WBU E-BULLETIN - VOLUME 4, ISSUE 1, JANUARY 2010

Table of Contents
CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE E-BULLETIN 3
FROM THE PRESIDENT 3
EXPRESSION OF SOLIDARITY TO OUR BROTHERS AND
SISTERS IN HAITI 4
A STEP CLOSER TO IMPROVING ACCESS TO PUBLISHED
WORKS IRRESPECTIVE OF WHERE WE LIVE 4
WORLD BLIND UNION (WBU), EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY 7
SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE 8
UPDATE ON WBU OFFICERS MEETINGS HELD IN DECEMBER 9
HADLEY EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE NOW UNDERWAY 10
WBU SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED IN 2009 10
PEDRO ZURITA YOUTH FUND 11
HERMOINE GRANT CALHOUN FUND 11
ARNE HUSVEG FUND 11
WBU – CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF ACHIEVEMENT 11
ANNOUNCEMENTS 14
EBU WINS THE GOLDEN STARS AWARD 14
SIGHTSAVERS INTERNATIONAL TURNS 60! 15
THE JOURNAL OF VISUAL IMPAIRMENT & BLINDNESS CALL
FOR PAPERS: SPECIAL ISSUE ON VISION AND THE BRAIN 15
UNITED NATIONS COMMEMORATED THE INTERNATIONAL
DAY OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES 2009 16
RESOURCES 17
WHO'S DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION TEAM ISSUED
A FACT SHEET ON DISABILITY 17
UNDP - NEW TRAINING TOOL FOR HR TO SUPPORT CRPD 17
WEB ACCESIBILITY WORKSHOP IN A JOINT EFFORT TO
PROMOTE ACCESSIBILITY 18
YORK UNIVERSITY STUDENTS LAUNCHED THEIR FIRST ISSUE
OF THE CRITICAL DISABILITY DISCOURSE JOURNAL 18
HEALTH CANADA’S INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS DIRECTORATE RELEASED A REPORT ON HIV/AIDS AND DISABILITY 18
DRPI ADOPTED A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO DISABILITY
RIGHTS MONITORING 19
LISTEN TO THE RECENT NEWS ONLINE 20
VISIONOUTDOOR / NATURE VACATION PROGRAMS FOR
THE BLIND – THE 2010 PROGRAM CATALOGUE IS
AVAILABLE ONLINE NOW 20
NEWS FROM THE REGIONS 20
AFRICA 20
AFUB HELD A PARTNERS' ROUND TABLE MEETING
IN NAIROBI 20
KENYA UNION OF THE BLIND (KUB) CELEBRATED ITS
50TH ANNIVERSARY 21
SEMINARS HELP AVOIDING ISOLATION OF BLIND
PERSONS IN ERITREA 22
INCLUSIVE EDUCATION PROJECT FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED CHILDREN IN SWAZILAND AND NIGER 22
THE 5TH AFRICA FORUM HAS BEEN AWARDED TO GHANA 22
RWANDA CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL WHITE CANE DAY 23
ASIA 23
STUDENTS GRADUATES FROM BRAILLE WITHOUT BORDERS’ TRAINING CENTRE 23
WBU ASIA PACIFIC REGION 24
LIBRARY GOES DIGITAL FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED 24
SEMINAR ON EQUIPMENT TECHNOLOGY IN CHINA 24
EUROPE 24
EUROPEAN COMMUNITY RATIFIED THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES 24
NORTH AMERICA AND THE CARIBEAN 25
ACCESSIBILITY AWARD: THE EXHIBITION ON BRAILLE, KNOWLEDGE AT YOUR FINGERTIPS 25
WBU OFFICERS 25
REGIONAL PRESIDENTS 26
WBU STAFF 26


We have all been saddened by the devastation of the recent earthquake and its impact on the lives of all Haitians, and in particular those who are blind and partially sighted. The WBU family wishes to send messages of hope and solidarity to our blind and partially sighted friends in Haiti, and their families.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE 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 Monday, March 1th 2010 for our March 2010 issue of the E-bulletin. We will accept submissions in English, French and Spanish, preferably in electronic format.

FROM THE PRESIDENT
2009 was a very special year of celebration. Millions of us celebrated the amazing gift of braille left to us by its founder, Louis Braille. Braille and its usage were certainly given a prominent place in the community. We celebrated 25 years of the WBU reflecting on what we have achieved in the short life of our organization.

Equally, 2009 gave us the opportunity to look forward. Celebrating our past, learning from those who have come before us and dreaming of what lies ahead in the future.

2010 is a huge year; the officers will meet in Buenos Aires and the Executive will hold its only face to face meeting for the term in Melbourne. ICEVI will hold its general assembly in Bangkok and we will determine the location of our next General Assembly in 2012.

