people, disability rights groups and national human rights institutions regarding the appropriate measures to implement the Marrakesh Treaty. Read full statement https://bit.ly/2JQrjYO
STATEMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 8 MARCHIn this statement the WBU expressed concern over slow progress towards full inclusion of women with visual disabilities in global development agendas. Recently, the WBU Women’s Committee launched a survey on empowerment of blind and partially sighted women to establish a better understanding of barriers to women assuming leadership roles. An action plan to deal with barriers and discrimination preventing women from becoming leaders will be developed following the survey results. Read full statement here: https://bit.ly/2wiB0xB
STATEMENT FOR WORLD BRAILLE DAY, 4 JANUARYOn the World Braille Day the WBU emphasized that use of braille gives a massive boost to employment opportunities; that we must make sure that braille is available to more children and adults; that braille
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producers should produce far more braille titles for use on braille displays. Read full statement https://bit.ly/2lTRxAm
RESOURCESREPORT ON THE BRIDGE CRPD-SDG TRAININGBy Florence Ndagire, WBU Human Rights Policy advisor
Uganda hosted the first module of the Bridge CRPD-SDG training for advocates to advance the rights and policies of people with disabilities. The Bridge CRPD-SDGs aims to support organizations of persons with disabilities and disability rights advocates to develop an inclusive and comprehensive CRPD perspective on development, including the post-2015 agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The training, held on 12-18 April, was organized by African Disability Forum (ADF) and the National Union of Disabled Persons Uganda (NUDIPU), with the support of the International Disability Alliance (IDA), the International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC) and their members; and financed by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the Big Lottery Fund (BLF) and CBM. Read full report on the UN CRPD section of the WBU website: http://www.worldblindunion.org/English/our-work/our-priorities/Pages/un-convention.aspx
IMPLEMENTING THE UN CRPD Implementing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is one of the key priorities for the WBU.The CRPD is a main instrument for providing basic human rights to the world's disabled people, who number about 15% of the global population. While the UN Convention is an international instrument, its success rests with its implementation taking place at the national level. The WBU works to help members engage their governments to implement all aspects of the CRPD. We have factsheets, CRPD Toolkit and more documents for detailed information. Please visit our CRPD webpage to learn more: http://www.worldblindunion.org/English/our-work/our-priorities/Pages/un-convention.aspx Also read the latest WBU submission to the UNCRPD at: http://www.worldblindunion.org/English/resources/publications/Pages/Other-Publications.aspx
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The full convention can be accessed directly at the United Nations website: www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities.html
THE FUTURE WE WANTA toolkit to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women with visual impairments
This toolkit, produced by European Blind Union (EBU), was developed with the purpose of mobilizing organizations of people with visual impairments to focus greater attention on gender equality and the empowerment of women. Its aim is to raise awareness regarding the importance of including gender in the decision-making process and in all other areas so as to enable change in policies, strategies and activities within an organization. The toolkit is available on the EBU website: http://www.euroblind.org/publications-and-resources/guidelines#_Women
Meanwhile EBU has produced a video featuring their Vice-President, Ms. Bárbara Martín, explaining why ratification of Marrakesh Treaty is critical. Watch the video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9Lonmh2X0w
PROJECT ASPIROCall for success stories, career planning and employment resources
In our continuing series of success stories from our Project Aspiro, we feature the story of Sokun Prum Vireak, an assistant at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Cambodia. Sokun describes his job and how he reached this goal, including his education and the support he received. Watch the video at:
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http://projectaspiro.com/en/success-stories/Pages/SokunPrumVireak.aspx
Please visit our Project Aspiro website regularly for more inspiring success stories and resources about employment, education and career planning. We also invite you to share your stories and inspire thousands of others around the world. Please tell us how blindness or low vision impacts day to day life, challenges and successes. You can submit a short video or audio (about 3-5 minutes). The preferred format for an audio file is an mp3 file. Videos files may be submitted in any of the following formats: .MOV, .MPEG4, .AVI, .WMV, .MPEGPS, .FLV, .3GPP, or .WebM. See more details on the Project Aspiro website or contact [email protected].
