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  • Jumat, 03 April 2009

    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

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