Congratulations to Ron McCallum from Australia who will take on the chair of the CRPD Monitoring Committee at its 3rd meeting in Geneva late February. With 77 ratifications of the convention, it is likely that the figure of 80 will be reached before September 2010. This means that the CRPD Monitoring committee will increase from 12 to 18.

Our strategic plan has now been in place for a year and I expect 2010 will bring progress on all our areas of work in the plan.

I look forward to working with you again this year.

Maryanne Diamond

EXPRESSION OF SOLIDARITY TO OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN HAITI
We have been receiving many enquiries from our WBU members regarding the situation of blind persons in Haiti. Haiti has a school for the blind (St. Vincent School) and an organization of the blind which is an active member of the WBU and NA/C region. We have had contact with Michel Péan, President of the Haitian Society of the Blind (SHAA) and Odnel Eleazard, SHAA Treasurer. They advise us that many people who are blind have lost their lives and they continue to collect information on people who are blind. We also have heard that St Vincent’s school sustained much damage and that some students and teachers lost their lives. The Principal of the School has taken a number of the students outside of Port-au-Prince. While the WBU cannot appropriately get involved in the emergency aid efforts as that is not our area of expertise, we will work with our other Vision Alliance partners, ICEVI and IAPB and our other members to help the Haitian Society of the Blind and blind Haitians and the St. Vincent School come through this crisis.

The St. Vincent school is supported by church groups in the United States. For further information on the St. Vincent School, please go to their website at: http://www.friendsofstvincents.org/

Many members have asked how they can help the Haitian Society of the Blind and blind persons in Haiti. We do have banking information for SHAA and will be happy to provide that to any member who wishes to forward assistance to them.

A STEP CLOSER TO IMPROVING ACCESS TO PUBLISHED WORKS IRRESPECTIVE OF WHERE WE LIVE
By Maryanne Diamond

Chris Friend and Dan Pescod have done a fantastic job in leading our Right to Read Campaign since 2008. A major focus of this campaign in 2009 was the tabling in May by: Brazil, Ecuador and Paraguay of a treaty with World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) at the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR18) meeting held in Geneva. The formal title is, “The Treaty for Improved Access for Blind, Visually Impaired and Other Reading Disabled Persons“ which has become known as “The WBU Treaty”.

The most recent activity was our participation at the Nineteenth Session of the WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR19) held in Geneva 14 – 18 December 2009. I was extremely pleased to be there in person and participate in the meeting and various side events throughout the week. The week was full of events from early morning to late into the evening.

18 organizations were granted Ad Hoc accreditation on the first day, 17 of which were NGO’s from our sector with 11 having at least one person in attendance and had the opportunity to speak when NGO’s were permitted speaking rights. The WBU was represented from our national and regional members who enabled our campaigning to be at a much more intensive level than ever before. Collectively we certainly made an impact on the States Delegations who kept us busy throughout the week as the politics of differing wish lists came to the fore.

The biggest 'surprise' was the change in the USA's position. Prior to the SCCR19 meeting the "Group B" block of industrialized countries opposed the Treaty. Previously, this group had spoken with a united voice in opposition to the treaty; because of the revised position of the USA it could not do so. This change in direction on the part of the USA also put pressure on the other members of Group B countries to re-consider their position.

The European Union did not support the treaty. They presented work which was being undertaken within Europe for the cross border sharing of published works. The African countries believe that an international treaty with limitations and exceptions should include additional components including education, libraries and research as part of the broader development agenda. Speaking as a fellow NGO, the International Publishers Association (IPA) did not support the treaty. They believe that the treaty should not proceed until such time as the work underway on the stakeholder platform is undertaken over a two year trial.

The final day which consisted of negotiations of the conclusions worked through a number of versions of the final document ending later than 10 PM in the evening. After 6PM language translation was not available which made it extremely difficult for all too fully participate.

The following is an extract from the conclusions of the meting, the full version can be found at:
http://www.wipo.int/meetings/en/doc_details.jsp?doc_id=130644

“All aspects concerning limitations and exceptions will be maintained on the Agenda of the twentieth session of the SCCR with the aim of establishing a work program concerning those limitations and exceptions, following a global and inclusive approach, and taking into account their equal importance and different level of maturity, while recognizing the need for concurrently addressing all the issues with a view to achieving progress on all of them.”

We are delighted that the treaty remains on the table, however, recognize there is a great deal of work to be done between now and June 2010 when the next meeting of the WIPO SCCR20 is held. We need your help!!! We will be developing fact sheets and making them available on the WBU website and through our various networks which will assist you in lobbying the WIPO delegate from your country.

This is a “Once in lifetime opportunity” to make a real difference to accessible printed works irrespective of where you live in the world. We believe that a treaty is the best means of achieving the kind of change we are all working for.