UPDATES FROM THE REGIONS EMPOWERING LEADERS OF ASIA-PACIFIC COUNTRIES IN HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCACY
By Jose María Viera, Former WBU Human Rights Policy Advisor
The WBU-Asia Pacific region conducted a five days workshop to empower national leaders of Asia-pacific countries in the field of human rights advocacy and non-profitable organization management. The workshop was funded by Danish Association of the Blind and Danish International Cooperation and Development Agency (DANIDA). Participants from 15 different countries discussed how blind and partially sighted leaders can influence UN systems in the areas of human rights. Additionally, they discussed how to strengthen their organizations towards sustainability and professional management as well as issues on gender, youth and indigenous people.
The overall aim of the workshop was to explore common areas for dialogue and cooperation. It was hosted by the Asia-Pacific Center for Disability and Development (APCD) in Bangkok, Thailand last December.
Made Wikandana, a participant, said "I learned about fundraising techniques, financial management, advocacy and about the global
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blind movement. I would like to implement these techniques and improve the management of our disability organization".
Thipyaporn Khempila also a participant said, "this was an opportunity to cooperate with friends from other countries in leadership for visual disability".
THE 8TH SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS
The Coalition for the Dignity of Persons with Disabilities in the Americas made up by the Latin American Union of the Blind among other 30 national organizations, submitted an important statement to the governments of the Americas during the 8th Summit of the Americas held in Lima (Peru) on April 13th -14th.
In this statement, the Coalition urges States “to honour their commitments to the United Nations Conventions and the Inter-American Convention (UN CRPD), in order to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities and their social, political and economic status. Among other important points; the Coalition requests governments to recognize international, regional, national and local organizations that represent persons with disabilities as authentic social movements; to include in their legislation and public policies the assurance that public information is available in accessible formats and usable by persons with disabilities; to eliminate or modify immediately laws and administrative resolutions that do not recognize or limit their legal capacity. You can read the full statement here: http://www.ulacdigital.org/downloads/Declaracion_Coalicion_Cumbre_America_2018.pdf (in Spanish).
LATIN AMERICAN LIBRARY PROVIDES OVER 50,000 ACCESSIBLE BOOKS
Tiflolibros library in Argentina is providing more than 50,000 titles of accessible books for visually impaired people and institutions for the blind across Latin American region. This is the first ever digital library for the blind in the region where many countries have ratified the Marrakesh Treaty.
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According to Mr. Pablo Lecuona, Director and Founder of the library, there is an increasing number of alliances that are producing and sharing accessible books across the Latin American region. For example, Ecuador recently shared about 5,000 new books, both digital and audio, which will be incorporated and made available to users through the library. "Our objective is to reach users all over the world as more countries ratify the Marrakesh Treaty" says Mr. Lecuona.
Meanwhile, the library is part of an alliance of four main organizations in the country which produce books in accessible formats. The alliance is promoting a project to provide a kit of accessible reading materials to libraries of schools for students with visual disabilities. The kit includes books in digital text, audio books, books printed in Braille and books that combine braille text, ink text and relief drawings. "We are working together with the Accessible Books Consortium (ABC) to produce digital books for children and students with visual disabilities", says Mr. Lecuona.
Users can access the books in the Tiflolibros library website at: www.tiflolibros.com.ar
AFUB PRESIDENT HONOURED WITH MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. AWARD
The Regional President of the African Union of the Blind (AFUB) Mr. Yaw Ofori Debra, was honoured with the prestigious Martin Luther King Jr. Award for his fight for the rights of people with disabilities. He was presented with the award by the US Ambassador to Ghana Robert P. Jackson. The ambassador recognized Mr. Debra's efforts in mobilizing disability organizations to effectively advocate for the passage of the Ghana Disability Act and for Ghana’s ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. He also recognised his efforts for being influential in instituting the National Disability Day and
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coordinating media and parliamentary caucuses to endorse disability advocacy.
Meanwhile the President of the Blind South Africa, Ms. Cathy Donaldson, received the Gauteng Province Premiers Award of Excellence - Women with Disability Award in March. This award honours and recognises the outstanding achievements of women with a disability who have broken the barriers of disability and achieved success in their areas of work. Ms. Donaldson is the former chair of the WBU Women's Committee. Read more on the Blind SA website: http://blindsa.org.za/2018/03/13/gauteng-province-premiers-award-excellence-women-disability-award/
AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR THE BLIND HONOURS MIGEL MEDAL RECIPIENTSThe American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) honoured Dr. Larry Campbell, President Emeritus of the International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI) and Mr. Ted Henter, with the Migel Medal, the highest honor in the blindness field. They were honored for their exceptional accomplishments in the fields of blindness and low vision and for dedication of their professional lives to advancements in education, rehabilitation, and technology.
