World Blind Union Frequently Asked Questions

World Blind Union Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: What is the World Blind Union (WBU)?

A: The World Blind Union is the umbrella organization of organizations set up by blind people advocating for themselves and organizations that serve blind and visually impaired people.

The World Blind Union is the internationally recognized voice representing blind and partially sighted persons at the global level. We are a worldwide movement of people who are blind or partially-sighted, acting on our own behalf to

• Eliminate prejudice

• Promote belief in the proven abilities of blind and partially sighted persons

• Achieve full participation and equality in society

We envisage a community where people who are blind or partially sighted are empowered to participate on an equal basis in any aspect of life they choose.

The World Blind Union works to make the world a better place for those of uswho are blind or partially sighted. In order to do this effectively, we must tackle issues dealing with all aspects of life, and focus on things like technology, that have a direct effect on the lives of everyone.

Q: Who can be members?

A: Organizations set up to serve blind people and organizations of blind people working for their own good can be members of the WBU and we have dozens of national organizations in 190 countries. We cannot accept membership of individual blind people, as most blind people will register with their local or national organization.

Q: When did this start?

A: The World Blind Union got its start in 1984 with the merger of two previously established world organizations: the International Federation of the Blind, and the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind. This made a stronger singular organization that dealt with all the issues the former two organizations previously dealt with on their own.

Q: What do you do?

A: We work to ensure the needs of blind and partially sighted people are met. We as blind people are not invisible and need to be counted as equals among our fellow citizens. There are many issues we deal with such as access to society through universal design and reliable public transportation, the right to read and be educated alongside sighted students, and the right to work, to be included in all aspects of our communities – these are basic rights and we work to make this a reality for blind men, women, and children in all countries.

Q: How are decisions made?

A: Our priorities are decided upon at the WBU general assembly held every four years.People forward their concerns through their own member organization by creating resolutions. Delegates who represent their country vote on the resolutions and these become the key issues that will be tackled over the next four years. Delegates also vote for the WBU executive officers and region presidents who are charged with overseeing the work carried out via committees and working groups. These committees and working groups comprise of blind and partially-sighted individuals from all walks of life who volunteer their time and talents to advance specific issues such as uniformity in braille, access to technology, mobility and transport, etc.

Q: Why should we focus on blindness issues?

A: There are estimated 285 million men, women, and children in the world today who are blind or partially sighted. One person goes blind every 6 seconds and a child goes blind every minute. However, most of these incidences of blindness could be prevented. 80% of all blindness is avoidable with timely intervention and access to medicine and proper nutrition.*

One can be born blind, or lose sight at any age due to accidents, or disease. There are blind people in every country, religion and culture, every social and economic level. Blindness can affect anyone; it has no barriers, but becomes a barrier for people to access society. Often people who become blind or have other physical limitations can become stigmatized and feel discriminated against by their own community, and be isolated. Babies born blind in some developing countries may not be registered by their parents and therefore, not benefit from social assistance or medical interventions that could make life easier.

90% of all blind people live in developing countries and unfortunately, most of these people live in poverty. Developing countries do not always have a social safety net to care for their disabled citizens by providing rehabilitation, training and skills for them to become employed. Many blind people struggle to live and provide food for themselves and their families.

Blind children are often not educated in developing countries with less than 10% of them receiving a decent education. This statistic drops for girls as less than 5% of blind girls in developing countries can hope to receive an education. Few blind students can hope for university-level education in their own countries, due to the costs of accessible textbooks, which may not even be available due to outdated copyright laws that block production.

66% of all blind people are women and therefore face double discrimination as women and disabled people.*

Blind and partially sighted people are also at a higher risk to be victims of violence and crime. As long as there are people who feel that disabled people are not their equals and there are countries and governments that do not provide the same rights and opportunities, blind people will not be able to live independently and contribute to society. We work to change that.

As populations age, more people who are elderly will face blindness and low vision that will affect their quality of life, and add to the economic cost of caring for them if they are not properly rehabilitated to learn how to live with a visual impairment. Blindness in developing countries has a cost involved as it means someone may have to come out of the workforce or work less to care for the blind person. Often if a parent or grandparent goes blind a child will be taken out of school to assist them or do their work for them, cutting that sighted child off from an education, and even playing with their friends.

Q: How can I get help with my visual impairment?

A: Your eye doctor or ophthalmologist is the best person to diagnose and treat your eye condition, and they may have the contact information for the local organization that provides services for blind and visually impaired people in your city, state, province, or country. You can also find this out through your local government, or through directory assistance. We have a list of organizations that represent each country, and by contacting the national office, you should be directed to a local group that may provide rehabilitation training, accessibility tools like a white cane, or even teach braille. Our list of member organizations can be found here: http://www.worldblindunion.org/English/about-wbu/membership/Pages/Member-Regions-and-Organizations.aspx

There are also groups that focus not so much on providing services; instead they focus on the social integration of blind people by providing opportunities to participate in sports, card games, and other social activities that have been adapted for inclusion of blind or low vision individuals. Losing one’s eyesight should not then isolate a person from the rest of the community.

Q: What has the World Blind Union achieved for blind people?

A: The full list of our achievements can be found on our website: http://www.worldblindunion.org/English/about-wbu/Pages/WBU-Achievements.aspx . We have worked to ensure the retention of free post system for the blind; otherwise this service may have been withdrawn. We worked with UNICEF to ensure the needs of blind and low vision children were addressed within their programs and through the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Recently, we also consulted on the UN treaty the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) to ensure issues specific to visually impaired people were included in the document, and that the document is fully accessible for all to read. We have worked to ensure blind people can participate in Paralympic sports, and raise the issue of the need for blind people and children to engage in physical activity to maintain health and stamina. We gained through UNESCO the recognition of braille as an official language in its own right, and have worked to promote it as the best means for blind children to be able to learn how to read and write. We have supported companies by providing feedback so that their technology and electronic devices have built-in accessibility features allowing blind people to use these to connect with the world. We currently are working on a new copyright treaty with WIPO to allow greater access of books and reading materials for blind and low vision people worldwide who currently cannot get books due to outdates rules that block production.

Learn more about the work and goals World Blind Union at our website: www.worldblindunion.org

*The blindness statistics quoted in this article come from the WHO, IAPB, ICEVI, and the World Report on Disability.

World Blind Union – Q & A pages