I would like to acknowledge and thank the Government delegations from: Brazil, Paraguay and Ecuador who have done a tremendous job at getting this issue onto the international stage and for their great job during the SCCR19 meeting of keeping it their day jobs.

Special thanks must go to Chris and Dan who continue to work tirelessly on this campaign and have gathered a great support base from within our members, governments and friends from outside our community who have provided huge efforts of time and resources to assist us in this work. It must also be acknowledged the huge support provided to us by RNIB and Sightsavers International who have made it possible for both Dan and Chris to work on the Right to Read Campaign as part of their day jobs.

WORLD BLIND UNION (WBU), EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY
The WBU Officers have agreed that during the current work period, special attention should be given to the needs and profile of particular groups (who may otherwise be marginalized or overlooked in relation to their special needs by member organizations). For this purpose the WBU has established a Diversity Committee, Chaired by WBU 2nd Vice President, Frances Candiru.

The committee has developed the following questionnaire to establish an improved understanding of the composition of the management and governance structures of WBU members in an effort to determine the diversity of our WBU membership. Information from this questionnaire will inform special focus areas for the Diversity Committee’s work.

This questionnaire has been adapted from a very similar questionnaire which was sent to all the members of the European Blind Union in 2009 (therefore the EBU members will be excluded from this survey).

The survey is intended to provide a snapshot view of the present status quo in relation to diversity and inclusion. The outcome of this survey will be summarized and shared with the WBU Executive and the Diversity Committee and will also be summarized for a future article in the WBU E-bulletin.

Members are requested to please take the time to complete this short and simple questionnaire in terms of the managing committee or board of your national organization.

Please return the completed questionnaire by the end of February 2010 to jill.flynn@add.org.uk. Jill Flynn is a member of the Diversity Committee of the WBU and has been appointed to compile the findings summary report on behalf of the Diversity Committee of the WBU. (Please cut and paste the survey into an email message)

SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE

1. Country:

2. Name of Organization:

3. Total number of members on the board or managing committee:

Gender

 Number of Male:

 Number of Female:

Age

 Under 30 years:

 31 – 50 years:

 51 – 65 years:

 Over 65:

4. Sight Level (Fully sighted, with or without spectacles, have low vision/partial sight or blind)

 Number sighted:

 Number partially sighted:

 Number totally blind:

5. Have additional disabilities besides to sight loss - including hearing loss

 specify number:

6. Have any other declared disability (and have no visual impairment). Please specify (i.e. physical disability, intellectual/learning disability, Mental Health, Hearing impaired, other)

 specify number:

7. Representing minority groups, or previously disadvantaged groups (other than on the basis of age, gender or disability) please specify the group

 specify number and group:

8. Ethnicity - Members who are not local nationals (i.e. not a passport holder in the country where the DPO or NGO is based)

 specify number:


Thank you for your time and cooperation. Please return the survey by the end of February 2010 to jill.flynn@add.org.uk

UPDATE ON WBU OFFICERS MEETINGS HELD IN DECEMBER
The WBU Officers held their semi-annual meeting in early December, hosted by the American Printing House for the Blind in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. The American Printing House is the primary producer of accessible format educational materials for blind children in America, and has extensive facilities to produce braille and audio materials, develop specialized educational products and have an extensive museum.

In addition to the meeting of the Officers, the Diversity committee met for the first time. This committee includes the Chairs of the networks on children, youth, elderly persons, women, persons with low vision and will soon include a representative from indigenous persons. A key initiative of the Diversity committee is to determine the involvement of our different populations within our own WBU structures, and thus they developed a questionnaire, included earlier in the E-bulletin. The Development Committee, the Membership Fees Committee and the Finance Committee also met prior to the Officers meeting, as did the Employment Working group, a few days previously.

The meeting focused on reviewing our progress within each of the Strategic Priority areas included in the Strategic Plan. As a result of these updates, the Work Plan will be updated and its summary shared with members on the WBU website. In general, progress was evident in all areas of the Plan, with the highlights being our work on the Right to Read Campaign, the progress of the World Braille Council and our international partnerships. There is still much work to be done to achieve all of the objectives set out in the plan, but at the same time, a great deal of work has been done over the past year.

A decision was also make to hire a part-time fundraising coordinator to be based in the WBU office. During the past year, the RNIB has supported a part-time fundraising consultant to assist us with donor research and proposal development. This work will be expanded on and it is hoped that having our own resource will enable us to develop the financial resources necessary to support our operations and programs. We are very grateful to the RNIB for their support of the consultant and their ongoing support in 2010 as we continue to develop our own fundraising capacity.

HADLEY EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE NOW UNDERWAY
As reported in the last issue of the WBU E-bulletin, the WBU has embarked on a partnership with the Hadley School for the Blind in the United States to train blind leaders at the international level. The first group of students has now been admitted into the program and recently a teleconference was held between the students and the Executive Leadership Institute Advisory Board, which includes several individuals in leadership roles within the World Blind Union. We are also delighted to report that two of the students accepted for this inaugural course include Kerryanne Ifill of Barbados and Ileana Chacon from Costa Rica.