The AFB Migel Medal was established in 1937 by the late M.C. Migel, AFB's first chairman, to honor professionals and volunteers whose dedication and achievements improve the lives of people who are blind or visually impaired. Read more on the AFB website
UPDATES FROM GLOBAL PARTNERSACCESSIBLE BOOKS CONSORTIUM ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF 2018 INTERNATIONAL EXCELLENCE AWARDDAISY Forum of India and Hachette Livre, France are winners of the 2018 ABC International Excellence Award for Accessible Publishing. Hachette Livre won in the publisher category, and the DAISY Forum of India won in the initiative category. 11 countries representing four continents participated. ABC aims to increase the number of books worldwide in accessible formats – such as Braille, audio and large print – and to make them available to people who are print disabled. Read more at ABC website
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http://www.accessiblebooksconsortium.org/news/en/2018/news_0003.html
ACCESSIBLE DICTIONARY LAUNCHED IN BANGLADESH
a2i, Bangladesh has developed an online-based 'Accessible Dictionary’ for visually impaired people. ‘Accessible Dictionary’ is Bangladesh’s first Bangla-to-Bangla, Bangla-to-English, English-to-Bangla, English-to-English dictionary developed exclusively for the visually impaired and blind persons. It is available in both web and mobile app formats at http://accessibledictionary.gov.bd/. Meanwhile a2i has also developed Multimedia Talking Books for visually impaired students. They're distributed on January 1 each year at the National Textbook Festival Day. a2i Programme of the Prime Minister’s Office believes that such innovations can help improve language proficiency of students and help achieve the government’s vision of making education accessible for all. Read more at: http://accessibledictionary.gov.bd/about/
FEATURES
CNIB HUB STRIVES TO SMASH BARRIERS AND STIGMA AGAINST PEOPLE WITH SIGHT LOSSBy Terry Mutuku, WBU Communications Officer
The Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) has established a Community Hub in Toronto to provide an open space where people with sight loss can enjoy various programs to meet their social and emotional needs. CNIB has also created a pilot project called 'ShopTalk: BlindSquare Enabled' for businesses in the neighbourhood to make the area the most inclusive and accessible in Canada!
Around 200 beacons are installed within the businesses and connected to the BlindSquare GPS app. BlindSquare technology gives a spoken
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description of the business, including its name, the layout or floorplan of the shop, and the goods or services that are for sale or on display. The app also gives customers additional information, such as where bus stops are located and the names of the roads they are walking along. It is available in different languages.
In the following interview, Suzanne Decary, the CNIB Director of Operations, speaks about the Hub and the ShopTalk project.
What is the Hub all about?It is a community-based Hub where we organise community-based programmes and activities for people with sight loss such as yoga classes, wood work and music where the play musical instruments and songs. We also have monthly meet ups where people come and explore different topics. Some of our partners also rent the space for meetings or events, such as art shows. We are very open to hear from the community what we should be doing in the Hub.
How accessible is the Hub?It's a fully accessible space, with different accessibility features inside the building like wayfinding tactile strips. We also recently embarked on a very exciting project called ShopTalk where we asked the Rick Hansen Foundation for funding, to help make the Yonge and St. Clair neighbourhood the most accessible neighbourhood in the country. That's our goal.
How does the ShopTalk project work?The way that we've gone about doing this is that we have access to beacons; small little devices that are Bluetooth enabled. They connect to an app on a smart phone and the app is called BlindSquare. BlindSquare provides access to the information that is on the beacons. The beacons can be programmed to any location. The one here at the Hub is programmed to contain all the indoor information. It is an indoor wayfinding app which works the same way a GPS works outdoors. Anyone can access it through a smartphone.
How did the businesses get involved?A big part of the ShopTalk project was canvassing the neighborhood. We got volunteers to knock on doors of local shop owners to tell them about the ShopTalk project. Most of the businesses were extremely open to having the beacon technology. The big question was how
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much it was going to cost, and I think that is always the big question for anybody who is thinking about accessibility. But we were able to provide the beacons for free. We had 200 beacons to give away and 160 of them have already been installed in shops and businesses around the neighborhood including the St. Clair subway station.
