WBUAP QUADRENNIUM PLAN OF ACTION (QPA)

Towards achieving the three main objectives –
1. The strengthening of organisations in the SEARC countries to better serve their blind clients through the exchange of information and the giving of encouragement and support;

2. The setting up of national task forces in countries that have not already done so to lobby their governments to implement the WBU-ICEVI Initiative "Education For All Vision-Impaired Children" by 2015; and,

3. By encouraging the more developed organisations to assume more responsibilities in making WBUAP a stronger and resilient regional body that can speak and act on issues affecting blind people - the QPA, in brief, outlines the following actions to be taken:

1. Appoint a Liaison Officer:
In order to respond speedily to correspondences and to act on decisions made by WBUAP, every affiliate should appoint a Liaison Officer (or Co-ordinator) to deal directly with the WBUAP Secretariat. Some form of incentive should be considered for those affiliates giving their co-operation to this proposal such as giving special attention to requests for assistance, helping them with the payment of membership, or the awarding of places for training, etc.

2. To Partner An Organisation:
The more developed organisations be encouraged to partner or work closely with one or two weaker ones to give them special attention by way of monitoring their progress, sharing of ideas and expertise, and assisting them in whatever way possible.

3. Making Fund-Raising a Priority:
As funds is the lifeline of any organisation and most organisations of the blind in this sub-region are poorly funded, WBUAP should give special attention to this aspect of work by sourcing assistance from WBU or its affiliates with the necessary expertise. These weak organisations should be given training in the writing of proposals, planning of projects, and the different methods of fund-raising, both on a small- and large scale.

4. Organisational Development:
For an organisation to develop and continue to grow, the leaders need to receive training in various aspects of running an organisation similar to what the Danish Association of the Blind is doing in Laos and Mongolia. WBUAP should source for expertise from within its circle and outside WBU for help in leadership training, developing advocacy skills, and creating public awareness in support of its work.

5. Education For All Vision-Impaired Children:
To follow up with the work of National Task Forces where they exist, and help those countries to form them where they do not exist and persuade the organisations of the blind to be partners in the programme.

6. Help with Basic Items:
Every effort should be made by WBUAP to help blind children in the weaker countries with basic items, such as Braille paper, writing slates, white canes and recreational games sets. In countries where they can read English or Malay story books, donation of this kind should be promoted actively.

7. Programme Exchange:
To make available opportunities for blind trainees to attend courses run by training centres in computer literacy, vocational rehabilitation, blindness-specific skills, etc. In order for the Exchange Programmes to materialise, efforts should be made to secure scholarships for them and to cover travel expenses in appropriate cases.

8. Economic Empowerment:
Every effort should be made to encourage blind people to go into economic ventures, such as micro-credit schemes for self-employment or running co-operatives, etc. To do this, WBUAP should make it a priority to set up an Employment Committee with one of its tasks being to gather information from successful organisations running such projects for circulation and replication. Bulk purchasing is something that needs to be pursued profitably.

9. Setting Up A Finance Committee:
For any organisation to progress there must be sufficient funds as stated earlier. For this reason, WBUAP should appoint a Finance Committee and one of its main tasks would be to source for funding.

10. Planning and Organising Regional Conferences/Seminars:
In the course of the next Quadrennium the following seminars/workshops should be considered: Employment (including massage), Education, ICT, Living Skills, Economic Empowerment and Fund Raising. These seminars/workshops to be undertaken by different countries for the benefit of the others in the WBUAP Region.

11. Strengthening the Secretariat:
To strengthen the Secretariat so that it becomes the Central Co-ordinating base for WBUAP.

12. WBUAP Website:
Establishing a WBUAP website with links to National Organisations. The advantageous value of such a website needs no elaboration.

Agenda for the 1/2009 SEARC Meeting

To be held on 4 May 2009 (Monday), at 10:00 am, in the meeting-room of Don Chan Palace Hotel, Vientiane, Laos

Given below is the agenda:

1. Calling Meeting to order by the Chairman, Dato' S. Kulasegaran.

2. Words of Welcome by Kongkeo Tounalom, President of the Lao Association of the Blind.

3. Self-introduction by participants - name, position and a summary of what the organisation is doing -

3.1 Kongkeo, Lao Association of the Blind (LAB).

3.2 Cao Van Thanh, Vietnam Blind Association (VBA).

3.3 Aung Ko Myint, Myanmar National Association of the Blind (MNAB).

3.4 Sen. Monthian Buntan, Thailand Association of the Blind (TAB).

3.5 Dr. Didi Tarsidi, Indonesian Blind Union (PERTUNI).

3.6 Jamary Danggat, Brunei Darulssalam National Association of the Blind (BDNAB).

3.7 Ivan Ho, National Council for the Blind in Malaysia (NCBM).

4. Give a summary on one or two successful projects/programmes that you have which you think other countries can replicate.

5. What ideas do you have, and what are your expectations of SEARC between now and 2012?

6. To draw up a Plan of Action for SEARC by using the Quadrennium Plan of Action (QPA) that was adopted by WBUAP. We should also seriously consider setting up committees or mechanisms to advance the interests and well-being of BVI women. (Refer to the attached document).

7. Any other business and closing remarks by the Chair.

Thank you for your attendance.

Prevention of avoidable blindness and visual impairment

SIXTY-SECOND WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY A62/7
Provisional agenda item 12.3 2 April 2009

Prevention of avoidable blindness and visual impairment
Report by the Secretariat
1 The Fifty-ninth World Health Assembly, in resolution WHA59.25 on prevention of avoidable blindness, requested the Director-General “to monitor progress in the Global Initiative for the Elimination of Avoidable Blindness in collaboration with international partners, and to report to the Executive Board every three years”. During the Sixty-first World Health Assembly, the Secretariat was asked to prepare an action plan for the prevention of avoidable blindness, in the context of the action plan for the global strategy for the prevention and control of noncommunicable disease, for submission to the Executive Board.1
2 The Secretariat drafted the action plan after consultation with Member States and international partners. It was published on the WHO web site on 19 September 2008 for public review and comment. Representatives of Permanent Missions to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in Geneva, also invited to review and comment, gave positive and constructive feedback at an informal consultation (Geneva, 3 October 2008).
3 The Executive Board, at its 124th session in January 2009, considered an earlier version of this report and the draft action plan. The Board endorsed the draft action plan subject to the amendments proposed by members. The Board also asked that the draft action plan be forwarded to the Health Assembly for its consideration.2
4 The draft action plan (see Annex) sets out current experience, draws on the recognized achievements and deals with gaps in implementing activities over the past decades. It was designed to provide ways of achieving the Organization-wide expected results for prevention of blindness set out in the Medium-term strategic plan 2008–2013 by expanding the work of Member States, the Secretariat and international partners through development of comprehensive eye-health programmes at national and subnational levels. It has five objectives, with three sets of recommendations for action under each objective for Member States, the Secretariat and international partners. Its time span covers the remaining period of the Medium-term strategic plan, i.e. 2009–2013. Since blinding conditions are chronic and mostly due to noncommunicable causes, this plan complements the action plan for the global strategy for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases, endorsed by the Health Assembly in resolution WHA61.14.

1 Document WHA61/2008/REC/3, summary record of the eighth meeting of Committee A.
2 Document EB124/2009/REC/2, summary record of the third and fourth meetings.
ACTION BY THE HEALTH ASSEMBLY
5. The Health Assembly is invited to consider the following draft resolution:
The Sixty-second World Health Assembly,
Having considered the report and draft action plan on the prevention of avoidable blindness and visual impairment;1
Recalling resolutions WHA56.26 on elimination of avoidable blindness and WHA59.25 on prevention of avoidable blindness and visual impairment;
Recognizing that the action plan for the prevention of avoidable blindness and visual impairment complements the action plan for the global strategy for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases endorsed by the Health Assembly in resolution WHA61.14,
1 ENDORSES the action plan for the prevention of avoidable blindness and visual impairment;
2 URGES Member States to implement the action plan for the prevention of avoidable blindness and visual impairment, in accordance with national priorities;
3. REQUESTS the Director-General:
(1) to provide support to Member States in implementing the proposed actions for the prevention of blindness and visual impairment action plan, in accordance with national priorities;
(2) to continue to give priority to the prevention of avoidable blindness and visual impairment, within the framework of the Medium-term strategic plan 2008–2013 and the programme budgets in order to strengthen capacity of the Member States and increase technical capacity of the Secretariat;
(3) to report to the Sixty-fifth and Sixty-seventh World Health Assemblies, through the Executive Board, on progress in implementing the action plan for the prevention of avoidable blindness and visual impairment.

1 Document A62/7.
ANNEX
DRAFT ACTION PLAN FOR THE PREVENTION OF AVOIDABLE
BLINDNESS AND VISUAL IMPAIRMENT

1 According to the latest WHO estimates, about 314 million people worldwide live with visual impairment due to either eye diseases or uncorrected refractive errors. Of these, 45 million are blind, of whom 90% live in low-income countries. The major causes of blindness are cataract (39%), uncorrected refractive errors (18%), glaucoma (10%), age-related macular degeneration (7%), corneal opacity (4%), diabetic retinopathy (4%), trachoma (3%), eye conditions in children (3%), and onchocerciasis (0.7%). The actual magnitude of blindness and visual impairment is likely to be higher than estimates indicate, as detailed epidemiological information on some causes (e.g. presbyopia) is still lacking.
2 With today’s knowledge and technology, up to 80% of global blindness is preventable or treatable. Cost-effective interventions are available for the major causes of avoidable blindness. Major international partnerships have been established in recent years, including the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control, the Onchocerciasis Elimination Program for the Americas, the WHO Alliance for the Global Elimination of Blinding Trachoma and VISION 2020: the Right to Sight.
3 Two recently adopted Health Assembly resolutions (WHA56.26 and WHA59.25) focused on avoidable blindness and visual impairment, urging Member States to work on prevention, mainly through specific plans and inclusion of the subject in national health plans and programmes. Despite significant progress in the area of eye health, the prevalence of avoidable blindness remains unacceptably high in many countries and communities.

PURPOSE
1 The plan aims to expand efforts by Member States, the Secretariat and international partners in preventing blindness and visual impairment by developing comprehensive eye-health programmes at national and subnational levels.
5. In order to intensify and coordinate existing activities, especially in low- and middle-income countries, the plan seeks to:
(a) increase political and financial commitment to eliminating avoidable blindness;
(b) facilitate the preparation of evidence-based standards and guidelines for cost-effective interventions;
(c) review international experience and share lessons learnt and best practices in implementing policies, plans and programmes for the prevention of blindness and visual impairment;
(d) strengthen partnerships and coordination between stakeholders involved in preventing avoidable blindness;

(e) collect, analyse and disseminate information systematically on trends and progress made in preventing avoidable blindness globally, regionally and nationally.
SCOPE
1 This plan focuses on the major causes of avoidable blindness and severe and moderate visual impairment, as defined in the draft eleventh revision of the International Classification of Diseases.1 The plan does not deal with categories of milder visual impairment or eye conditions for which evidence-based prevention and/or treatment interventions are not available; these cases will require effective and appropriate rehabilitation measures that enable people with disabilities to attain and maintain maximum independence and full inclusion and participation in all aspects of life.
2 Since blinding conditions are chronic and mostly due to noncommunicable causes, this plan complements the action plan for the global strategy for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases adopted by the Health Assembly in resolution WHA61.14. Prevention strategies differ significantly, however, as most blinding conditions do not share the risk factors, other than tobacco use, addressed in the noncommunicable disease plan. Although, as with noncommunicable diseases, primary health-care and community-based interventions are essential for preventing blindness and visual impairment, the provision of high-quality eye-care services needs specific skills, technology and infrastructure.
3 Evidence indicates that the magnitude of avoidable blindness caused by communicable diseases like trachoma and onchocerciasis and ophthalmological complications in measles is decreasing, whereas noncommunicable age-related eye conditions (e.g. cataract, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy) are increasing. Programmes against both onchocerciasis and trachoma need continued efforts for control and to avoid recurrence. A coordinated intersectoral approach to both communicable and noncommunicable conditions is needed.
4 In view of the adverse global economic climate it is essential to maximize the impact of existing resources and technical programmes across WHO that contribute to the prevention of blindness, and also influence the conditions that make populations vulnerable to visual impairment. An example of this is the use of immunization, and vitamin A supplementation in vulnerable populations, to reduce the risk of blindness due to corneal opacities.