For more information about the Executive Leadership Institute or other courses available from Hadley School for the Blind, free of charge, visit their website at: www.hadley.edu

WBU SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED IN 2009
We are pleased to announce the recipients of WBU scholarships during 2009. We remind members that guidelines and applications for WBU scholarships are available on the WBU website or from the WBU office. We are also happy to let you know that the scholarships committee has decided to accept applications throughout the year and will make decisions on a quarterly basis depending on the applications received and the funds available.

Our sincere congratulations to the following recipients:

PEDRO ZURITA YOUTH FUND

Mexico
Jesus Argumedo Castaneda; supported by AMADIVI, Mexico

Vietnam
Vietnam Blind Association
Le Thi Tinth -
Mai Van Dong
Nguyen Van Duy
Pham Van Phu

HERMOINE GRANT CALHOUN FUND

Argentina
Lorena Paola Maier

Burkina Faso
Baguia Hawa

Vietnam
Vietnam Blind Association
Hoang Thi Kim Tuyen
Mai Thi Tu
Tran Thi My Lai
Truong Thi Hoai Hanh

ARNE HUSVEG FUND

Benin
Association pour la Promotion et l’Intégration Sociale des Aveugles et Amblyopes du Bénin (APISAAB)
For Human Rights Training workshop

WBU – CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF ACHIEVEMENT
By Penny Hartin (originally written for ICEVI - The Educator)

The year 2009 has marked two significant milestones in the history of the WBU - the 200th anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille and the 25th anniversary of the formation of the WBU. This article will focus on the WBU itself and will provide a summary of some of its key accomplishments during its brief history.

The WBU was formed in 1984 through the union of the International Federation of the Blind (IFB) and the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind (WCWB). However, the WBU represents over a century of global co-operation on blindness issues - dating back to the first international conference on the subject in 1873 in Vienna.

Through the leadership of the WBU and the development of its constitution, one of its achievements to date has been to provide a forum where blind and low vision people established the right to speak for themselves. While the prominence of organizations of the blind is clearly embedded in the WBU structures, the World Blind Union has also been able to embrace the partnership of both service and consumer organizations. While in 1984, about 60 countries were members of the WBU, today more than 170 countries are members.

Since it was founded in 1984, the WBU has made significant progress towards its objectives in all areas of its work. The following are some of the most outstanding achievements:

 Establishment of the Institutional Development Program (IDP). With the support of Sightsavers International and the Hilton/Perkins Programme in the USA, the programme continues to undertake leadership training and organizational development work in many countries, particularly throughout Africa;
 Organization of world forums on such issues as rehabilitation (Thailand, 1994), literacy (Uruguay, 1996) and human rights (Uruguay, 1998), as well as for blind and low vision women in 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008 and a children's congress (Spain 2008);
 Retention of free post system for the blind. Had it not been for WBU intervention before the Universal Postal Union, this benefit would almost certainly have been withdrawn;
 Abolition of laser weapons as weapons of war, through the intervention of our human rights committee which was able to bring forward evidence of vision loss caused by laser weapons;
 Participation by WBU representatives in the drafting of a declaration including the aspirations and concerns of people with disabilities at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS);
 Instrumental in the World Health Organization (WHO) and International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) initiative to set up the Vision2020 programme, which is currently operating in many countries as well as globally and has already led to a reduction in avoidable blindness in the most vulnerable parts of the world;
 A key contributor to the development and monitoring of the Standard Rules for Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disability;
 As an international non-governmental organization (INGO), the WBU was a key contributor to the development of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, lobbying for many articles to include protection for people who are blind or have low vision;
 Capacity building, and in particular, supporting the development of well structured and strongly functioning organizations of the blind and low vision - bearing in mind at all times that "only blind and low vision persons can speak for blind and low vision persons";
 A voice in many areas of life as they affect people who are blind or low vision. The work undertaken by committees in many fields such as employment, human rights, literacy, education and women are examples of how these have been reflected;
 Special groupings that deal with pertinent issues that arise from time to time - services for the elderly (best practice), indigenous persons and sport and recreation (links with the International Blind Sports Federation - IBSA) are just three examples;
 A partner in the Education for All Visually Impaired Children (EFA-VI) Campaign in partnership with the International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI);
 Provider of scholarships through the WBU Hermoine Grant Calhoun and Pedro Zurita programmes;
 Working with UNICEF to ensure that the needs of blind and low vision children are addressed within their programmes and through the Convention on the Rights of the Child;
 Undertaking leadership development programmes for blind and low vision women at regional and national level to ensure they enjoy the opportunity for growth, self-determination and involvement in the organization that represents them at all levels. This has included policy and constitutional changes to ensure gender equity within the WBU organization itself;
 Urging developers of technology and everyday household goods to include requirements for people who are blind or have low vision at the design stage rather than looking to adapt what is already available;
 Physically support the maintenance and preservation of the Louis Braille Museum and activities to lobby the French Government and UNESCO to declare the birthplace a world heritage site;
 In partnership with the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA), and other international partners, advocating with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to ensure that accessible format books can be shared among countries, thus providing improved access to information for people who are blind or low vision.

