About Us

The Challenge

• There are 161 million persons who live with a disabling visual impairment, of whom 37 million are blind and 124 million are persons with low vision (WHO),
• At least 6 million of them are preschool and school age children,
• 80% live in developing countries,
• Less than 10% of these children are receiving education,
• The girl child with visual impairment receives less attention and is doubly discriminated against,
• Almost none of the growing number of visually impaired children with additional disabilities receives any educational services.

The ICEVI

ICEVI which was formerly known as ICEVH, is a professional non-governmental organization that welcomes any group or person who wishes to support its aims. It was formed in 1952 and has met as an international group once in every five years. Since 2002, the general body of ICEVI meets once in four years.

International Network

ICEVI has consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council. ICEVI is a founding member of the UNICEF NGO Committee on Children with Disabilities and we also work closely with UNESCO, The World Bank and the World Health Organization.

The Mission

The International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI) is a global association of individuals and organisations that promotes equal access to appropriate education for all visually impaired children and youth so that they may achieve their full potential.

Our Values

• We believe that all children and youth with visual impairment have basic human rights.
• They are entitled to a full range of educational services and to be included in the educational programmes of their communities.
• They should receive pre-school support.
• Their teachers and other professionals supporting them should be properly trained.
• Their parents and other family members should be encouraged to support their education.
• Appropriate educational materials and methods should be available to meet each child's needs.
• Educational programmes should be of a high standard and conform to best practices.
• The children should be able to live in an environment free of barriers, social stigmas, and stereotypes, and to lead a productive life according to their aspirations and capabilities.

Our Goals

1. To ensure access and full participation in education for all children with visual impairment and youth by 2015.
   
   To make this a reality, ICEVI is
   • CHANGING PUBLIC ATTITUDES
   • ENCOURAGING COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
   • FACILITATING NGOs SUPPORT
2. To promote and assist in building of local capacity to develop curriculum, to provide training and to identify and provide equipment and materials to children and youth with visual impairments and their parents, teachers and others in their communities.
   
   ICEVI is initiating programmes at all levels to STRENGTHEN LOCAL CAPACITY BY
   • FACILITATING TRAINING FOR PROFESSIONALS
   • FACILITATING ACCESS TO EQUIPMENT
   • DEVELOPING DISTANCE EDUCATION COURSES
3. To collaborate with and make use of networks to ensure that substantially more children with visual impairment and youth receive quality and comprehensive education.
   
   This is being done through
   • SPECIALIZED ICEVI WORKING GROUPS
   • REPRESENTATION OF ICEVI IN VARIOUS FORUMS
   • PROMOTION OF INCLUSION / INTEGRATION
4. To ensure that ICEVI initiatives are based upon current evidence of best practice, ICEVI is
   • FACILITATING INNOVATIONS
   • FORMULATING (and disseminating information on) BEST PRACTICES
   • PROMOTING RESEARCH
5. To provide information on ICEVI and its services through all possible and appropriate media to all target groups.
   
   This is being achieved by
   • ESTABLISHING BETTER COMMUNICATION WITH WORLD ORGANISATIONS
   • LAUNCHING INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN
   • DISSEMINATING STRATEGIC PLANS
   • DEVELOPING PUBLIC AWARENESS MATERIALS
6. To build an appropriate and sustainable organizational structure for ICEVI, to include the required financial base.
   
   

The Structure

The Executive Committee of ICEVI includes the following:

Principal Officers

President
First Vice-President
Second Vice-President
Treasurer
Immediate Past-President

ICEVI Regions

Africa
East Asia
Europe
Latin America
North America and the Caribbean
Pacific
West Asia

Seven Regional Chairpersons

Representatives of Founding Members

American Foundation for the Blind
Perkins School for the Blind
Royal National Institute for the Blind

INGO Partners

Deafblind International
International Agency for Prevention of Blindness
World Blind Union

INGDO Members

AFPB - Asian Foundation for the Prevention of Blindness
CBMI - CBM International
NABPS - Norwegian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted
ONCE - The National Organization of the Spanish Blind
SSI - Sight Savers International
PSB - Perkins School for the Blind