RELATION TO EXISTING STRATEGIES AND PLANS
10. Prevention of avoidable blindness and visual impairment has been the subject of several resolutions adopted by the Health Assembly,2 which, inter alia, encouraged several international partnerships and alliances to work at the global level in this field. The action plan supports implementation of WHO’s Eleventh General Programme of Work 2008–2013 and the Medium-term
1 “Blindness” is defined as a presenting visual acuity of less than 3/60, or a corresponding visual field loss to less than 10° in the better eye with the available correction. “Severe visual impairment” is defined as a presenting visual acuity of between less than 6/60 and 3/60, and “moderate visual impairment” is defined as a presenting visual acuity of less than 6/18 to 6/60. In this document “visual impairment” includes both severe and moderate visual impairment.
2 Resolutions WHA22.29, WHA25.55, WHA28.54, WHA47.32, WHA51.11, WHA56.26 on elimination of avoidable blindness and WHA59.25 on prevention of avoidable blindness and visual impairment.
strategic plan 2008–2013, particularly strategic objective 3, which covers work on prevention and control of avoidable blindness and visual impairment. It also supports the implementation of existing regional resolutions and plans.1
RESOURCES
11. The Programme budget 2008–2009 describes the financial resources required by the Secretariat for work to meet strategic objective 3. For future bienniums, additional resources will be required. Further progress in preventing avoidable blindness and visual impairment globally, regionally and nationally will depend on the amount of additional resources available. All partners – including intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations, academic and research institutions and the private sector – will need to do more for resource mobilization at all levels.
TIME FRAME
12. This action plan is designed to cover the period 2009–2013, that is, the remaining five years of the Medium-term strategic plan.
SITUATION ANALYSIS
Magnitude, causes and impact of blindness and visual impairment
1 Determining the causes and magnitude of blindness is necessary for setting priorities, designing targeted strategies and establishing international blindness-prevention alliances. Recent years have seen much better availability of data on the causes and magnitude of blindness and visual impairment around the world. In the past, surveys on the causes used a variety of methods and definitions, but WHO’s development of standardized and feasible methodologies has facilitated collection from Member States of comparable epidemiological and health-system data, for example on the rapid assessment of surgical services for cataract and of avoidable blindness. The childhood blindness protocol is another example of such progress.
2 To date, epidemiological surveys have been conducted in 65 countries. However, the absence of surveys and lack of data in the remaining countries have greatly hampered detailed planning, monitoring and evaluation of interventions. In addition, missing epidemiological data on the status of visual health in the population limits further analysis of the trends of visual impairment and the timely development of appropriate public health interventions.
3 Collection of reliable and standardized epidemiological data is a priority for countries where such data are not available. Action is also needed to develop modelling approaches in order to determine trends and set targets, so that the planning of efforts to prevent avoidable blindness and

1 See resolution EM/RC49/R.6 on VISION 2020: The Right to Sight – elimination of avoidable blindness, resolution EM/RC52/R.3 on Prevention of avoidable blindness and visual impairment, document AFR/RC57/6 (Accelerating the elimination of avoidable blindness – a strategy for the WHO African Region) and PAHO: Draft Ocular Health Strategy and Plan of Action 2008–2012.
visual impairment can be more focused and evidence-based. Also required is an improved mechanism for systematically collecting standardized information on human resources, infrastructure and available technologies, and countries must be ready to respond to the observed needs.
Prevention of blindness and visual impairment as part of national health development plans and WHO technical collaboration with Member States
1 Despite the availability of WHO information on the magnitude and causes of blindness and strategies for their prevention, policy-makers and health providers in some countries are evidently not fully aware of available eye-care interventions, their cost–effectiveness and their potential to prevent or treat the 80% of global blindness that is avoidable. Country cooperation strategies reflect the agreed joint agenda between health ministries and WHO. So far, the inclusion of blindness prevention in such documents has been minimal, despite seven resolutions of the Health Assembly relating to prevention of avoidable blindness and visual impairment, the existence of WHO’s major, long-standing international partnerships on prevention of blindness, and major successes in reducing avoidable blindness, such as WHO’s Onchocerciasis Control Programme. Lack of adequate resources for preventing blindness at the country level is a major impediment. Additionally, faced with increasingly limited resources, donor and recipient countries often give higher priority to mortality-related disease control programmes than to those dealing with problems of disability. Also, experienced staff to coordinate blindness-prevention activities at the regional and country levels are in short supply.
2 Greater priority should be given to preventing blindness in health development plans and country cooperation strategies. Action is also needed to strengthen technical support and enhance the provision of expert advice to Member States where blindness and visual impairment are a major health problem.

National eye health and prevention of blindness committees
1 It is important to establish national committees and programmes for eye health and blindness prevention. Their role is to liaise with all key domestic and international partners, to share information and to coordinate such activities as implementing the national eye health and blindness-prevention plan. A functional national committee is a prerequisite for developing the national blindness-prevention plan and its implementation, monitoring and periodic assessment. Some countries, particularly those with decentralized or federated management structures, have similar committees at subnational level.
2 By October 2008, 118 Member States had reported the establishment of a national committee. However, not all national committees are functional and, unfortunately, in many cases such committees have not successfully initiated effective action. In some instances, selected individuals, often dedicated eye-care professionals, are relied on to provide leadership and serve as the driving force for blindness-prevention plans and programmes. The committees’ membership is often not uniform, ranging from the ideal scenario, in which all key partners are represented (including the national health-care authorities), to a minimal group of dedicated eye-care professionals.

National eye health and prevention of blindness plans
20. Experience has shown that, in low- and middle-income countries, a comprehensive national plan containing targets and indicators that are clearly specified, time-linked and measurable leads to substantially improved provision of eye health-care services.
21. Most low- and middle-income countries (104 Member States by October 2008) have reported the development of national eye health and blindness-prevention plans, but reporting on and assessment of their implementation and impact have been insufficient. Some national plans do not include measurable targets, an implementation timeline and adequate tools for monitoring and evaluation. In some countries, the plans have only been partially implemented. In addition, because of lack of resources and leadership, some countries have made only slow or fragmented progress and their plans for eye health and national prevention of blindness have not yielded tangible improvements in the provision of eye-care services. It is necessary to ensure that the implementation phase of national plans is well managed, and a standardized approach to monitoring and evaluation of national and subnational eye health and blindness-prevention plans must be taken.
WHO’s strategies for prevention of blindness and visual impairment and provision of technical support
1 WHO’s strategy for the prevention of avoidable blindness and visual impairment is based on three core elements: strengthening disease control, human resource development, and infrastructure and technology. This approach has been promoted since 1999 by the global initiative “VISION 2020: the Right to Sight”, which was established as a partnership between WHO and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. The past decade has seen major progress in the development and implementation of WHO’s approaches to controlling communicable causes of blindness and visual impairment. Achievements in controlling onchocerciasis and trachoma were based on implementation of WHO’s strategies of community-directed treatment with ivermectin and the SAFE strategy for trachoma control, and their adoption by Member States and international partners. This unified approach facilitated preventive efforts aimed at millions of individuals at risk of visual loss, and convinced major donors that long-term commitment is required.
2 Subsequently, major shifts in the pattern of causes of blindness have been documented, with a declining trend for the communicable causes and a progressive increase in age-related chronic eye conditions. Public health interventions for some of the major conditions such as cataract and diabetic retinopathy have been systematically reviewed and respective WHO recommendations have been formulated. Strategies are needed to control other conditions such as glaucoma.
3 By October 2008, 150 Member States have held national or subnational VISION 2020 workshops to introduce WHO’s strategies for eye health. These workshops were the platform for sharing expertise about community eye health and facilitated the process of needs assessment and subsequent formulation of national and subnational blindness-prevention plans.

Prevention of avoidable blindness and visual impairment as a global health issue
1 Reliable epidemiological data and the availability of cost-effective interventions for the control of most of the major causes of avoidable blindness have demonstrated the importance of strengthening national initiatives in preserving eye health. In resolutions WHA56.26 and WHA59.25, the Health Assembly recommended a unified approach to blindness-prevention activities, urging Member States to establish national committees, to set up national blindness-prevention plans, and to devise strong monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for their implementation. In addition, it has been recognized that advocacy for preventing visual loss needs to reach a wider audience, and that the importance of preserving eye health needs to be further promoted in the public health domain and the community.
2 In some countries the impact of Health Assembly resolutions on allocation of new resources for development and implementation of blindness-prevention plans has fallen short of expectations. In

most countries action is slow and progress in implementing adequate blindness-prevention activities is limited.
27. Plans and programmes on blindness prevention exist at global level and in some cases at regional and national level, but action is now required to provide support to Member States that have not yet developed such programmes in applying international experience and scientific evidence in order to develop and implement their own blindness-prevention measures. Action is also required to integrate the eye-health agenda and its impact on poverty alleviation in the overall development agenda.
International partnerships
1 Over the past decade, major international partnerships have been forged to assist WHO in providing support to Member States in their efforts to prevent blindness, such as “VISION 2020: the Right to Sight”. The partnerships have made substantial progress, mostly in combating infectious causes of blindness. They have also encouraged and supported long-term resource mobilization, including donation programmes (e.g. the Merck donation programme for ivermectin to control onchocerciasis, and distribution of azithromycin under a donation programme by Pfizer to control trachoma). Global partnerships have united and substantially strengthened the key international stakeholders in their action to prevent blindness, using WHO disease control strategies.
2 Coordination and timely evaluation of work undertaken by international partners is required so that their approaches are aligned with other activities in the area of blindness prevention. Despite some notable improvements in collecting data on blindness-prevention activities at the country and subnational levels, consolidated reporting remains limited. One reason is the weakness of many countries’ monitoring systems, another being the limited information sharing and exchange between countries and their international partners.
3 The action now required is to improve coordination and information exchange between all stakeholders.

Human resources and infrastructure
1 Despite efforts to strengthen human resources for eye health, a crucial shortage of eye-care personnel persists in many low-income countries. Many countries in the African Region, for instance, have less than one ophthalmologist per million inhabitants. In addition, the existing human resources are often concentrated in larger urban agglomerations, leaving the rural areas with a poor or non-existent service. Furthermore, well-trained personnel leave low-paid positions in many of the public and university health-care establishments, seeking work in the domestic private health-care sector or even work opportunities abroad. It is thus the poorest areas of low-income countries that are most seriously disadvantaged by a suboptimal workforce beset by shortages, low productivity and uneven distribution.
2 Although recent technological developments in eye care have resulted in advanced methods of diagnostics and treatment, the cost of properly equipping a secondary and/or tertiary eye-care centre is prohibitive for many low-income countries.
3 Urgent action is required within countries to train more eye-health personnel and redress the distribution of the available workforce between urban and rural areas.

Resource mobilization
1 Strong international partnerships have been instrumental in convincing international and domestic donors to support blindness-prevention activities (e.g. the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control, the Onchocerciasis Elimination Program for the Americas, the WHO Alliance for the Global Elimination of Blinding Trachoma, and “VISION 2020: the Right to Sight”). Despite these disease-specific achievements, there have been major shortfalls in the resources available for national programmes of eye health and blindness prevention. Moreover, the potential for generating additional international and domestic resources has not been fully explored. The lack of adequate resources for blindness prevention and visual impairment activities could seriously jeopardize advances in eye-health care.
2 The action now required is to review the current approaches to financing eye-health systems, highlight the socioeconomic impact of blindness, the cost–effectiveness of eye-health interventions, and the financial benefits of early prevention of blindness and visual impairment.

Integration of eye health into broad development plans
1 The creation of comprehensive, integrated health services and sharing of resources and infrastructure will be facilitated by incorporating eye health in broader intersectoral development plans. An added value was recorded in countries where prevention of blindness was integrated into the broader health development plans and/or socioeconomic development programmes.
2 Despite reported links between visual impairment and decreased socioeconomic opportunities for the affected individuals, prevention of blindness has not been sufficiently addressed in many major international and domestic development agendas. There has been insufficient research on the impact of blindness in various socioeconomic settings as well as on limitations of access to eye care for low-income groups, and the action now required is to promote further research in these areas.

OBJECTIVES AND ACTION
OBJECTIVE 1. Strengthen advocacy to increase Member States’ political, financial and technical commitment in order to eliminate avoidable blindness and visual impairment
1 International advocacy for the preservation of visual health aims to increase awareness of current blindness-prevention plans, especially the cost-effective interventions available and international experience in their implementation. This advocacy effort should target health-care professionals and policy-makers in order to encourage the intersectoral action needed to improve eye health-care systems, to integrate them in national health systems, and incorporate eye health in broader health-care and development plans. It should also target potential donors and those who set research priorities and funding levels so as to accumulate evidence on prevention of blindness and visual impairment and their impact.
2 Further research is needed on the impact of risk factors such as smoking, ultraviolet radiation and lack of hygiene. Inequities in access to eye-care services also need to be further researched.
3 Special attention should be paid to raising public awareness and finding appropriate ways of communicating information on prevention of visual loss and ways of treating eye conditions.