These achievements over the past 25 years have laid the foundation for the continuation of our work in our three strategic priority areas of: representation, capacity building and resource sharing. In undertaking our initiatives and fulfilling the objectives in our Strategic Plan, the World Blind Union remains committed to optimizing opportunities for cooperation and collaboration with UN Departments and Agencies with which we are involved and other international partners, such as the ICEVI. We believe that our partnerships and opportunities for collaboration have been key to our success during the first 25 years of our organization and that they will be equally important as we move forward in changing what it means to be blind.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
EBU WINS THE GOLDEN STARS AWARD
The WBU extends its sincere congratulations to the European Blind Union (EBU) on being chosen as one of the winners of the Golden Stars Award of the European Union (EU) for the project "A Citizens' Europe for All, Disabled People on the Move" which was conducted in 2009. Read more on the project at www.inclusiveurope.eu

"EBU was founded in 1984 and this distinction is a beautiful gift that comes unexpectedly but at the right moment to mark our Silver Jubilee and to reward twenty five years of hard work to put an end to discrimination and social exclusion", said Lord Colin Low, President of EBU, who led EBU’s delegation at the Award Ceremony, held in December.

SIGHTSAVERS INTERNATIONAL TURNS 60!
The WBU congratulates Sightsavers International on celebrating sixty years of service. Over the last six decades Sightsavers has treated over 206.8 million people for blinding and potentially blinding conditions, and more than 7.1 million operations have been carried out to restore sight to those living in some of the poorest and remote parts of the world.

Sightsavers partners with ministries of health and local NGOs to support health systems, and encouraging the development of scalable, adaptable and cost-effective eye health services. One example of government that has welcomed this partnership is in Pakistan, where Sightsavers has been working with the local government to help train some 100,000 women in primary eye care.
The Lady Health Workers programme see village women go from door to door encouraging women to seek treatment for eye conditions and other health problems. Each Lady Health Worker visits around 200 families a month to check for diseases such as TB, malaria, malnutrition and the eye diseases that have left more than 1.5 million people blind in Pakistan.

In the last 60 years 0.5 million primary eye care workers have been trained by Sightsavers worldwide, but looking forward the organization has pledged to increase its training of eye health professionals to extend their reach to those in need of eye care.

Addressing the shortage of eye care professionals is an ambitious but necessary task and is at the heart of the organization’s new strategic direction says Dr. Caroline Harper OBE, Chief Executive of Sightsavers. "It is simply not acceptable that over a billion people in the developing world still lack access to eye care professionals and eye health services. Furthermore, this shortage is a critical constraint to the meeting of the goal of Vision 2020."

To learn more about Sightsavers history and future strategic direction visit: www.sightsavers.org

THE JOURNAL OF VISUAL IMPAIRMENT & BLINDNESS CALL FOR PAPERS: SPECIAL ISSUE ON VISION AND THE BRAIN
The Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness (JVIB), the leading international journal of record in the field, begins its 103rd year of continuous publication in 2010. The year promises to be exciting for subscribers who can expect cutting-edge research, information on best practices, the latest news and a special issue on Vision and the Brain.

JVIB has issued a call for papers for this special issue. The deadline for submissions has been extended to February 15, 2010 and the projected publication date is October 2010.

Visual impairment and/or dysfunction linked to damage to the brain has come to the forefront of professional concern in the field of blindness and visual impairment. Cortical visual impairment (CVI), also known as cerebral visual impairment, is now the leading cause of visual impairment in children in the developed world, and traumatic brain injuries have become the precipitating factor for vision loss among many soldiers returning from combat areas abroad. JVIB seeks to build the literature on the definition, nature, and treatment of brain-related vision loss and the relationship between vision and the brain by inviting submissions for its special issue on this complex subject.

Guidelines for contributors are printed in each issue of JVIB and are also available online at www.afb.org/jvib_guidelines.asp. Questions or requests for additional information can be e-mailed to press@afb.net and submissions can be made electronically by e-mailing jvib@jhmi.edu

In addition to publishing this groundbreaking issue on Vision and the Brain in 2010, JVIB will also be improving its online offerings with online reader comments, expanded electronic content and a presence on Facebook and Twitter. A limited time offer provides a one year online subscription for $25 and a print and online subscription for $65. For more information, go to www.afb.org/jvib.

