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The Executive Committee meeting
of ICEVI was held from 28 to 29 March 2001 at Stellenbosch, South Africa.
The following salient decisions of the EXCO may be of interest to the
readers of The Educator.
1. As a first step to formalising
plans for its global initiative on achieving equal education for all blind
and low vision children in the world by 2015, a position paper is being
drawn up by ICEVI for review at the next meeting of the EXCO.
2. ICEVI is considering its
role in the UNESCO Flagship initiative.
3. ICEVI will collaborate with
the World Bank in the development of a ‘Toolkit’ on blindness
and low vision. All regional chairpersons were urged to keep in contact
with the national and regional units of the World Bank to ensure that
disability issues are being addressed within all World Bank programs.
4. It was agreed that guidelines should
be developed and circulated to the Regional Chairs regarding the position
of ICEVI on parents and parents’ organizations and their representation
in ICEVI activities.
5. An ICEVI – WBU joint Position
Paper on Inclusive Education for Children with Visual Impairment was approved.
(See page 10)
6. ICEVI activities in the regions
should have regard to the following areas highlighted in the Biwako Millennium
Framework for Action.
* Self-help
organizations of persons with disabilities
* Women
with disabilities
* Early
intervention and education
* Training
and employment, including selfemployment
* Access
to built environments and public transport
*Access
to information and communications, including information and communications
technology
*Poverty
alleviation through capacitybuilding, social security and sustainable
livelihood programmes
7. The resolution passed at the World
Conference of ICEVI supporting the UN Convention for the rights of children
has been conveyed to the United Nations.
8. Structures for an ICEVI membership
were discussed and approval was given for scales which would offer guidance
to individuals and organizations wishing to subscribe to ICEVI.
9. ICEVI has set up a Research Committee
to undertake the development of a pilot research project based in Uganda
that will address the following research question.
“What
are the critical conditions that need to be in place in Uganda to allow
children with blindness and low vision to be successfully educated in
regular schools?”
10. Negotiations with the Malaysian Association
for the Blind are underway to host the 12th World Conference of ICEVI
in Kuala Lumpur in 2006.
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