Proposed action for Member States
1 Establish and support national coordinating mechanisms, such as national coordinators posts for eye health and prevention of blindness at health ministries and other key institutions, as appropriate.
2 Consider budgetary appropriations for eye health and prevention of blindness.
3 Promote and integrate eye health at all levels of health-care delivery.
4 Observe World Sight Day.
5 Integrate eye-health preservation in health promotion agendas.

Action for the Secretariat
1 Conduct political analyses to determine the best way of securing support of high-level decision-makers and their commitment to promoting eye health, and explore the potential impact and ways of integrating blindness prevention in socioeconomic policies and programmes [2009–2011].
2 Make policy-makers aware of the relationship between eye diseases, gender, poverty and development, using evidence-based information and epidemiological data and take forward the work on social determinants of health as it relates to eye-health problems [2009–2010].
3 Harmonize the advocacy messages used by international partners in various health and development forums [2009–2010].
4 Promote collaboration by programmes and groups across the Organization in work on tackling major risk factors for visual impairment.

Proposed action for international partners
1 Support WHO in involving all stakeholders in advocacy in order to raise awareness of the magnitude of blindness and visual impairment, the availability of cost-effective interventions, and international experience in applying them.
2 Support Member States in establishing forums where key stakeholders – including nongovernmental organizations, professional associations, academia, research institutions and the private sector – can agree on concerted action against avoidable blindness and visual impairment.

OBJECTIVE 2. Develop and strengthen national policies, plans and programmes for eye health and prevention of blindness and visual impairment
52. National policies, plans and programmes for eye health and prevention of avoidable blindness and visual impairment are essential instruments for coordinated, evidence-based, cost-effective, sustainable interventions. Integration of eye health into relevant national health policies, including those relating to school and occupational health, facilitates a coordinated multidisciplinary approach and development of comprehensive eye care, with emphasis on primary eye care.
53. Evidence-based WHO strategies for tackling several main causes of avoidable blindness and visual impairment have been designed in order to support the formulation of policies and programmes. Some strategies are already in place for the control of trachoma, onchocerciasis, vitamin A deficiency, diabetic retinopathy and some aspects of cataract-related visual loss, but strategies for emerging major causes of visual loss need to be developed.
Proposed action for Member States
1 Where sufficient capacity exists, develop national strategies and corresponding guidelines for the prevention of blindness and visual impairment; otherwise consider adapting those recommended by WHO.
2 Review existing policies addressing visual health, identify gaps and develop new policies in favour of a comprehensive eye-care system.
3 Incorporate prevention of blindness and visual impairment in poverty-reduction strategies and relevant socioeconomic policies.
4 Involve relevant government sectors in designing and implementing policies, plans and programmes to prevent blindness and visual impairment.
5 Develop an eye-health workforce through training programmes that include a community eye-health component.

Action for the Secretariat
1 Review the experience of public health strategies for the control of uncorrected refractive errors including presbyopia, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, corneal opacity, hereditary eye disease, and selected eye conditions in children including sequelae of vitamin A deficiency [2009–2011].
2 Facilitate establishment and activities of eye health and national blindness-prevention committees, advise Member States on their composition, role and function, and provide direct technical support for developing, implementing and evaluating national plans.
3 Develop a coordinated and standardized approach to the collection, analysis and dissemination of information on the implementation of national eye health-related policies, best practices in the public health aspects of blindness prevention, including information on the available health insurance systems, and their impact on the various aspects of eye-care provision [2009–2011].
4 Promote collaboration with other major programmes and partnerships (e.g. the WHO Global Health Workforce Alliance) to promote the development of human resources for eye-care provision at primary, secondary and tertiary levels [2009–2010].
5 Review educational curricula and best practices for education and training of eye health-care professionals [2010–2011].
6 Strengthen the capacity of regional and country offices to provide technical support for eye health/prevention of blindness.

Proposed action for international partners
1 Promote WHO-recommended strategies and guidelines for prevention of blindness and visual impairment, and contribute to the collection of national information on their implementation.
2 Generate resources and coordinate support for the implementation of national blindness-prevention plans in order to avoid duplication of effort.
3 Provide continued support to programmes controlling nutritional and communicable causes of blindness.

OBJECTIVE 3. Increase and expand research for the prevention of blindness and visual impairment
68. Public-health action to prevent blindness and visual impairment needs to be evidence-based and cost-effective. International collaboration in promoting multidimensional and multisectoral research is essential for developing eye-care systems that are comprehensive, integrated, equitable, high-quality and sustainable. Further research is needed on ways to capitalize on available evidence. Special emphasis should be placed on evaluating interventions and different strategies for early detection and screening of the causes of blindness and visual impairment in different population groups.
Proposed action for Member States
1 Promote research by national research institutions on socioeconomic determinants, the role of gender, the cost-effectiveness of interventions, and identification of high-risk population groups.
2 Assess the economic cost of blindness and visual impairment and its impact on socioeconomic development.
3 Determine the impact of poverty and other determinants on the gradient of socioeconomic disparity in individuals’ access to eye-care services.
4 Include epidemiological, behavioural, and health-system research as part of national programmes for eye health and prevention of blindness and visual impairment.

Action for the Secretariat
1 Collate, in collaboration with other partners, existing data on risk factors, such as smoking, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, ultraviolet radiation and lack of hygiene, and coordinate the development of a prioritized research agenda related to the causes and prevention of blindness with special emphasis on low- and middle-income countries [2009–2011].
2 Support Member States in assessing the impact of public health policies and strategies on the status of eye health and share the results.
3 Facilitate development of projection models on trends in the causes and magnitude of blindness and visual impairment and prioritize development of, and target setting for, eye-care systems [2010–2011].

Proposed action for international partners
1 Support low- and middle-income countries in building capacity for epidemiological and health systems research, including the analytical and operational research required for programme implementation and evaluation in the area of eye disease.
2 Support collaboration between institutions in low- and middle-income countries and high-income countries.
3 Support and prioritize jointly research on eye diseases at the global, regional and subregional levels.
4 Strengthen and support WHO Collaborating Centres and national research institutions in research related to prevention of blindness and visual impairment.

OBJECTIVE 4. Improve coordination between partnerships and stakeholders at national and international levels for the prevention of blindness and visual impairment
80. Large international partnerships and alliances have been instrumental in developing effective public health responses for the prevention of blindness and visual impairment. Member States, United Nations agencies, other international institutions, academia, research centres, professional health-care organizations, nongovernmental organizations, service organizations, civil society and the corporate sector are key stakeholders in this process. The challenges are to strengthen global and regional partnerships and to incorporate the prevention of blindness into broader development initiatives that include efforts to establish new intersectoral forms of collaboration and alliances.
Proposed action for Member States
1 Participate in and actively support existing national and international partnerships and alliances for the prevention of avoidable blindness and visual impairment, including coordination with noncommunicable disease control programmes and neglected tropical disease prevention and control.
2 Promote partnerships between the public, private and voluntary sectors at national and subnational levels.

Action for the Secretariat
1 Convene the WHO Monitoring Committee for the Elimination of Avoidable Blindness pursuant to resolution WHA56.26 [2009].
2 Support and strengthen the role of WHO Collaborating Centres by linking their workplans to the implementation of this plan [2009–2010].

Proposed action for international partners
85. Collaborate closely with and provide support to Member States and the Secretariat in implementing the various components of this plan.
1 Liaise with other international organizations and agencies with broader development agendas in order to identify opportunities for collaboration.
2 Continue to support the existing partnerships for onchocerciasis and trachoma control until these diseases are eliminated as public health problems.

OBJECTIVE 5. Monitor progress in elimination of avoidable blindness at national, regional and global levels
88. Information on causes, the magnitude and geographical distribution of blindness and visual impairment, together with their trends, is essential for evidence-based advocacy and planning. Likewise, understanding the constraints and gaps in current service delivery and monitoring how these are corrected by Member States are crucial to successful implementation. Necessary and timely adjustments can only be made on the basis of continuous monitoring and periodic evaluation of action to prevent blindness.
Proposed action for Member States
1 Provide regularly updated data and information on prevalence and causes of blindness and visual impairment, disaggregated by age, gender and socioeconomic status.
2 Strengthen standardized data collection and establish surveillance systems using existing WHO tools (for example, those used for cataract, trachoma and onchocerciasis).
3 Provide regular reports using the WHO standardized reporting system, on progress made in implementing national blindness-prevention strategies and plans.

Action for the Secretariat
1 In collaboration with the main stakeholders, review and update the list of indicators for monitoring and periodic evaluation of action to prevent blindness and visual impairment, and determine targets and timelines [2009–2011].
2 Review data inputs in order to determine the impact of action to prevent avoidable blindness and visual impairment at country level, with the aim of showing a reduction in the magnitude of avoidable blindness, pursuant to resolution WHA56.26 [2009–2011].
3 Document, from countries with successful blindness prevention programmes, good practices and blindness prevention systems or models that could be modified or applied in other countries, pursuant to resolution WHA56.26 [2009–2010].
4 Initiate periodic independent evaluation of work on preventing blindness and visual impairment, including that of international partnerships, to be reviewed by the WHO Monitoring Committee for the Elimination of Avoidable Blindness [2009–2010].

96. Contribute to the Global Burden of Disease 2005 study1 [2009–2010].
Proposed action for international partners
1 Provide collaborative support to Member States and the Secretariat in monitoring and evaluating progress in prevention and control of blindness and visual impairment at regional and global levels.
2 Collaborate with WHO in establishing a network for review of regional and global monitoring and evaluation of progress in the prevention of blindness and visual impairment.

INDICATORS
99. In order to assess trends in the causes of blindness and visual impairment, to measure the progress made by Member States in preventing blindness and visual impairment, and to monitor implementation of this action plan, a set of core process and outcome indicators needs to be identified and defined. The indicators will mostly focus on action taken by the Secretariat and by Member States. Each country may develop its own set of indicators based on priorities and resources; however, in order to track progress globally and regionally, data and information collection needs to be standardized. The current set of indicators used by WHO in monitoring and reporting on the global status of the prevention of blindness and visual impairment2 should be reviewed and updated. Baseline values are available in WHO for many of the indicators; for those for which there are no baseline values, mechanisms will be established for collecting relevant data.
= = =
1 http://www.globalburden.org. 2 Document WHO/PBL/03.92.

WBU E-BULLETIN - VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2, March 2009

CONTACT US AT:
World Blind Union
1929 Bayview Avenue,
Toronto Ontario Canada M4G 3E8
Tel: 1-416-486-9698, Fax: 1-416-486-8107
Email: info@wbuoffice.org
Website: www.worldblindunion.org


Table of Contents

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE WBU E-BULLETIN 3
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 3
IMPORTANT REMINDERS 4
REFLECTIONS – ESTABLISHMENT OF A PERMANENT HEADQUARTERS 4
Operations 5
General Assembly Planning 6
Communications 7
Resource Development 7
Support to WBU’s Priorities and Initiatives 8
Office Sponsorship 8
CELEBRATING BRAILLE BICENTENARY 9
Louis Braille Birth Bicentennial Celebrations in India 9
Bicentenary Conference in France 11
BANA Creates Braille Excellence Award 12
Louis Braille Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation 13
Braille: Knowledge at your Fingertips 13
Actuality of Braille in Different Socio-economic Settings 14
VISION ALLIANCE 14
WORLD SIGHT DAY – October 8, 2009 14
ANNOUNCEMENTS 15
CRPD Appointments 15
Techshare 2009 16
DAISY 2009 17
RESOURCES 17
Free Screen Reading and Large Print Software 17
Advocacy Manual Available 18
Voice Internet Technology 18
Report -Disabilities among Refugees and Conflict-affected Populations" 18
Human Rights Materials Available On Line 18
Website for Partially Sighted persons 19
Disability Rights Fund 19
Human Rights Materials 19
Resource on the Convention 20
UNU-IAS PhD and Postdoctoral fellowships 20
NEWS FROM OUR REGIONS 20
LATIN AMERICA REGION 21
ULAC has a new Technical Office 21
México: Braille Books for Latin America 21
The MATE Network: An alliance to facilitate access to education to young people with visual impairments from Argentina and Uruguay 22
NORTH AMERICA/CARIBBEAN 23
CNIB Announces John M. Rafferty as New President and CEO 23
CNIB Lake Joseph Centre – a fully accessible camping experience 24
AFRICA REGION 24
Jill Wagner Accepts new Challenge 24
Mozambique Launches Braille Constitution 25
EUROPE 25
Kevin Carey Elected as new Chairman of RNIB 25
International Competition of Blind Musicians and Composers 26
EBU activity in the framework of the Community Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity (PROGRESS) 26
WBU OFFICERS 26

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE WBU E-BULLETIN
Contributions are welcome to the E-Bulletin. We thank those of you who have been providing us with content for the E-bulletins and encourage contributions from all regions. Our next deadline for content submission will be Friday May 1st for our May 2009 issue of the E-bulletin. We will accept submissions in English, French and Spanish, preferably in electronic format.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Welcome to the March issue of our E-Bulletin.