UNITED NATIONS COMMEMORATED THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES 2009
The Secretary-General opened the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) and announced the newest United Nations Messenger of Peace, Mr. Stevie Wonder, an international celebrity and blind person who will advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities. The World Bank was connected via a live video conference and the statement from the President of the World Bank, Mr. Robert B. Zoellick, was read. The Day’s event continued with a panel discussion on the theme of the Day “Making the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) disability-inclusive: Empowerment of persons with disabilities and their communities around the world”. During the afternoon, presentations by the Disability Commissioner of the Office of the Mayor of the City of New York and a representative of the New York State Bar Association were followed by a disability film festival in which four disability-related films were screened.

For More information, please visit:
http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=1484

For information on how IDPD 2009 was commemorated in many areas around the world, please visit:
http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=1484

RESOURCES
WHO'S DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION TEAM ISSUED A FACT SHEET ON DISABILITY
The World Health Organization’s Disability and Rehabilitation (DAR) Team issued a fact sheet on disability and the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s), as well as a photo story on the internet and intranet web sites. The Team also contributed to a special issue of “The Lancet”, the first ever disability-themed publication in its 186-year history. The issue included articles on the CRPD, the MDG’s, community-based rehabilitation, disability in emergencies and assistive technologies in the developing world.

More information about The Lancet, Vol. 374, No. 9704, Nov 28, 2009 at:
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current?tab=past#

UNDP - NEW TRAINING TOOL FOR HR TO SUPPORT CRPD
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in support of the CRPD is raising awareness of its staff on issues related to persons with disabilities via a new online training tool to facilitate their integration into the workforce. The on-line training course by UNDP Office of Human Resources is called “Persons with DisAbilities: Ability. CapAbility. EmployAbility”. The training tool is the premier initiative of this type for the UN common system, not only in its content, but also in its ability to accommodate individuals with functional limitations. The training is unique in that it has built-in accessibility features for people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive impairments. UNDP has uploaded a sample demo of the on-line training onto their public internet site and is making the full version of the training available in a generic or custom format.

More information at:
http://www.undp.org/disability-course-demo/

WEB ACCESIBILITY WORKSHOP IN A JOINT EFFORT TO PROMOTE ACCESSIBILITY
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) are organizing an accessibility workshop at WIPO Headquarters on February 2 to 5, 2010, in Geneva for staff of the UN system and other international organizations. The objective of this workshop is to promote awareness on accessibility and encourage webmasters within the UN system and other international organizations to implement accessibility in their daily work.

More information at:
http://www.wipo.int/meetings/en/2010/wipo_itu_wai/

YORK UNIVERSITY STUDENTS LAUNCHED THEIR FIRST ISSUE OF THE CRITICAL DISABILITY DISCOURSE JOURNAL
Students at Toronto's York University are pleased to announce the launch of the first issue of Critical Disability Discourse (CDD). CDD is a bilingual, interdisciplinary online journal, publishing articles that focus on experiences of disability. The project is operated by, and was entirely conceived by, graduate students in the Critical Disability Studies graduate program at York University. The journal's review board consists of over thirty students and faculty members from York University, the University of Toronto, Laval University, McMaster University, and the University of Cambridge. “This past year, we have been working tirelessly on our first issue, reviewing thirty articles submitted from across North America.”

You can access the journal by using the following link:
https://pi.library.yorku.ca/ojs/index.php/cdd/index

HEALTH CANADA’S INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS DIRECTORATE RELEASED A REPORT ON HIV/AIDS AND DISABILITY
A new report by Health Canada's International Affairs Directorate has called for a greater focus on the rights of persons with disabilities in HIV policy. The report makes recommendations for policy change and follows an International Policy Dialogue held between UNAIDS, Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada in Ottawa in March 2009. The Report, titled HIV/AIDS and Disability: Final Report of the 4th International Policy Dialogue, calls for the United Nations' Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) to become a catalyst for change by shifting the disability discourse from charity-based or medical-based approaches to a rights-based approach. The Report also recommends the involvement of stakeholders in helping CRPD become a tool for change. These stakeholders include WHO, UNICEF, UNAIDS, national governments and ministries and civil society organizations working in the areas of disability and HIV.

To read the Report in English, go to:
http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2009/20091111_hiv_and_disability_en.pdf

To read the Report in French, go to:
http://data.unaids.org/pub/Agenda/2009/20091111_hiv_and_disability_fr.pdf

DRPI ADOPTED A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO DISABILITY RIGHTS MONITORING
Disability Rights Promotion International (DRPI) is a collaborative project working to establish a monitoring system to address disability discrimination globally. DRPI has adopted a holistic approach to disability rights monitoring, with three focus areas: individual experiences monitoring, systemic monitoring and media monitoring. Monitoring involves collecting and verifying information about human rights abuses. More comprehensive information on the experiences of people with disabilities could be a powerful tool for promoting the social change needed to realize the full participation and equality of people with disabilities. Credible and accurate data about the human rights situation of people with disabilities can persuade governments that abuses are occurring and that action is needed to fulfill human rights obligations. Recording information about individual experiences can uncover a pattern of discrimination affecting large numbers of people. Data outlining the extent of disability discrimination can promote greater awareness of the need for social change, can provide facts and figures useful for lobbying and other advocacy, and can supply governments with credible documentation to support the creation of more inclusive social policies and laws.

