European Blind Union

📢 Today, the Council of the European Union formally approved the final text of the #EUDisabilityCard and #EUParkingCard Directive. EBU welcomes this final legislative step, which will make both Cards a reality for people with disabilities by the end of 2028 the latest and strengthen their free movement across the EU. For more information, read the full press release available on our website: https://lnkd.in/eR-qmEby Photo credit: European Commission

In an era marked by the growth of urban areas, we must underline the role of #accessibility principles in their design. 🏙️ On #WorldCitiesDay, EBU highlights that all processes of urban planning should take into account the rights and needs of persons with #disabilities. As enshrined by the UNCRPD, the built environment should be conceived in an inclusive way in order to make sure that nobody is left behind, thus allowing us to freely move through it and be able to enjoy its services on an equal basis with others.

💻 Today, EBU attended the morning hybrid session of the #AccessibleEU event focused on #accessibility and Higher Education. During the different panel discussions, experts underlined the importance of bringing students with #disabilities on board to make universities more accessible and inclusive by following the core pilars of Universal Design and Universal Design for Learning. Participants also highlighted the role of cooperation between institutions, policymakers and innovation leaders to ensure the presence of accessibility competences in the academic curriculum and promote access to assistive technologies.

This morning, EBU hosted a webinar where the Croatian Blind Union presented its organisation and actions to the rest of our Members. As active actors at the EU-level, our Croatian friends presented their commitments in areas such as the promotion of #braille, working towards more accessible buildings or contributing to make workplaces more inclusive for visually impaired people. Actively involved in advocating for the rights of their communities, CBU has also been closely monitoring the implementation of the Personal Assistance Act in Croatia, calling authorities for an increase in the resources allocated to the focus social services in the country. We would like to thank CBU for allowing us to learn more about their ongoing projects and good practices. 🤗 Hvala ti puno!

🤗 They care about us. They’re one of our best supports. In the context of #DayOfCare, EBU calls for governments to recognise the important role played by caregivers as enshrined by the UNCRPD. A pilar of healthcare and rehabilitation systems nowadays, policymakers must bear in mind the need to allocate more resources to this domain so care staff can contribute to help us lead independent and healthy lives.

Hosted by our Polish Member Polski Związek Niewidomych. Instytut Tyflologiczny, we held in Warsaw on 26-27 October the annual in-person meeting of our committee dedicated to advocacy work, to take stock of past developments, exchange on the new EU institutional scene after the European elections and look ahead to define priority areas of work against this background. 👇 Besides our internal discussions, our Advocacy Committee also had two interesting moments of exchange: - With representatives of the Polish Government, Paulina Malinowska-Kowalczyk and Przemysław Herman, in the perspective of Poland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2025; - and with Amila D. of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), to explore possible cooperation, in particular in political participation and making elections accessible for visually impaired citizens throughout Europe. #inclusion #advocacy

#blind and #PartiallySighted people still face obstacles in their access to the labour market, both during the recruitment process and at the workplace. In line with the principles enshrined by article 27 of the UNCRPD, EBU drafted its guidelines on reasonable accomodation to accompany the European Commission's Disability Employment Package in 2023. 👉 Learn more about how we can promote #inclusion in the domain of employment by reading our focus source: https://lnkd.in/eCdwRYY9

Are you knowledgeable in the area of #braille displays? What methods can be used to teach the reading and writing of the code? 💻 Share you contributions in these areas and others in our livingbraille.eu forum: https://lnkd.in/e28_aeQU

Today, the European Blind Union was invited to participate in the #NDAConference2024 of the National Disability Authority focused on promoting the participation of people with disabilities in cultural life, tourism and sports. In the event, we participated in a panel discussion about Article 30 of the UNCRPD at an international level. In the discussion, EBU underlined its main commitments in this area: - The evaluation and mid-term review of the Creative Europe programme by paying attention to its MEDIA Strand. - Ensuring the correct implementation of the European Accessibility Act as far e-books are concerned. - The review of the EU legal framework for the implementation of the #MarrakeshTreaty.

What were the main highlights of our 12th General Assembly? Would you like to know more about how we can bring more #accessibility for persons with #VisualImpairment in areas such as political participation and sports? 🎧 Tune in to "EBU in action" to find the answers to these questions Episode 6 "EBU's General Assembly": https://lnkd.in/e6tcrifS Episode 7 "The 2024 EU Elections": https://lnkd.in/eEpSFrnn Episode 8 "The Paris 2024 #Paralympics: https://lnkd.in/eqCi-ha2 Segments also available on Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/e_HAugM9 Remember that you can find the episodes' transcripts on our website: https://lnkd.in/eA95txsY