2009 continues to be made up of many special events and celebrations for the bicentenary of the birth of Louis Braille. We will read about some of these in this publication and future issues throughout the year.

The Officers developed our Strategic Plan 2009 – 2012 last December which can be found on the webpage. There has been a huge amount of work taking place since then to develop the activities which sit under the plan and compile it into the WBU Work Plan for the term. This will be updated twice each year as we undertake our work. A list of our representatives on various organisations and bodies will be soon available on the webpage along with a list of our various groups of individuals who will undertake our work.

Each of our strategic priority leaders will provide a short report of the progress of work in their area of responsibility for each E-Bulletin. This will provide an easy and accessible update of our progress throughout the term.

The CRPD monitoring committee met in Geneva during the last week of February and some of our blind colleagues were selected for key posts. Please refer to the article that appears later in the WBU E-bulletin for further information.

The WBU is not sheltered from the global financial crisis being felt in all corners of the world. We are closely monitoring the situation and expect there will be varying impacts on our members. In recognition of the situation we will hold one, instead of two, face to face meetings of the executive this term. We may cancel one or even two officers meetings but this will not be in 2009. It is important that the new leadership has the opportunity to build the team and ensure our program of work for the term is put in place and progressed. I can assure you we are prepared to adjust our plans if necessary.

I will end with a reminder to regional presidents to ensure material of the work in your region is available for inclusion in all E-Bulletins so others can learn about the huge amount of work being undertaken in all regions.

Maryanne Diamond
President

IMPORTANT REMINDERS
Scholarship Funds
New guidelines and application forms for the Hermoine Grant Calhoun Scholarships (for blind women), the Pedro Zurita Youth Fund and the Arne Husveg Development Fund are available on the WBU website or from the WBU Office.

REFLECTIONS – ESTABLISHMENT OF A PERMANENT HEADQUARTERS
(by Maryanne Diamond)

It is now three years since the WBU Executive approved a business plan to establish a permanent headquarters for our organization. It is timely to reflect on what was proposed and what we have achieved to date. In June 2006 the officers decided the office of the WBU would be located in Toronto Canada. After the recruitment of the CEO the office opened November 2006.

Since opening, the office has assumed all functions and responsibilities that were foreseen in the business plan. In addition, the Office has supported and facilitated many initiatives on behalf of the WBU and has contributed tremendously to strengthening the organization. The following will serve to highlight some of the key achievements.

Operations
 The WBU Office continues to benefit from the space and infrastructure support provided by the CNIB. While the operations of the WBU office are separate and distinct from those of CNIB, we have made arrangements to purchase certain services such as Accounting, Information Services and Property services, as well as Human Resources when required. These arrangements continue to be very beneficial to us and CNIB staff has been most welcoming, interested in our work and supportive.
 The office has the ability to communicate with members in our three principal languages and can respond to email and telephone enquiries in each of English, French and Spanish. Office personnel have neither the time nor the technical expertise to handle translation of documents, which are sent to qualified external translators, but can and do ensure that routine correspondence is dealt with in the language of choice.
 The WBU is now recognized as a registered charity in Canada. This process took a very long time to complete but our charitable status was granted in December of 2008. This charitable status will facilitate our fundraising efforts.
 The membership database continues to be refined and updated. It formed the basis of the delegate confirmation needed for the General Assembly in Geneva. Member information is available on the WBU website to facilitate member searches by members and others. This information is updated on a regular basis.
 Collection of membership fees for 2008 was assumed by the Office, which was successful in collecting more fees than has typically been the case. The Office also provided support to the membership fee structure committee to examine our membership fees and to develop and present a new fee structure to the General Assembly, which was approved.
 All WBU funds and Accounting responsibility were transferred to Toronto in the first quarter of 2008 and the budgets consolidated.
 A new Chart of Accounts system has been established for WBU in order to more easily track and monitor revenues and expenses. This new Chart of Accounts will have the flexibility to allow us to easily monitor revenues and expenses for specific projects and activities, which will be important to us as we secure more external funding sources.
 Support is provided to all Officers and Executive meetings, including meeting arrangements, development and distribution of meeting materials and note taking.

General Assembly Planning
 The CEO served on all General Assembly subcommittees and provided extensive support to their work and as liaison with Swiss organizers.
 The Office developed and distributed materials required by the members, including the consolidation of regional, committee and working group reports into a consolidated quadrennial report.
 The Office coordinated the sponsorship process for delegated supported to attend the Assembly including the application process, booking of flights and liaison around a myriad of details with the Swiss organizers.
 It was generally felt that the General Assembly was successful, and that the support provided by the office before, during and following the Assembly contributed significantly to that success.

Communications
 The office handles all distribution of materials to the membership on behalf of Officers and committees and working groups.
 The WBU E-bulletin has been in place since shortly after the Office opened, and continues to be distributed on a bi-monthly basis in English, French and Spanish.
 All translations are now coordinated through the WBU office with most documents for the use of the membership now being produced in the three WBU languages, distributed to the members and posted on the website for easy reference.
 The WBU Office has now assumed full responsibility for the WBU website and it has been transferred from ONCE in Spain to CNIB in Toronto. Significant efforts have been made to update the site and to ensure the same information is available on the English, French and Spanish sites. Much more work is needed to make the website more users friendly and effective and that is a key priority for the coming year.

Resource Development
 Although resources have not permitted us to focus on this area, it did receive attention through the branding and fund development strategy workshops held with the Officers during 2008. That has enabled us to develop core messages and to be clearer about the WBU mandate and what we would raise funds for.
 Through the generous support of RNIB, a part time fund development resource has been engaged for a year to assist us to secure some external funding resources for our programs and to develop and implement our funding strategy. This work is well underway with a number of possible donors identified and some project proposals already developed.

Support to WBU’s Priorities and Initiatives
 The Office has provided critical support to the WBU strategic planning process: developing and providing regular status reports to the workplan, developing and providing background materials to support the 2009 – 2012 planning process and facilitating the development of the workplans.
 The office responds to numerous queries from members and the regarding membership application and process, constitutional matters, information about programs and services available.
 The CEO represents the President or other Officers at meetings or events on request: this has included attendance at all Regional Assemblies in order to become better acquainted with members and regional issues, as well as representing WBU at IGDB, IFLA and IAPB.
 General advice, research, other support to Officers or committee/working group chairs as required and on an ongoing basis.

Office Sponsorship
 At the time the decision was made to establish the Office of the WBU, we established a program of support from amongst our members and recognize those who have so generously provided financial support for this initiative.
 Approximately $160,000 was received in pledges from office sponsorship members in 2008, slightly below amount received in 2007. We are now entering our 4th year of the pledge program, with most sponsors having pledged for a five year period, although some for lesser periods of time. Because the office has spent less than budgeted both in starts up costs and in its first year of operations, it is expected that the present pledges will cover costs through 2009 so long as all pledges are honoured. However, without increased pledges or other sources of revenues, the office will not have sufficient resources to sustain its operations in 2010 and beyond.
 It is anticipated that the new membership fee structure will help to generate some additional revenues and it is intended that we begin to generate funds from external sources, particularly now that we have some fundraising support from a resource provided by RNIB. However, it must be recognized that new revenue does take time to generate, and we are presenting our funding requests during a period of severe economic turmoil. Therefore the continued support of our present sponsors and the addition of new sponsors will be essential to our health and growth.

The decision to establish the office of the WBU has proven to be a great success for our organization. We have been particularly fortunate with the staff we have employed. Penny Hartin has brought to the role of CEO tremendous experience in management and administration and organizational development. Her knowledge of the work of the WBU over many years has ensured the office was operational and effective from the very start. Our two administration assistants, Catherine Munoz-Smith and Ianina Rodriguez have also been excellent choices and have contributed to the effectiveness and efficiency of our organization.

It is important that we do not become complacent and take for granted the office as we do not have the resources at our current level of support to maintain our operations past 2010.

In closing, I would like to extend appreciation to and welcome Sightsavers International who have come on board this year as a Platinum Sponsor.

CELEBRATING BRAILLE BICENTENARY
Louis Braille Birth Bicentennial Celebrations in India

India paid rich tributes to Louis Braille on his 200th birth anniversary, bearing testimony, yet again, to the fact that Louis belonged to the entire world. All India Confederation of the Blind (AICB) played a leading and proactive role in the conduct of these celebrations.

AICB convened a 2-day conference on ‘The Status of Braille in Asia’ at New Delhi with effect from 22nd December 2008. 135 delegates from 21 States of India and 11 countries of ABU region attended the conference. International Director, NABP and Secretary- General, ICEVI also participated in the event. The high point of the conference was the adoption after detailed discussion, of a Plan of Action. The Plan focussed on various facets of Braille including its development in the region, standardization of Codes, production and distribution of Braille books, teacher-preparation and competencies, pedagogical aspects and awareness-creation. The Plan also envisaged the creation of a monitoring mechanism to ensure its proper implementation.

On 3rd and 4th January 2009, AICB conducted competitions of declamation and group-singing on Louis Braille for sighted children from regular schools. The objective was to motivate sighted children to know more about Louis Braille and his valued contributions. A collection of poems on Louis Braille composed by leading blind and sighted poets was also brought out in Braille and in print. In addition, a well-researched biography of Louis Braille in Hindi, prepared by a prominent blind academician, was also released by AICB in print and in Braille in a grand function organized by it on 4th January. Three winners of ABU Onkyo Braille Essay Competition, 2008 were also presented mementoes and attractive cash awards on this occasion. 400 needy and economically under-privileged blind students were presented educational kits containing basic Braille-writing, computing and recreational devices as well as Braille books. Ten meritorious blind girls pursuing university courses were presented computers with JAWS software under the sponsorship of Dr. H.E. Schulze and Marga Schulze Foundation, Germany. About 1000 blind persons and representatives of organizations attended the public function organized by AICB on January 4, 2009.

AICB had also taken the lead in late 2007 in motivating the Government of India to organize this great occasion in a fitting manner. The government formulated a year-long programme of activities for the purpose, based, largely, on inputs provided by AICB.

The programme culminated in a grand function organized by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India at New Delhi in the afternoon of January 4, 2009. The Speaker of the Lower House of the country’s Parliament was the Chief Guest and two leading government Ministers and several senior officials from different Ministries were present.

At the function, AICB’s Braille Press was recognised as the Best Braille Press in India and presented a special National Award by the Government of India. A commemorative postal stamp and coins carrying Louis Braille’s photographs and raised dots were also released. Similarly, a 20-minute documentary film on Louis Braille and the capabilities of the blind, especially prepared for the occasion was screened. Braille editions of several popular books in different Indian languages, brought out by a leading government publisher, and produced in Braille by AICB, were also released at the function.
Bicentenary Conference in France
From June 18 – 20, 2009, the CINAL, (International Committee for the Commemoration of the Bicentenary of the Birth of Louis Braille), will host an International Conference, International Congress VI2009 in Coupvray France.

“In a world where image is everything, how can those who cannot see, or who have difficulty seeing, become integrated into the educational systems and businesses? How can they participate in the cultural life of our countries?” The greatest international specialists who are working on this question will have the possibility of exchanging their viewpoints, comparing their experiences and outlining responses bearing hope.

Program highlights include:
 Thursday June 18: The visually impaired person in the contemporary world
 Friday June 19: Visual impairment and integration
 Saturday June 20: Visual impairment, media and culture, or the difficult fight for access to knowledge

For detailed information about the Conference as well as registration information, please visit their website at: http://www.cinal-dv2009.com/en/international-congress-vi-2009.html

BANA Creates Braille Excellence Award
In honour of the 200th birthday of Louis Braille, The Braille Authority of North America (BANA) has created the Braille Excellence Award. This award will be given to people or organizations that have developed or contributed to a code, have developed code materials, or software that supports codes, and/or who represent the highest standards of braille production. The first award is being given to Dr. Abraham Nemeth for his contributions making math and science accessible for blind people around the world.

Abraham Nemeth was born completely blind in 1918, in New York City, where he spent most of his life. Although mathematics instantly became a passion for Nemeth, he was encouraged by his counsellors to pursue a degree in psychology at Brooklyn College. Following his bachelor’s degree, he continued his education at Columbia University, where he earned his master’s in psychology, while attending evening classes in physics and mathematics. As the math courses became increasingly more difficult, Nemeth proceeded to develop his own system of braille mathematics, adopted in the U.S. in 1952, named the Nemeth Braille Code for Mathematics and Science Notation. Shortly after the development of his code, he joined the Department of Mathematics at the University of Detroit, where he created a system of communicating mathematical formulas, called MathSpeak. During this time Nemeth received a PhD in mathematics from Wayne State University. Abraham Nemeth’s contributions have made math and science accessible for blind people around the world. For additional resource information, visit www.brailleauthority.org.