To read more go to:
http://www.yorku.ca/drpi/index.html

LISTEN TO THE RECENT NEWS ONLINE
A new resource called Newspapers For The Blind (NFTB) was recently launched for visually and hearing impaired persons. NFTB is a non-profit web based audio newspaper with streaming audio of leading news articles read by live people from around the country and the United Kingdom. This is another valuable tool for people with disabilities.

Please visit the website http://newspapersfortheblind.org/

VISIONOUTDOOR / NATURE VACATION PROGRAMS FOR THE BLIND – THE 2010 PROGRAM CATALOGUE IS AVAILABLE ONLINE NOW
Visionoutdoor, organizing nature sports vacations for visually impaired people since 2005, published its 2010 program catalogue. Participants can join various exciting programs, e. g., Iceland, Greenland, Madeira, and India. Although the organization is located in Germany, Visionoutdoor invites visually impaired travelers from all countries to register for one of its programs.

The catalogue is also available in English and can be read at:
www.visionoutdoor.de

NEWS FROM THE REGIONS
AFRICA
AFUB HELD A PARTNERS' ROUND TABLE MEETING IN NAIROBI
AFUB organized a Partners' Round table meeting on October 29th-30th in Nairobi. First and foremost, AFUB wishes to recognize the Norwegian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted (NABP) for their support of 22 years in which it has supported AFUB in developing strong administrative systems and structures and its programmes to a leading effective and efficient regional body. We thank all others SRF, DAB, CNIB, SSI, and WBU/IDP who have been part of this great fruitful journey.

The round table meeting was intended to serve as a platform for AFUB to strengthen its partnership relationships with its established partners and to forge new ones. It brought together AFUB's traditional partners as well as a number of potential ones, together with AFUB management and Board members. Within two days, participants reviewed AFUB's current position, in relation to its aims, activities and resources and examined AFUB's strategic directions against a background of emerging regional and global trends.

AFUB has vigorously made impressive inroads into facilitating the formation of national member organizations. Its membership base rose from 20 to 55 founding organizations in 50 African countries since 1987. With committed staff, passionate and visionary board members, and a family of development partners that believe in AFUB's potential, AFUB will continue to work towards realizing its vision of "a continent where blind and partially sighted persons in Africa enjoy equal rights, social inclusion and full participation in development".

KENYA UNION OF THE BLIND (KUB) CELEBRATED ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY
On November 20th, 2009 KUB marked 50 years of empowerment and social inclusion. Hon. Esther Murugi Mathenge, Minister for Gender, Children and Social Development, presided over the 50th Anniversary celebrations. Moreover she launched the Blind Child Trust Fund which seeks to enhance the social protection and access to quality education for children with visual impairment in Kenya.
More than 500 guests and KUB delegates from all over the country joined the event. An exhibition was held during the celebrations which hosted over 20 exhibitors such as, Sightsavers, Disability Council, Old Mutual, Computers for Schools, and National Council of People with Disabilities.

KUB presented its programmatic strategic plan for 2009-2013. It involves the following two main issues:
 Ensuring that every child with visual impairment is provided with education and social protection
 Promoting access to training and employment for Kenya's young and adult visual impaired people

SEMINARS HELP AVOIDING ISOLATION OF BLIND PERSONS IN ERITREA
Based on a 2009 action plan, published by the Eritrean National Association For The Blind (ERNAB), a series of training and awareness raising seminars were organized and implemented.

One seminar was conducted on how people can be active in avoiding isolation of blind persons, and how they can participate in the activities of their families and communities. Among the participants were administrators, spiritual and community leaders as well as families of blind persons.

A one week workshop on HIV&AIDS was hosted in Asmara by AFUB in July. 20 Peer Educators participated in this event. A discussion about how fellow blind persons in rural areas can be provided with information about HIV&AIDS took place during the workshop.

A brochure published in cooperation with the Ministry of health, office of NABP in Eritrea and Fred Hollows Foundation was distributed during another workshop in August. The brochure gives elementary information such as causes of blindness and its way of prevention, supported by different photos.

INCLUSIVE EDUCATION PROJECT FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED CHILDREN IN SWAZILAND AND NIGER
The Canadian government through the World Braille Foundation is funding an inclusive education project for visually impaired children in Swaziland and Niger. This is a partnership project with the African Union of the Blind. The project was launched in August 2009 in both countries and will run for two years. A national lobbying committee has been established to take control over the project. One of the main project purposes is to enhance the educational situation for visually impaired children.