The station is now more accessible and The TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) is looking at doing this for all other stations across Toronto which is really exciting. That is the kind of momentum that a project like ShopTalk can get going. What we are doing in this neighborhood is easy and it's not expensive. So why can't we do this everywhere, across the city, across the country and everywhere in the world?
What is your message on accessibility?Our message from the Hub and CNIB is that we want to smash barriers and we want to change what it means to be blind. We want to change public perception of how people with sight loss manage in the world and how they can contribute to society. We want to make people understand what accessibility really means from the perspective of somebody who is blind or partially sighted. When we think of accessibility, a lot of people think about wheelchairs and they think of wheelchair ramps. I don’t think they necessarily think about what it means to somebody who is blind or partially sighted. So, the ShopTalk project is bringing light to how you can make public spaces more accessible. When you make space accessible to blind or partially sighted people, often it's accessible to everybody. It has a much wider use than just for people who are blind or partially sighted. Inclusive design and inclusive spaces is really what we are all about. We want to break through stigmas and preconceived notions that people have about what it means to be blind.
For more information, visit the CNIB website at http://www.cnib.ca/en/ontario/ShopTalk/Pages/default.aspx
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TECH UPDATES
TECHBILITY LAUNCHES WORLD’S FIRST MOBILE APP FOR ACCESSIBILITY ASSESSMENTS OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Access Inspector, available for iOS and Android devices, is a mobile App designed to assist anyone interested in accessibility of the built environment. Launched by Techbility as the first mobile app for accessibility assessments of the built environment, Access Inspector is an easy to use checklist tool for assessing more than 40 common architectural built environment features, including: accessible routes, doors, corridors, ramps, toilets, elevators, signage, etc. For more information go to: http://www.accessinspector.com/ENVOY CONNECT - A NEW SOLAR POWERED HAND-HELD READING GADGET
Vision Australia has partnered with MegaVoice to create an innovative, low cost, solar powered hand-held reading solution called Envoy Connect, ideal for use in remote locations around the world. The Envoy Connect includes a tactile keypad, speaker, headphone socket, Micro SD card slot and a USB connector. The rear face of the device has a built-in solar panel, allowing an eight-hour battery life to be topped up without the need for an external connector. Read more at: http://www.daisy.org/planet-2018-04#a3
UPCOMING EVENTSWBU - ASIA PACIFIC REGIONAL GENERAL ASSEMBLYThe WBU-Asia Pacific mid-term regional general assembly will be held between September 10-12, in Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia. The venue will be Holiday Inn Ulaanbaatar, located in the center of Ulaanbaatar. The tentative registration fee is USD 350 per delegate and USD 250 for guides. More information will be provided by Mongolian National Federation of the Blind.
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UNIVERSAL DESIGN CONFERENCE 2018 The 3rd Universal Design Conference will be held in Auckland, New Zealand, 6– 7 September 2018. Participants will engage in presentations and workshops around innovative practice in universal design locally and internationally. Individuals or collaborative groups are invited to submit an expression of interest (EOI) to present for sessions that relate to the themes of the conference. The themes for the 2018 conference include: Housing; Neighbourhood; Tourism; Travel. Submissions close 31 May 2018. For more details visit the conference website: http://www.udc2018.co.nz/udc1814TH GLOBAL CONFERENCE ON AGEING The International Federation on Ageing (IFA)14th Global Conference will be held in Toronto, Canada August 8–10, 2018. At the conference, on 9 August, the IFA will be hosting a panel discussion with international leaders on major issues threatening vision health and functional aging. For more details, visit the IFA website: www.ifa2018.com
WORLD SUMMIT ON ACCESSIBLE TOURISM The second World Summit on Accessible Tourism will be held on 1-2 October 2018 in Brussels. The aim of the summit is to ensure that, tourism, including transportation, offers an obstacle-free experience to all. Ms. Martine Abel-Williamson, Chair of the WBU Access to the Environment committee is in the Summit's programme committee. For more information visit the Summit's website: https://www.destinationsforall2018.eu/
BUILDING BRIDGES FOR BETTER ACCESS TO INFORMATIONA symposium on "Easy Access: Building Bridges for Better Access to Information" will be held at the University of Leipzig, Germany on June 13. The symposium is dedicated to the topic of creating “Inclusive University” and possibilities of accessible publishing of study materials. More details: are available at https://www.easy-access.info/en/
BECOME A WBU FRIEND The World Blind Union is always looking for new Friends. We welcome blind, partially sighted and sighted persons as Friends.