Louis Braille Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation
The National Braille Press has announced the 2009 Louis Braille Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation as announced in the Louis Braille: A Touch of Genius biography. Louis Braille was an innovator—and this award seeks to identify and inspire future innovation. Potentially, the award process will inspire new strategic directions for National Braille Press.

The Louis Braille Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation which involves a $20,000 prize will be awarded to an individual or group of individuals who contribute to innovation in the field of tactile literacy for blind people. The Prize can be granted for a new educational method; a new tactile literacy product; or a new technological advance. The $20,000 prize is provided through support from The Gibney Family Foundation and National Braille Press.

Applications must be submitted electronically, followed by a signed hard copy. Completed applications must be received by July 20, 2009. For further information please visit the National Braille Press website at: www.nbp.org

Braille: Knowledge at your Fingertips
From May 15 - January 4, 2010, the Canadian Museum of Science and Technology in collaboration with CNIB is offering a special exhibition to highlight the life and contribution of Louis Braille.

Actuality of Braille in Different Socio-economic Settings
A Workshop sponsored by: World Bank HDNSP & Education for All - Fast Track Initiative, GPDD, National Federation of the Blind was held on February 10th. The goal of this event at the World Bank was to underline the actuality of Braille in all socio-economic settings, the usability and affordability of Braille. The workshop, which harnessed web conferencing technology included speakers from the US and several other countries around the world.

VISION ALLIANCE
The Vision Alliance is an initiative of ICEVI, IAPB and WBU to create greater synergy and collaboration between the three organizations at the global, regional, and national levels for the purpose of improving the services and programs of each organization.

Areas for Synergy
During initial meetings of the three Vision Alliance partners, the following areas that would contribute to enhanced synergy and collaboration were identified.
 Developing mechanisms to assure a systematic exchange of information between the three organizations.
 Identifying common areas of mutual concern where the three organizations can work together through joint advocacy.
 Creating common platforms where stakeholders such as parents, persons with visual impairment, voluntary organizations, educators, and ophthalmologists can work together in planning comprehensive services for persons with visual impairment
WORLD SIGHT DAY – October 8, 2009
On World Sight Day, VISION 2020 members work together to:
 Raise public awareness of blindness & vision impairment as major international public health issues
 Influence Governments/Ministers of Health to participate in and designate funds for national blindness prevention programmes
 Educate target audiences about blindness prevention, about VISION 2020 and its activities, and to generate support for VISION 2020 programme activities

The theme of World Sight Day 2009 (WSD09) “Gender and Eye Health” recognizes that:
1. Two-thirds of blind people worldwide are women & girls
2. In many countries, men's access to eye care is twice that of women
3. Effective strategies can and do successfully address this inequity

ANNOUNCEMENTS
CRPD Appointments
The WBU congratulates Ana Peláez Narváez from Spain on her appointment as Co Chairperson of the CRPD Steering Committee. We also sincerely congratulate Professor Ron McCallum from Australia as Rapporteur to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Both Ana and Ron are active in and well known to the World Blind Union and we are delighted that they have received such outstanding recognition from their fellow CRPD committee members. Several other members of the CRPD monitoring committee who are well known to the WBU were also selected to important positions within the CRPD monitoring committee. Here is a list of all of the appointments:

The CRPD committee elected the following Bureau:
 Chair: Mr Al Tarawneh (year 1) and Mrs Pelaez (year 2)
 Vice-chair: Mrs Pelaez (year 1) and Mr Al Tarawneh (year 2)
 Vice-chair Africa: Mrs Maina (year 1) and Mr Laloham (year 2)
 Vice-chair Asia: Mrs Yang (year 1) and Mr Choudhuri (year 2)
 Vice-chair Eastern Europe: Mr Konczei (year 1) and Mr Ursic (year 2)
 Vice-chair Latin America: Mr Torres (year 1) and Mrs Cisternas (year 2)
 General Rapporteur: Mr McCallum
 Rapporteur on individual communications: Mrs Al Suwaidi

It was also decided to establish 3 working groups to work on the Rules of Procedure (co-ordinated by Mr McCallum), working methods (co-ordinated by Mrs Cisternas) and reporting guidelines (co-ordinated by Mrs Pelaez).

Our sincere congratulations to all on these appointments
Techshare 2009
Techshare 2009 will take place on 16 - 18 September 2009 at ExCeL London in east London's Royal Victoria Dock. This is an excellent opportunity to learn about developments and innovations in digital assistive technology. Call for papers now open.

As well as attending, you can be involved with shaping the content of the event by submitting an abstract outlining your work, research or activities, to be presented to the international audience at Techshare 2009.

You'll find the call for papers guidance and submission form document on the website by following this link: www.rnib.org.uk/tscallforpapers

There is more information about the event on the Techshare web pages.
www.rnib.org.uk/techshare

DAISY 2009
To showcase the DAISY technology, the German Central Library for the Blind Leipzig will organise an international conference and meeting week in Leipzig/Germany from 21 to 27 September 2009: DAISY2009. The programme consists of a DAISY International Technical Conference, a German-language conference with the title “Barrier-free Preparation of Documents” and a public DAISY User Forum. Additionally, there will be further workshops of the EBU Commission on Technology, the board of the European Blind Union and the DAISY Board.
For more details, please visit our homepage www.daisy2009.de

RESOURCES
Free Screen Reading and Large Print Software
NVDA: Non-visual Desktop Access.
This is a very comprehensive and robust free access package. And it is working with rudimentary Braille display support as well.
You can install it on your pc or put a portable version on a flash drive. You can find this at:
www.nvda-project.org
Another one is a screen reader called Thunder out of the UK.
You can find it at:
http://www.screenreader.net/

For large print there is:
The Screen Magnifiers Homepage, http://www.magnifiers.org and another is a free program, the Virtual Magnifying Glass http://magnifier.sourceforge.net/
Advocacy Manual Available
Creating Successful Campaigns for Community Living: An Advocacy Manual for Disability Organizations and Service Providers, published by the European Coalition on Community Living (ECCL) (November 2008) is an excellent advocacy training manual that can be used to conduct workshops for persons with disabilities. This manual can be adapted for use in many countries. To download the manual in Word version http://www.community-living.info/documents/ECCLAdvocacy%20Manual_TextVersion.doc

Voice Internet Technology
Internet for Everyone provides the ability to surf the web, access email and other internet services using voice technology. For further information, visit: www.internetspeech.com

Report -Disabilities among Refugees and Conflict-affected Populations"
A report entitled “Disabilities among Refugees and Conflict-affected Populations” was published in June 2008. It can be viewed at:
http://www.womenscommission.org/pdf/disab_fulll_report.pdf

Human Rights Materials Available On Line
A new publication from the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights, titled Working with the United Nations Human Rights Programme: A Handbook for Civil Society is now available in English on-line at http://www.ohchr.org/EN/AboutUs/Pages/NgoHandbook.aspx

It will also be released in Russian, Arabic, Spanish and French soon.
Website for Partially Sighted persons
There is a new website that has been established specifically to meet the needs of the visually impaired. If you need any help, information or support - then this is where you can find it.
Visit www.partially-sighted.com for free access to the discussion forums set up especially for visually impaired persons, to encourage the sharing of useful information, experiences or simply to offer each other advice and support.
Disability Rights Fund
The Disability Rights Fund (DRF) is sending out its 2009 Request for Proposals, with three new countries targeted in the first round: Mexico, India and Ukraine. Grants are available for single organizations and also for national NGOs. For more information and to read criteria in English, go to http://www.disabilityrightsfund.org/grant.html
For information in Spanish, go to http://www.disabilityrightsfund.org/espanol/index.html

Human Rights Materials
The Harvard Project on Disability develops and disseminates educational materials on the human rights of people with disabilities. An informed civil society is vital to promoting, implementing, and monitoring the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Educational materials are particularly relevant now that the CRPD has become international law. The Harvard Project’s publications:
 Explain the Convention and the rights it contains
 Enable self-advocacy of CRPD rights
 Teach persons on how to be a global advocate for people with disabilities
 Explain how to promote implementation of the Convention
More information and free downloads of human rights materials in different languages and formats can be obtained from http://hpod.org/publications/human-rights-training
The Human Rights Yes! training manual developed for people with disabilities and their representative organizations can be read at http://hpod.org/pdf/HumanRightsYes.pdf

Resource on the Convention
A disability knowledge website is available on the UN Convention on Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The disAbilityknowledge.org website is a valuable source of information and includes DPI Toolkits on the Convention and the UN Handbook for parliamentarians.

To view the site, please go to http://moodle.disabilityknowledge.org/course/view.php?id=16
A legal opinion on Article 12 is available on the site and may be of use to you in your National lobbying efforts. To read this, go to http://moodle.disabilityknowledge.org/mod/resource/view.php?id=402

UNU-IAS PhD and Postdoctoral fellowships
Every year UNU-IAS offers PhD and Postdoctoral fellowships to provide young scholars and policy-makers, especially from the developing world, with a multi-disciplinarily context within which to pursue advanced research and training that is of professional interest to the successful applicant and of direct relevance to the research agenda of their selected UNU-IAS or UNU programme.
Read more:
http://cambodiajobs.blogspot.com/2008/04/unu-ias-phd-and-postdoctoral.html

NEWS FROM OUR REGIONS
LATIN AMERICA REGION
ULAC has a new Technical Office
ULAC is pleased to announce the opening of its new Technical Office in January. This Office is located in the National Blind Union of Uruguay and is open from 9 AM to 6 PM. The new Executive Secretary is Natalia Guala and her Administrative Assistant is Andrea Cammarano. The following is the contact information for the ULAC office:
Phone: (+5982) 9033022
Fax: (+5982) 9033022
E-mail: oficinaulac@gmail.com
Website: www.fbu.edu.uy/ulac
México: Braille Books for Latin America
The Mexican Association of Visually Impaired Persons (AMADIVI) will print books in braille, thanks to an agreement with the Lasalle University. This initiative is part of the celebration of Louis Braille’s bicentenary which takes place during this year. The books will be distributed between different special schools of Latin America in order to make braille available to all blind children. Therefore, we are glad to communicate that the materials produced by our institution are arriving in more countries in the region every day. Through their distribution and sale and also through the participation of AMADIVI with important donations and support for projects such as the recent one signed with FOAL to support the actions of the EFAVI, we are convinced that we are bringing more educational and technical tools to students with visual impaired which will improve their success in school and work.
The MATE Network: An alliance to facilitate access to education to young people with visual impairments from Argentina and Uruguay
The word “mate” means companion in English. In Spanish, “mate” is an Argentine and Uruguayan tea-like drink. It is unique as it is drunk in a group; you share it in an environment of communication and exchange of ideas among those who participate.

With this idea of meeting, sharing resources and experiences in mind, the National Union of the Blind of Uruguay, Tiflonexos and The Córdoba National University, Argentina, have established the MATE Network (Materials and Educational Support for Blind Persons), in order to support blind students by means of the best possible use of the opportunities offered by new technologies.

Three production centres of materials for blind and low vision students constitute the MATE Network. By means of a scanner with automatic document feeder, they digitalize texts that will be delivered to their users in any of the four possible formats: digital file, Braille, synthetic speech or large print.

The documents prepared in each one of these centres are shared through the platform offered by the Tiflolibros Library (http://www.tiflolibros.com.ar). In this way, the production of one centre is available to the other two and, at the same time 3,600 blind people and 130 organizations that have access through Internet to this library may download them freely.

In 2009, the MATE Network will start to work also in the provision of training to students and teachers so that they are able to make the best possible use of the technological current tools in order to improve their educational levels.

From the MATE Network we are trying to coordinate efforts and resources with other organizations that work in this field with the aim of providing students the chance of achieving social inclusion and reaching better educational levels.

For more information, please, visit the website http://www.redmate.org where you will find besides, the contact addresses of the three MATE centres.
To get in touch
buenosaires@redmate.org
montevideo@redmate.org
cordoba@redmate.org

NORTH AMERICA/CARIBBEAN
CNIB Announces John M. Rafferty as New President and CEO
The WBU offers sincere congratulations to John M. Rafferty who has been appointed as the new President and CEO of the CNIB, effective March 2. John takes over from Jim Sanders who recently announced his retirement from CNIB, but who will remain active with the WBU for the next while.

John has 13 years of national and international experience as a senior executive, most recently as chief operating officer of Canpages Inc., an online and print directory company he co-founded in 2006. Prior to that, he served in senior leadership positions with British Telecom in the UK, Verizon Information Services in Canada, Poland and China, and with Dun and Bradstreet in Canada. John also had a close family member with vision loss, and has always been a supporter of the organization. The WBU wishes John well as he assumes his new role at the helm of the CNIB.