THE 5TH AFRICA FORUM HAS BEEN AWARDED TO GHANA
The IDP is pleased to announce that the 5th Africa Forum has been awarded to Ghana and will be developed by a consortium of the Ghana Association of the Blind, the Ghana Society for the Blind and Sightsavers Ghana. In cooperation with many other stakeholders the consortium will work hard in the next 20 months to host another ground-breaking conference. The 5th Africa Forum will be held between the 3rd and the 8th, July, 2011 in Accra, Ghana.

To sign up for the mailing list, please send an E-mail request to africaforum2011@wbu-idp.org

RWANDA CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL WHITE CANE DAY
For the first time, Rwanda celebrated the International White Cane day. The Celebrations took place on November 13, 2009 in the city of Kigali. Many blind people and their friends, RUB’s partner organizations, and the local authorities participated in this event.
Among others, the celebration contained a parade starting at the main roundabout in Kigali City and ending up in Nyarugenge district.
The main slogan of the white cane day was "All Blind people have the right to use all roads".

Celebration continued in the hall of Nyarugenge district with various speeches, held by representatives of different authorities. A PowerPoint presentation, given by The Executive Director of RUB, Donatilla Kanimba, highlighted the role of RUB in Rwanda.

RUB says THANK YOU to all its partners, the Rwanda National Police, the Red Cross, Kigali City, and the Media for their cooperation and their valuable contributions to make this event a successful one.

ASIA
STUDENTS GRADUATES FROM BRAILLE WITHOUT BORDERS’ TRAINING CENTRE

On the 13th of December 2009, the first 20 participants from 13 different countries have graduated from Braille Without Borders' (BWB) International Institute for Social Entrepreneurs (IFSE).
The Maharaja of Travancore and the Kerala Education minister joined the graduation ceremony as special guests. It was a wonderful day which surely will be remembered by all those present.

Braille Without Borders is looking forward to train many more participants from many more different places so they will be able to reach out to those who need their support! BWB is already looking for participants for the 2011 IISE course. Please look at Info 2011 IISE course for more details and pass on the news to those who are motivated, passionate and engaged to bring positive change.

On behalf of all blind students in Tibet, of all IISE graduates and of all Co-Workers in Tibet and India, BWB would like to say THANK YOU very much for your support and contribution.

More information at:
http://www.braillewithoutborders.org/ENGLISH/index.html

WBU ASIA PACIFIC REGION
LIBRARY GOES DIGITAL FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED
China Digital Library for Visual Impairment (CDLVI) is an online library, mainly accessible via the Internet. Created by the National Library of China, China Disabled Persons' Federation and China Braille Publishing House, the library enables the visually impaired to listen to e-books, music and online lectures.

More information at:
http://life.globaltimes.cn/life/2009-12/489837.html

SEMINAR ON EQUIPMENT TECHNOLOGY IN CHINA
A seminar on the usage, maintenance and repairs of Braille printers, CCTV and other blindness-related equipment was held from November 19 to 22 in Nanjing, China. The seminar was sponsored by the Asian Foundation for Prevention of Blindness. Participants represented dozens of blind schools throughout China and the China Blind Association. They learned how to use and repair the equipment.

EUROPE
EUROPEAN COMMUNITY RATIFIED THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
On 26 November 2009 the European Community ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD). This is the first time in European Union history that the European Community is going to accede to an international human rights treaty. Congratulations to the European Disability Forum (EDF) on helping to make this a reality.

To read more go to:
http://www.edf-(eph.org/Page_Generale.asp?DocID=13855&thebloc=23109

NORTH AMERICA AND THE CARIBEAN
ACCESSIBILITY AWARD: THE EXHIBITION ON BRAILLE, KNOWLEDGE AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
The exhibition Braille: Knowledge at your Fingertips at the Canada Science and Technology Museum was the recipient of the 2009 Celebration of People Award in the category of Hospitality and Tourism. This award recognizes outstanding initiatives on the part of an organization, event, venue, or facility in the Ottawa Hospitality and tourism sector which goes beyond requirements to facilitate accessibility and inclusion.

The main purposes of “Braille: Knowledge at your Fingertips”, which was an initiative of the Braille 200 celebrations in Canada, were:
 Get to know Braille the person and braille the language
 Compare historical and modern tools such as the last braille press used by CNIB, a folding mobility cane and an auditory digital clock
 Explore devices developed in Canada to help people with vision loss live independently, and learn about the Canadians who have contributed to these innovations

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
aiykko@gmail.com
Mr. Enrique Pérez, Secretary General
umc@once.es
Mr. A. K. Mittal, Treasurer
akmittal@rediffmail.com
Dr. 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