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Friends of the WBU are people who support our organization. However, as non-members they do not have voting rights or represent the organization. The Friends donate their time and resources, may help with aspects of our work, and help us make the world a better place for blind and partially sighted individuals. For more information, please visit the WBU friends webpage: http://www.worldblindunion.org/English/support-us/Pages/default.aspx
REMINDER: CONTACT INFORMATION
Friendly reminder to members: Please check your contact information on our website to ensure that it is up to date at: Member Regions and Organizations: http://www.worldblindunion.org/English/about-wbu/membership/Pages/Member-Regions-and-Organizations.aspxShould you change your contact information any time please update us. You can contact Ianina at [email protected]
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR In response to a need expressed by many members and other readers, the WBU announces the introduction of Letters to the Editor Section in the E-Bulletin that will feature comments, feedback and new ideas. Those who want to comment on articles published in the newsletter will now have the opportunity to do so.
Brief letters with a maximum of 500 words will be considered. They must be submitted within the contributions deadline provided in each issue. Letters will be edited, usually for grammar, spelling, clarity and space. Every effort will be made to publish the letters and replies if any. However, the choice of letters for publication is at the discretion of the WBU office, subject to content and space. You can send your letters to [email protected]
THE WBU REGIONS Our regions are the bridge between the international level of work and the local level. Policies and treaties constructed at global levels are then carried out by our members in their own countries. Most of the regions have their own websites where they post updates on their work, member activities, and upcoming events in their area.
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AFRICAhttp://www.afub-uafa.orgASIA Website is currently unavailableASIA-PACIFIC http://wbuap.org/index/EUROPE http://www.euroblind.orgLATIN AMERICA http://ulacdigital.orgNORTH AMERICA/THE CARIBBEAN Website is currently unavailable
WBU TABLE OFFICERS Dr. Fredric K. Schroeder, [email protected]
Mr. Fernando Riaño 1st Vice [email protected]
Ms Donatilla Kanimba2nd Vice [email protected]
Ms. Martine Abel-Williamson [email protected]. A. K. MittalSecretary [email protected]
Mr. Arnt HolteImmediate Past President [email protected]
REGIONAL PRESIDENTS
AFRICA (AFUB)Mr. Yaw Ofori-Debra [email protected]
ASIA (ABU)Mr. Santosh Kumar Rungta [email protected]
ASIA PACIFIC (WBU-AP)Ms. Michiko Tabata [email protected]
EUROPE (EBU)Mr. Wolfgang Angermann [email protected]
LATIN AMERICA (ULAC)Mr. Volmir Raimondi [email protected] AMERICA/CARIBBEAN (WBU-NA/C)Mr. Charles Mossop [email protected]
WBU STAFF Dr. Penny HartinChief Executive [email protected]
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Ms. Ianina Rodriguez, Administrative Assistant [email protected] Mr. José VieraHuman Rights Policy Advisor
[email protected] Ms. Terry Mutuku, Communications [email protected]
The World Blind Union is registered in Canada as a charitable organization in order to raise funds for our work. Donations from individuals or groups are always appreciated and can be made via the “Donate Now” button on our website: http://www.wbu.ngo.
OUR SPONSORS
Members listed below provide funds beyond their membership fees to support the work of the World Blind Union. We are grateful to these members and organizations for their valued contributions.Our Platinum Sponsors CBM International http://www.cbm.org/ Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) http://www.cnib.ca Open Society Institute Foundation (FOSI)
https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/ Organización Nacional de Ciegos Españoles (ONCE)
http://www.once.es/new/ Sightsavers International http://www.sightsavers.org Vision Australia http://www.visionaustralia.org/
Our Diamond Sponsors Swiss Federation of the Blind and Sight Impaired (SFB) Norwegian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted (NABP)
https://www.blindeforbundet.no
Our Gold Sponsors National Industries for the Blind (NIB) Danish Association of the Blind (DAB) German Federation of the Blind and Partially Sighted (DBSV).
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