CNIB Lake Joseph Centre – a fully accessible camping experience
Located in the heart of Muskoka, just north of Toronto, Canada, CNIB Lake Joseph Centre is a world leader in providing people with vision loss with life changing experiences. Lake Jo’s innovative programming and partnerships excite and inspire children, youth, families and adults with vision loss as they meet new friends, experience exciting new adventures and leave with memories that will last a lifetime.

Visit www.lakejo.ca for more information or registration

Some of the programs offered include:
 Family Adventure Week
 Kids Gone Wild! (8 to 12 years old)
 Leadership Development Program (15 to 21 years old)
 Advanced Fishing (Adults)
 Active Adults

AFRICA REGION
Jill Wagner Accepts new Challenge
After dedicating four productive years to the South African National Council for the Blind (SANCB) as the organisation’s National Executive Director, Ms. Jill Wagner has decided to broaden her affect on the disabled communities of many developing countries, by taking up the position of Chief Executive at an internationally based NGO, called Action Disability and Development (ADD). Jill will be relocating to the United Kingdom to take up her new position at ADD from the beginning of March 2009.

WBU offers their sincere congratulations to Jill on having been chosen for this important appointment and wish her well in her new role.

Mozambique Launches Braille Constitution
The Mozambique government has translated its constitution into braille, to benefit the country's blind people. Mozambican president Armando Guebuza said at the launch of the braille constitution that the initiative was part of his government's promises to uplift the human rights of all the country's citizens, despite their disabilities.

The translation was funded by the government and international donors. Social Welfare minister Virgilia Matabele presented the first 150 copies of the braille constitution at a ceremony held last year, which was also attended by representatives of the blind people's association (Acamo). President of Acamo Jose Tomo said his association was satisfied with the government's initiative.

EUROPE
Kevin Carey Elected as new Chairman of RNIB
RNIB is very pleased to announce that Kevin Carey has just been elected as Chairman of the RNIB Group from 2009 - 2012 and will take up the position at the Annual General Meeting on 23 July 2009. Colin Low will continue as Chair until his term ends on 23 July.

Kevin has served as RNIB's Vice Chairman since 2000 and has been a member of the RNIB Group governing body since 1988.
Kevin is director of HumanITy - a charity he founded to focus on technology and exclusion with a special interest in disabled people, advising the EU, Government Departments and international corporations. He is also Chair of Ofcom's Community Radio Panel and a Board member of Futurebuilders, a funding organisation. Kevin has served on the Ofcom Content Board (2003-2006), gained a NESTA Fellowship in accessible broadcasting (2004-2006) and holds a Royal Television Society Engineering Award.

The WBU extends warm congratulations to Kevin on his election.

International Competition of Blind Musicians and Composers
The Czech Blind United (SONS) extends its cordial invitation to all interested music performers and composers who would wish to participate in the XII International Competition of Blind & Partially-Sighted Music Performers 2010 and XI International Competition of Blind & Partially-Sighted Music Composers 2010. The Competition of Performers will be held in Prague from February 28 to March 5, 2010. For more detailed information and eligibility conditions refer to the attached documents. All interested visually-impaired musicians are warmly invited to Prague. All electronic correspondence should be directed to: internationaldep@sons.cz

You may also visit their website at: http://www.braillnet.cz/sons/zahranicni/souteze/index.htm

EBU activity in the framework of the Community Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity (PROGRESS)
With financial support of the European Commission under the Community Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity (PROGRESS), EBU conducted in 2008 a programme of activity: "Partnership for the social inclusion of people with a visual impairment". The programme focuses on five key areas: the UN Convention of the Rights of People with Disabilities, Employment, Access to Technology, Education and Capacity Building, and Communication. For further information, visit the EBU website at: www.euroblind.org

WBU OFFICERS
Ms. Maryanne Diamond, President
Maryanne.diamond@Visionaustralia.org
Mr. Arnt Holte, 1st Vice President
arnt.holte@blindeforbundet.no
Ms. Frances Candiru, 2nd Vice President
fcandiru@yahoo.com
Mr. Enrique Pérez, Secretary General
umc@once.es
Mr. A. K. Mittal, Treasurer
akmittal@rediffmail.com
Mr. William Rowland, Immediate Past President
rowland@sancb.org.za

REGIONAL PRESIDENTS

AFRICA (AFUB)
Mr. Mohammed Ez-zaoui
med.ezzaoui@gmail.com
ASIA (ABU)
Mr. Ahmad Mohammed Mousa Allouzi
fabjo@index.com.jo
ASIA PACIFIC (WBU-AP)
Mr. Chuji Sashida
Sashida.Chuji@jeed.or.jp
EUROPE (EBU)
Lord Colin Low
Colin.Low@rnib.org.uk
LATIN AMERICA (ULAC)
Dr. Guillermo Moreno
dr_guillermo_moreno@hotmail.com
NORTH AMERICA/CARIBBEAN (WBU-NA/C)
Mr. Carl Augusto
caugusto@afb.net

WBU STAFF

Dr. Penny Hartin, Chief Executive Officer
Penny.hartin@wbuoffice.org
Ms. Ianina Rodriguez, Administrative Assistant
Ianina.rodriguez@wbuoffice.org

WBU E-BULLETIN - VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2, March 2009

CONTACT US AT:
World Blind Union
1929 Bayview Avenue,
Toronto Ontario Canada M4G 3E8
Tel: 1-416-486-9698, Fax: 1-416-486-8107
Email: info@wbuoffice.org
Website: www.worldblindunion.org


Table of Contents

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE WBU E-BULLETIN 3
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 3
IMPORTANT REMINDERS 4
REFLECTIONS – ESTABLISHMENT OF A PERMANENT HEADQUARTERS 4
Operations 5
General Assembly Planning 6
Communications 7
Resource Development 7
Support to WBU’s Priorities and Initiatives 8
Office Sponsorship 8
CELEBRATING BRAILLE BICENTENARY 9
Louis Braille Birth Bicentennial Celebrations in India 9
Bicentenary Conference in France 11
BANA Creates Braille Excellence Award 12
Louis Braille Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation 13
Braille: Knowledge at your Fingertips 13
Actuality of Braille in Different Socio-economic Settings 14
VISION ALLIANCE 14
WORLD SIGHT DAY – October 8, 2009 14
ANNOUNCEMENTS 15
CRPD Appointments 15
Techshare 2009 16
DAISY 2009 17
RESOURCES 17
Free Screen Reading and Large Print Software 17
Advocacy Manual Available 18
Voice Internet Technology 18
Report -Disabilities among Refugees and Conflict-affected Populations" 18
Human Rights Materials Available On Line 18
Website for Partially Sighted persons 19
Disability Rights Fund 19
Human Rights Materials 19
Resource on the Convention 20
UNU-IAS PhD and Postdoctoral fellowships 20
NEWS FROM OUR REGIONS 20
LATIN AMERICA REGION 21
ULAC has a new Technical Office 21
México: Braille Books for Latin America 21
The MATE Network: An alliance to facilitate access to education to young people with visual impairments from Argentina and Uruguay 22
NORTH AMERICA/CARIBBEAN 23
CNIB Announces John M. Rafferty as New President and CEO 23
CNIB Lake Joseph Centre – a fully accessible camping experience 24
AFRICA REGION 24
Jill Wagner Accepts new Challenge 24
Mozambique Launches Braille Constitution 25
EUROPE 25
Kevin Carey Elected as new Chairman of RNIB 25
International Competition of Blind Musicians and Composers 26
EBU activity in the framework of the Community Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity (PROGRESS) 26
WBU OFFICERS 26

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE WBU E-BULLETIN
Contributions are welcome to the E-Bulletin. We thank those of you who have been providing us with content for the E-bulletins and encourage contributions from all regions. Our next deadline for content submission will be Friday May 1st for our May 2009 issue of the E-bulletin. We will accept submissions in English, French and Spanish, preferably in electronic format.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Welcome to the March issue of our E-Bulletin.

2009 continues to be made up of many special events and celebrations for the bicentenary of the birth of Louis Braille. We will read about some of these in this publication and future issues throughout the year.

The Officers developed our Strategic Plan 2009 – 2012 last December which can be found on the webpage. There has been a huge amount of work taking place since then to develop the activities which sit under the plan and compile it into the WBU Work Plan for the term. This will be updated twice each year as we undertake our work. A list of our representatives on various organisations and bodies will be soon available on the webpage along with a list of our various groups of individuals who will undertake our work.

Each of our strategic priority leaders will provide a short report of the progress of work in their area of responsibility for each E-Bulletin. This will provide an easy and accessible update of our progress throughout the term.

The CRPD monitoring committee met in Geneva during the last week of February and some of our blind colleagues were selected for key posts. Please refer to the article that appears later in the WBU E-bulletin for further information.

The WBU is not sheltered from the global financial crisis being felt in all corners of the world. We are closely monitoring the situation and expect there will be varying impacts on our members. In recognition of the situation we will hold one, instead of two, face to face meetings of the executive this term. We may cancel one or even two officers meetings but this will not be in 2009. It is important that the new leadership has the opportunity to build the team and ensure our program of work for the term is put in place and progressed. I can assure you we are prepared to adjust our plans if necessary.

I will end with a reminder to regional presidents to ensure material of the work in your region is available for inclusion in all E-Bulletins so others can learn about the huge amount of work being undertaken in all regions.

Maryanne Diamond
President

IMPORTANT REMINDERS
Scholarship Funds
New guidelines and application forms for the Hermoine Grant Calhoun Scholarships (for blind women), the Pedro Zurita Youth Fund and the Arne Husveg Development Fund are available on the WBU website or from the WBU Office.

REFLECTIONS – ESTABLISHMENT OF A PERMANENT HEADQUARTERS
(by Maryanne Diamond)

It is now three years since the WBU Executive approved a business plan to establish a permanent headquarters for our organization. It is timely to reflect on what was proposed and what we have achieved to date. In June 2006 the officers decided the office of the WBU would be located in Toronto Canada. After the recruitment of the CEO the office opened November 2006.

Since opening, the office has assumed all functions and responsibilities that were foreseen in the business plan. In addition, the Office has supported and facilitated many initiatives on behalf of the WBU and has contributed tremendously to strengthening the organization. The following will serve to highlight some of the key achievements.

Operations
 The WBU Office continues to benefit from the space and infrastructure support provided by the CNIB. While the operations of the WBU office are separate and distinct from those of CNIB, we have made arrangements to purchase certain services such as Accounting, Information Services and Property services, as well as Human Resources when required. These arrangements continue to be very beneficial to us and CNIB staff has been most welcoming, interested in our work and supportive.
 The office has the ability to communicate with members in our three principal languages and can respond to email and telephone enquiries in each of English, French and Spanish. Office personnel have neither the time nor the technical expertise to handle translation of documents, which are sent to qualified external translators, but can and do ensure that routine correspondence is dealt with in the language of choice.
 The WBU is now recognized as a registered charity in Canada. This process took a very long time to complete but our charitable status was granted in December of 2008. This charitable status will facilitate our fundraising efforts.
 The membership database continues to be refined and updated. It formed the basis of the delegate confirmation needed for the General Assembly in Geneva. Member information is available on the WBU website to facilitate member searches by members and others. This information is updated on a regular basis.
 Collection of membership fees for 2008 was assumed by the Office, which was successful in collecting more fees than has typically been the case. The Office also provided support to the membership fee structure committee to examine our membership fees and to develop and present a new fee structure to the General Assembly, which was approved.
 All WBU funds and Accounting responsibility were transferred to Toronto in the first quarter of 2008 and the budgets consolidated.
 A new Chart of Accounts system has been established for WBU in order to more easily track and monitor revenues and expenses. This new Chart of Accounts will have the flexibility to allow us to easily monitor revenues and expenses for specific projects and activities, which will be important to us as we secure more external funding sources.
 Support is provided to all Officers and Executive meetings, including meeting arrangements, development and distribution of meeting materials and note taking.

General Assembly Planning
 The CEO served on all General Assembly subcommittees and provided extensive support to their work and as liaison with Swiss organizers.
 The Office developed and distributed materials required by the members, including the consolidation of regional, committee and working group reports into a consolidated quadrennial report.
 The Office coordinated the sponsorship process for delegated supported to attend the Assembly including the application process, booking of flights and liaison around a myriad of details with the Swiss organizers.
 It was generally felt that the General Assembly was successful, and that the support provided by the office before, during and following the Assembly contributed significantly to that success.

Communications
 The office handles all distribution of materials to the membership on behalf of Officers and committees and working groups.
 The WBU E-bulletin has been in place since shortly after the Office opened, and continues to be distributed on a bi-monthly basis in English, French and Spanish.
 All translations are now coordinated through the WBU office with most documents for the use of the membership now being produced in the three WBU languages, distributed to the members and posted on the website for easy reference.
 The WBU Office has now assumed full responsibility for the WBU website and it has been transferred from ONCE in Spain to CNIB in Toronto. Significant efforts have been made to update the site and to ensure the same information is available on the English, French and Spanish sites. Much more work is needed to make the website more users friendly and effective and that is a key priority for the coming year.

Resource Development
 Although resources have not permitted us to focus on this area, it did receive attention through the branding and fund development strategy workshops held with the Officers during 2008. That has enabled us to develop core messages and to be clearer about the WBU mandate and what we would raise funds for.
 Through the generous support of RNIB, a part time fund development resource has been engaged for a year to assist us to secure some external funding resources for our programs and to develop and implement our funding strategy. This work is well underway with a number of possible donors identified and some project proposals already developed.

Support to WBU’s Priorities and Initiatives
 The Office has provided critical support to the WBU strategic planning process: developing and providing regular status reports to the workplan, developing and providing background materials to support the 2009 – 2012 planning process and facilitating the development of the workplans.
 The office responds to numerous queries from members and the regarding membership application and process, constitutional matters, information about programs and services available.
 The CEO represents the President or other Officers at meetings or events on request: this has included attendance at all Regional Assemblies in order to become better acquainted with members and regional issues, as well as representing WBU at IGDB, IFLA and IAPB.
 General advice, research, other support to Officers or committee/working group chairs as required and on an ongoing basis.

Office Sponsorship
 At the time the decision was made to establish the Office of the WBU, we established a program of support from amongst our members and recognize those who have so generously provided financial support for this initiative.
 Approximately $160,000 was received in pledges from office sponsorship members in 2008, slightly below amount received in 2007. We are now entering our 4th year of the pledge program, with most sponsors having pledged for a five year period, although some for lesser periods of time. Because the office has spent less than budgeted both in starts up costs and in its first year of operations, it is expected that the present pledges will cover costs through 2009 so long as all pledges are honoured. However, without increased pledges or other sources of revenues, the office will not have sufficient resources to sustain its operations in 2010 and beyond.
 It is anticipated that the new membership fee structure will help to generate some additional revenues and it is intended that we begin to generate funds from external sources, particularly now that we have some fundraising support from a resource provided by RNIB. However, it must be recognized that new revenue does take time to generate, and we are presenting our funding requests during a period of severe economic turmoil. Therefore the continued support of our present sponsors and the addition of new sponsors will be essential to our health and growth.

The decision to establish the office of the WBU has proven to be a great success for our organization. We have been particularly fortunate with the staff we have employed. Penny Hartin has brought to the role of CEO tremendous experience in management and administration and organizational development. Her knowledge of the work of the WBU over many years has ensured the office was operational and effective from the very start. Our two administration assistants, Catherine Munoz-Smith and Ianina Rodriguez have also been excellent choices and have contributed to the effectiveness and efficiency of our organization.

It is important that we do not become complacent and take for granted the office as we do not have the resources at our current level of support to maintain our operations past 2010.

In closing, I would like to extend appreciation to and welcome Sightsavers International who have come on board this year as a Platinum Sponsor.

CELEBRATING BRAILLE BICENTENARY
Louis Braille Birth Bicentennial Celebrations in India

India paid rich tributes to Louis Braille on his 200th birth anniversary, bearing testimony, yet again, to the fact that Louis belonged to the entire world. All India Confederation of the Blind (AICB) played a leading and proactive role in the conduct of these celebrations.

AICB convened a 2-day conference on ‘The Status of Braille in Asia’ at New Delhi with effect from 22nd December 2008. 135 delegates from 21 States of India and 11 countries of ABU region attended the conference. International Director, NABP and Secretary- General, ICEVI also participated in the event. The high point of the conference was the adoption after detailed discussion, of a Plan of Action. The Plan focussed on various facets of Braille including its development in the region, standardization of Codes, production and distribution of Braille books, teacher-preparation and competencies, pedagogical aspects and awareness-creation. The Plan also envisaged the creation of a monitoring mechanism to ensure its proper implementation.

On 3rd and 4th January 2009, AICB conducted competitions of declamation and group-singing on Louis Braille for sighted children from regular schools. The objective was to motivate sighted children to know more about Louis Braille and his valued contributions. A collection of poems on Louis Braille composed by leading blind and sighted poets was also brought out in Braille and in print. In addition, a well-researched biography of Louis Braille in Hindi, prepared by a prominent blind academician, was also released by AICB in print and in Braille in a grand function organized by it on 4th January. Three winners of ABU Onkyo Braille Essay Competition, 2008 were also presented mementoes and attractive cash awards on this occasion. 400 needy and economically under-privileged blind students were presented educational kits containing basic Braille-writing, computing and recreational devices as well as Braille books. Ten meritorious blind girls pursuing university courses were presented computers with JAWS software under the sponsorship of Dr. H.E. Schulze and Marga Schulze Foundation, Germany. About 1000 blind persons and representatives of organizations attended the public function organized by AICB on January 4, 2009.

AICB had also taken the lead in late 2007 in motivating the Government of India to organize this great occasion in a fitting manner. The government formulated a year-long programme of activities for the purpose, based, largely, on inputs provided by AICB.

The programme culminated in a grand function organized by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India at New Delhi in the afternoon of January 4, 2009. The Speaker of the Lower House of the country’s Parliament was the Chief Guest and two leading government Ministers and several senior officials from different Ministries were present.

At the function, AICB’s Braille Press was recognised as the Best Braille Press in India and presented a special National Award by the Government of India. A commemorative postal stamp and coins carrying Louis Braille’s photographs and raised dots were also released. Similarly, a 20-minute documentary film on Louis Braille and the capabilities of the blind, especially prepared for the occasion was screened. Braille editions of several popular books in different Indian languages, brought out by a leading government publisher, and produced in Braille by AICB, were also released at the function.
Bicentenary Conference in France
From June 18 – 20, 2009, the CINAL, (International Committee for the Commemoration of the Bicentenary of the Birth of Louis Braille), will host an International Conference, International Congress VI2009 in Coupvray France.

“In a world where image is everything, how can those who cannot see, or who have difficulty seeing, become integrated into the educational systems and businesses? How can they participate in the cultural life of our countries?” The greatest international specialists who are working on this question will have the possibility of exchanging their viewpoints, comparing their experiences and outlining responses bearing hope.

Program highlights include:
 Thursday June 18: The visually impaired person in the contemporary world
 Friday June 19: Visual impairment and integration
 Saturday June 20: Visual impairment, media and culture, or the difficult fight for access to knowledge

For detailed information about the Conference as well as registration information, please visit their website at: http://www.cinal-dv2009.com/en/international-congress-vi-2009.html

BANA Creates Braille Excellence Award
In honour of the 200th birthday of Louis Braille, The Braille Authority of North America (BANA) has created the Braille Excellence Award. This award will be given to people or organizations that have developed or contributed to a code, have developed code materials, or software that supports codes, and/or who represent the highest standards of braille production. The first award is being given to Dr. Abraham Nemeth for his contributions making math and science accessible for blind people around the world.

Abraham Nemeth was born completely blind in 1918, in New York City, where he spent most of his life. Although mathematics instantly became a passion for Nemeth, he was encouraged by his counsellors to pursue a degree in psychology at Brooklyn College. Following his bachelor’s degree, he continued his education at Columbia University, where he earned his master’s in psychology, while attending evening classes in physics and mathematics. As the math courses became increasingly more difficult, Nemeth proceeded to develop his own system of braille mathematics, adopted in the U.S. in 1952, named the Nemeth Braille Code for Mathematics and Science Notation. Shortly after the development of his code, he joined the Department of Mathematics at the University of Detroit, where he created a system of communicating mathematical formulas, called MathSpeak. During this time Nemeth received a PhD in mathematics from Wayne State University. Abraham Nemeth’s contributions have made math and science accessible for blind people around the world. For additional resource information, visit www.brailleauthority.org.

Louis Braille Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation
The National Braille Press has announced the 2009 Louis Braille Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation as announced in the Louis Braille: A Touch of Genius biography. Louis Braille was an innovator—and this award seeks to identify and inspire future innovation. Potentially, the award process will inspire new strategic directions for National Braille Press.

The Louis Braille Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation which involves a $20,000 prize will be awarded to an individual or group of individuals who contribute to innovation in the field of tactile literacy for blind people. The Prize can be granted for a new educational method; a new tactile literacy product; or a new technological advance. The $20,000 prize is provided through support from The Gibney Family Foundation and National Braille Press.

Applications must be submitted electronically, followed by a signed hard copy. Completed applications must be received by July 20, 2009. For further information please visit the National Braille Press website at: www.nbp.org

Braille: Knowledge at your Fingertips
From May 15 - January 4, 2010, the Canadian Museum of Science and Technology in collaboration with CNIB is offering a special exhibition to highlight the life and contribution of Louis Braille.

Actuality of Braille in Different Socio-economic Settings
A Workshop sponsored by: World Bank HDNSP & Education for All - Fast Track Initiative, GPDD, National Federation of the Blind was held on February 10th. The goal of this event at the World Bank was to underline the actuality of Braille in all socio-economic settings, the usability and affordability of Braille. The workshop, which harnessed web conferencing technology included speakers from the US and several other countries around the world.

VISION ALLIANCE
The Vision Alliance is an initiative of ICEVI, IAPB and WBU to create greater synergy and collaboration between the three organizations at the global, regional, and national levels for the purpose of improving the services and programs of each organization.

Areas for Synergy
During initial meetings of the three Vision Alliance partners, the following areas that would contribute to enhanced synergy and collaboration were identified.
 Developing mechanisms to assure a systematic exchange of information between the three organizations.
 Identifying common areas of mutual concern where the three organizations can work together through joint advocacy.
 Creating common platforms where stakeholders such as parents, persons with visual impairment, voluntary organizations, educators, and ophthalmologists can work together in planning comprehensive services for persons with visual impairment
WORLD SIGHT DAY – October 8, 2009
On World Sight Day, VISION 2020 members work together to:
 Raise public awareness of blindness & vision impairment as major international public health issues
 Influence Governments/Ministers of Health to participate in and designate funds for national blindness prevention programmes
 Educate target audiences about blindness prevention, about VISION 2020 and its activities, and to generate support for VISION 2020 programme activities

The theme of World Sight Day 2009 (WSD09) “Gender and Eye Health” recognizes that:
1. Two-thirds of blind people worldwide are women & girls
2. In many countries, men's access to eye care is twice that of women
3. Effective strategies can and do successfully address this inequity

ANNOUNCEMENTS
CRPD Appointments
The WBU congratulates Ana Peláez Narváez from Spain on her appointment as Co Chairperson of the CRPD Steering Committee. We also sincerely congratulate Professor Ron McCallum from Australia as Rapporteur to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Both Ana and Ron are active in and well known to the World Blind Union and we are delighted that they have received such outstanding recognition from their fellow CRPD committee members. Several other members of the CRPD monitoring committee who are well known to the WBU were also selected to important positions within the CRPD monitoring committee. Here is a list of all of the appointments:

The CRPD committee elected the following Bureau:
 Chair: Mr Al Tarawneh (year 1) and Mrs Pelaez (year 2)
 Vice-chair: Mrs Pelaez (year 1) and Mr Al Tarawneh (year 2)
 Vice-chair Africa: Mrs Maina (year 1) and Mr Laloham (year 2)
 Vice-chair Asia: Mrs Yang (year 1) and Mr Choudhuri (year 2)
 Vice-chair Eastern Europe: Mr Konczei (year 1) and Mr Ursic (year 2)
 Vice-chair Latin America: Mr Torres (year 1) and Mrs Cisternas (year 2)
 General Rapporteur: Mr McCallum
 Rapporteur on individual communications: Mrs Al Suwaidi

It was also decided to establish 3 working groups to work on the Rules of Procedure (co-ordinated by Mr McCallum), working methods (co-ordinated by Mrs Cisternas) and reporting guidelines (co-ordinated by Mrs Pelaez).

Our sincere congratulations to all on these appointments
Techshare 2009
Techshare 2009 will take place on 16 - 18 September 2009 at ExCeL London in east London's Royal Victoria Dock. This is an excellent opportunity to learn about developments and innovations in digital assistive technology. Call for papers now open.

As well as attending, you can be involved with shaping the content of the event by submitting an abstract outlining your work, research or activities, to be presented to the international audience at Techshare 2009.

You'll find the call for papers guidance and submission form document on the website by following this link: www.rnib.org.uk/tscallforpapers

There is more information about the event on the Techshare web pages.
www.rnib.org.uk/techshare

DAISY 2009
To showcase the DAISY technology, the German Central Library for the Blind Leipzig will organise an international conference and meeting week in Leipzig/Germany from 21 to 27 September 2009: DAISY2009. The programme consists of a DAISY International Technical Conference, a German-language conference with the title “Barrier-free Preparation of Documents” and a public DAISY User Forum. Additionally, there will be further workshops of the EBU Commission on Technology, the board of the European Blind Union and the DAISY Board.
For more details, please visit our homepage www.daisy2009.de

RESOURCES
Free Screen Reading and Large Print Software
NVDA: Non-visual Desktop Access.
This is a very comprehensive and robust free access package. And it is working with rudimentary Braille display support as well.
You can install it on your pc or put a portable version on a flash drive. You can find this at:
www.nvda-project.org
Another one is a screen reader called Thunder out of the UK.
You can find it at:
http://www.screenreader.net/

For large print there is:
The Screen Magnifiers Homepage, http://www.magnifiers.org and another is a free program, the Virtual Magnifying Glass http://magnifier.sourceforge.net/
Advocacy Manual Available
Creating Successful Campaigns for Community Living: An Advocacy Manual for Disability Organizations and Service Providers, published by the European Coalition on Community Living (ECCL) (November 2008) is an excellent advocacy training manual that can be used to conduct workshops for persons with disabilities. This manual can be adapted for use in many countries. To download the manual in Word version http://www.community-living.info/documents/ECCLAdvocacy%20Manual_TextVersion.doc

Voice Internet Technology
Internet for Everyone provides the ability to surf the web, access email and other internet services using voice technology. For further information, visit: www.internetspeech.com

Report -Disabilities among Refugees and Conflict-affected Populations"
A report entitled “Disabilities among Refugees and Conflict-affected Populations” was published in June 2008. It can be viewed at:
http://www.womenscommission.org/pdf/disab_fulll_report.pdf

Human Rights Materials Available On Line
A new publication from the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights, titled Working with the United Nations Human Rights Programme: A Handbook for Civil Society is now available in English on-line at http://www.ohchr.org/EN/AboutUs/Pages/NgoHandbook.aspx

It will also be released in Russian, Arabic, Spanish and French soon.
Website for Partially Sighted persons
There is a new website that has been established specifically to meet the needs of the visually impaired. If you need any help, information or support - then this is where you can find it.
Visit www.partially-sighted.com for free access to the discussion forums set up especially for visually impaired persons, to encourage the sharing of useful information, experiences or simply to offer each other advice and support.
Disability Rights Fund
The Disability Rights Fund (DRF) is sending out its 2009 Request for Proposals, with three new countries targeted in the first round: Mexico, India and Ukraine. Grants are available for single organizations and also for national NGOs. For more information and to read criteria in English, go to http://www.disabilityrightsfund.org/grant.html
For information in Spanish, go to http://www.disabilityrightsfund.org/espanol/index.html

Human Rights Materials
The Harvard Project on Disability develops and disseminates educational materials on the human rights of people with disabilities. An informed civil society is vital to promoting, implementing, and monitoring the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Educational materials are particularly relevant now that the CRPD has become international law. The Harvard Project’s publications:
 Explain the Convention and the rights it contains
 Enable self-advocacy of CRPD rights
 Teach persons on how to be a global advocate for people with disabilities
 Explain how to promote implementation of the Convention
More information and free downloads of human rights materials in different languages and formats can be obtained from http://hpod.org/publications/human-rights-training
The Human Rights Yes! training manual developed for people with disabilities and their representative organizations can be read at http://hpod.org/pdf/HumanRightsYes.pdf

Resource on the Convention
A disability knowledge website is available on the UN Convention on Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The disAbilityknowledge.org website is a valuable source of information and includes DPI Toolkits on the Convention and the UN Handbook for parliamentarians.

To view the site, please go to http://moodle.disabilityknowledge.org/course/view.php?id=16
A legal opinion on Article 12 is available on the site and may be of use to you in your National lobbying efforts. To read this, go to http://moodle.disabilityknowledge.org/mod/resource/view.php?id=402

UNU-IAS PhD and Postdoctoral fellowships
Every year UNU-IAS offers PhD and Postdoctoral fellowships to provide young scholars and policy-makers, especially from the developing world, with a multi-disciplinarily context within which to pursue advanced research and training that is of professional interest to the successful applicant and of direct relevance to the research agenda of their selected UNU-IAS or UNU programme.
Read more:
http://cambodiajobs.blogspot.com/2008/04/unu-ias-phd-and-postdoctoral.html

NEWS FROM OUR REGIONS
LATIN AMERICA REGION
ULAC has a new Technical Office
ULAC is pleased to announce the opening of its new Technical Office in January. This Office is located in the National Blind Union of Uruguay and is open from 9 AM to 6 PM. The new Executive Secretary is Natalia Guala and her Administrative Assistant is Andrea Cammarano. The following is the contact information for the ULAC office:
Phone: (+5982) 9033022
Fax: (+5982) 9033022
E-mail: oficinaulac@gmail.com
Website: www.fbu.edu.uy/ulac
México: Braille Books for Latin America
The Mexican Association of Visually Impaired Persons (AMADIVI) will print books in braille, thanks to an agreement with the Lasalle University. This initiative is part of the celebration of Louis Braille’s bicentenary which takes place during this year. The books will be distributed between different special schools of Latin America in order to make braille available to all blind children. Therefore, we are glad to communicate that the materials produced by our institution are arriving in more countries in the region every day. Through their distribution and sale and also through the participation of AMADIVI with important donations and support for projects such as the recent one signed with FOAL to support the actions of the EFAVI, we are convinced that we are bringing more educational and technical tools to students with visual impaired which will improve their success in school and work.
The MATE Network: An alliance to facilitate access to education to young people with visual impairments from Argentina and Uruguay
The word “mate” means companion in English. In Spanish, “mate” is an Argentine and Uruguayan tea-like drink. It is unique as it is drunk in a group; you share it in an environment of communication and exchange of ideas among those who participate.

With this idea of meeting, sharing resources and experiences in mind, the National Union of the Blind of Uruguay, Tiflonexos and The Córdoba National University, Argentina, have established the MATE Network (Materials and Educational Support for Blind Persons), in order to support blind students by means of the best possible use of the opportunities offered by new technologies.

Three production centres of materials for blind and low vision students constitute the MATE Network. By means of a scanner with automatic document feeder, they digitalize texts that will be delivered to their users in any of the four possible formats: digital file, Braille, synthetic speech or large print.

The documents prepared in each one of these centres are shared through the platform offered by the Tiflolibros Library (http://www.tiflolibros.com.ar). In this way, the production of one centre is available to the other two and, at the same time 3,600 blind people and 130 organizations that have access through Internet to this library may download them freely.

In 2009, the MATE Network will start to work also in the provision of training to students and teachers so that they are able to make the best possible use of the technological current tools in order to improve their educational levels.

From the MATE Network we are trying to coordinate efforts and resources with other organizations that work in this field with the aim of providing students the chance of achieving social inclusion and reaching better educational levels.

For more information, please, visit the website http://www.redmate.org where you will find besides, the contact addresses of the three MATE centres.
To get in touch
buenosaires@redmate.org
montevideo@redmate.org
cordoba@redmate.org

NORTH AMERICA/CARIBBEAN
CNIB Announces John M. Rafferty as New President and CEO
The WBU offers sincere congratulations to John M. Rafferty who has been appointed as the new President and CEO of the CNIB, effective March 2. John takes over from Jim Sanders who recently announced his retirement from CNIB, but who will remain active with the WBU for the next while.

John has 13 years of national and international experience as a senior executive, most recently as chief operating officer of Canpages Inc., an online and print directory company he co-founded in 2006. Prior to that, he served in senior leadership positions with British Telecom in the UK, Verizon Information Services in Canada, Poland and China, and with Dun and Bradstreet in Canada. John also had a close family member with vision loss, and has always been a supporter of the organization. The WBU wishes John well as he assumes his new role at the helm of the CNIB.

CNIB Lake Joseph Centre – a fully accessible camping experience
Located in the heart of Muskoka, just north of Toronto, Canada, CNIB Lake Joseph Centre is a world leader in providing people with vision loss with life changing experiences. Lake Jo’s innovative programming and partnerships excite and inspire children, youth, families and adults with vision loss as they meet new friends, experience exciting new adventures and leave with memories that will last a lifetime.

Visit www.lakejo.ca for more information or registration

Some of the programs offered include:
 Family Adventure Week
 Kids Gone Wild! (8 to 12 years old)
 Leadership Development Program (15 to 21 years old)
 Advanced Fishing (Adults)
 Active Adults

AFRICA REGION
Jill Wagner Accepts new Challenge
After dedicating four productive years to the South African National Council for the Blind (SANCB) as the organisation’s National Executive Director, Ms. Jill Wagner has decided to broaden her affect on the disabled communities of many developing countries, by taking up the position of Chief Executive at an internationally based NGO, called Action Disability and Development (ADD). Jill will be relocating to the United Kingdom to take up her new position at ADD from the beginning of March 2009.

WBU offers their sincere congratulations to Jill on having been chosen for this important appointment and wish her well in her new role.

Mozambique Launches Braille Constitution
The Mozambique government has translated its constitution into braille, to benefit the country's blind people. Mozambican president Armando Guebuza said at the launch of the braille constitution that the initiative was part of his government's promises to uplift the human rights of all the country's citizens, despite their disabilities.

The translation was funded by the government and international donors. Social Welfare minister Virgilia Matabele presented the first 150 copies of the braille constitution at a ceremony held last year, which was also attended by representatives of the blind people's association (Acamo). President of Acamo Jose Tomo said his association was satisfied with the government's initiative.

EUROPE
Kevin Carey Elected as new Chairman of RNIB
RNIB is very pleased to announce that Kevin Carey has just been elected as Chairman of the RNIB Group from 2009 - 2012 and will take up the position at the Annual General Meeting on 23 July 2009. Colin Low will continue as Chair until his term ends on 23 July.

Kevin has served as RNIB's Vice Chairman since 2000 and has been a member of the RNIB Group governing body since 1988.
Kevin is director of HumanITy - a charity he founded to focus on technology and exclusion with a special interest in disabled people, advising the EU, Government Departments and international corporations. He is also Chair of Ofcom's Community Radio Panel and a Board member of Futurebuilders, a funding organisation. Kevin has served on the Ofcom Content Board (2003-2006), gained a NESTA Fellowship in accessible broadcasting (2004-2006) and holds a Royal Television Society Engineering Award.

The WBU extends warm congratulations to Kevin on his election.

International Competition of Blind Musicians and Composers
The Czech Blind United (SONS) extends its cordial invitation to all interested music performers and composers who would wish to participate in the XII International Competition of Blind & Partially-Sighted Music Performers 2010 and XI International Competition of Blind & Partially-Sighted Music Composers 2010. The Competition of Performers will be held in Prague from February 28 to March 5, 2010. For more detailed information and eligibility conditions refer to the attached documents. All interested visually-impaired musicians are warmly invited to Prague. All electronic correspondence should be directed to: internationaldep@sons.cz

You may also visit their website at: http://www.braillnet.cz/sons/zahranicni/souteze/index.htm

EBU activity in the framework of the Community Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity (PROGRESS)
With financial support of the European Commission under the Community Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity (PROGRESS), EBU conducted in 2008 a programme of activity: "Partnership for the social inclusion of people with a visual impairment". The programme focuses on five key areas: the UN Convention of the Rights of People with Disabilities, Employment, Access to Technology, Education and Capacity Building, and Communication. For further information, visit the EBU website at: www.euroblind.org

WBU OFFICERS
Ms. Maryanne Diamond, President
Maryanne.diamond@Visionaustralia.org
Mr. Arnt Holte, 1st Vice President
arnt.holte@blindeforbundet.no
Ms. Frances Candiru, 2nd Vice President
fcandiru@yahoo.com
Mr. Enrique Pérez, Secretary General
umc@once.es
Mr. A. K. Mittal, Treasurer
akmittal@rediffmail.com
Mr. William Rowland, Immediate Past President
rowland@sancb.org.za

REGIONAL PRESIDENTS

AFRICA (AFUB)
Mr. Mohammed Ez-zaoui
med.ezzaoui@gmail.com
ASIA (ABU)
Mr. Ahmad Mohammed Mousa Allouzi
fabjo@index.com.jo
ASIA PACIFIC (WBU-AP)
Mr. Chuji Sashida
Sashida.Chuji@jeed.or.jp
EUROPE (EBU)
Lord Colin Low
Colin.Low@rnib.org.uk
LATIN AMERICA (ULAC)
Dr. Guillermo Moreno
dr_guillermo_moreno@hotmail.com
NORTH AMERICA/CARIBBEAN (WBU-NA/C)
Mr. Carl Augusto
caugusto@afb.net

WBU STAFF

Dr. Penny Hartin, Chief Executive Officer
Penny.hartin@wbuoffice.org
Ms. Ianina Rodriguez, Administrative Assistant
Ianina.rodriguez@wbuoffice.org