INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL
FOR EDUCATION OF
PEOPLE WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENT
NEWSLINE
October 2005
Message from the President
Bukittinggi, West
Sumatra, Indonesia
September 30, 2005
Dear Friends and Colleagues:
Greetings from the beautiful city of Bukittinggi, Indonesia where ICEVI is well represented at the International Symposium: Inclusion and the Removal of Barriers to Learning, Participation and Development. My career in the field of international development began here in Indonesia nearly 28 years ago and therefore, for me, it has been a great pleasure to meet with so many old friends and colleagues, but more importantly to see the wonderful progress that is being made here in Indonesia in reaching out to children and youth with visual impairment.
I hope you will take a few moments to read through this issue of ICEVI Newsline that will update you on the activities of your organization and the many ways that ICEVI is actively involved in promoting the development and expansion of educational services for children and youth with visual impairment throughout the world
I also hope you will take special note of information on the upcoming 12th World Conference and that you will visit the websites of ICEVI www.icevi.org and that of the Host Organization, The Malaysian Association for the Blind www.mab.org.my. There you will find a lot of information, including on-line registration capability, that I feel certain will stimulate you to participate in what is going to be a truly great conference and general assembly.
Both the Host and Program Committees are putting a great deal of effort into planning for you and, for the first time ever, we have been able to inform our regional committees one year in advance regarding the amount of funding for supported places that will be made available to them. Between the richness of the professional program, the very fine and affordable arrangements made by our Host Committee and the US $150,000 that Grace Chan and her Scholarship Committee have been able to raise for supported places, we feel confident that the 12th World Conference will not only have great program but the largest and most diverse number of participants ever. So, please read about the conference and register early.
Sincerely,
Larry
Campbell
President
EFA CONCEPT PICKING UP MOMENTUM
Since the beginning of the current quadrennium, ICEVI has been determined to launch a global campaign for ensuring education for all children with visual impairment. The draft paper which was presented at the meeting of the ICEVI Executive Committee in February 2004 has culminated in a concept paper for discussions at the forthcoming meeting of the International Non-Governmental Organisations to be held in Spain on November 28-29, 2005. The members of this meeting are expected to discuss issues and strategies for introducing the education for all campaign in July 2006 on the occasion of the World conference of ICEVI. The INGOs who will attend the meeting in Spain include the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, Dark and Light Foundation, Christoffel Blindenmission, Norwegian Association for the Blind and the Partially Sighted, ONCE, Perkins School for the Blind, Overbrook School for the Blind, Sight Savers International, and the World Blind Union. This INGO meeting will also formulate guidelines for the constitution of an International Task Force to monitor the progress of the EFA campaign when launched. The strategies to be developed by this international committee will then be shared with UN agencies for support and further advocacy within the overall framework of education for all movement, to which many Governments have become signatories.
REGIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE ICEVI EUROPE REGION
The regional conference of the ICEVI Europe Region was conducted in Chemnitz, Germany from 14 to 18 August 2005. Dr. Steve McCall, Vice-President represented the ICEVI Principal Officers at this conference which was attended by participants from most of the countries in the Europe region. The conference acknowledged the contribution of Mr. Eberhard Fuchs, who stepped down from the Regional Chairmanship of the region after successfully serving for four years. Mr. Hans Welling, Executive Director, Visio, was elected as the Regional Chairperson of ICEVI Europe region for the period 2005-2009. Hans Welling served as the Chairman, Host Committee of the memorable 11th World Conference of ICEVI held in the Netherlands in July 2002. The wide experience of Hans Welling in serving persons with visual impairment both in the Netherlands and internationally will strengthen the activities of the Europe region which continues to be one of our most active regions. To access papers presented at the Europe regional conference, please log onto www.icevi-europe.org
IMPACT OF ICEVI’S PRESENCE IN THE LIONS
CONVENTION
The ICEVI exhibit entitled “Education of Forgotten Children” was set up at the 88th International Lions Convention held in Hong Kong in June 2005 and was visited by many members of the Lions Clubs throughout the world. The ICEVI Secretariat sent ICEVI literature including the Annual Reports, ICEVI-WBU Joint Policy Statement on Education, EFA campaign brochure, etc., to the Lions Clubs’ members who expressed interest in the activities of ICEVI. The Regional Chairs of ICEVI were apprised of this convention and encouraged to get in touch with the local clubs to promote educational activities. ICEVI is happy that Dr. Bhushan Punani, ICEVI’s West Asia Regional Chairperson already had a meeting with Mr. Ashok Metha, the International President of Lions International for the year 2005-06 and shared with him the ICEVI’s campaign, particularly in the developing countries to ensure education for all children with visual impairment. Subsequent to this meeting, the Lions Clubs of Gujarat, India have come forward to work with ICEVI to organize capacity building programmes for teachers, strengthening the existing services for children with visual impairment, providing assistive devices to the needy schools, and expanding educational services to children with visual impairment in the un-reached areas. ICEVI believes that the Lions International will play a vital role in the education for all campaign of ICEVI in the years to come.
OUR OWN SERVER
ICEVI now has its own server that will provide almost unlimited space for providing ICEVI materials, discussion groups and databases on its website. ICEVI is proposing to launch a number of discussion lists on various themes and the new server will allow for interaction between members in all regions. With the launching of the EFA campaign, more materials will be posted on the website and therefore, having this independent server will be beneficial to disseminate information effectively. It is also proposed to update the database of ICEVI through the website, which will provide access to the Regional Chairs to constantly update the data from the respective regions. We want to use this opportunity to express thanks to our very talented and energetic webmaster Victor Tsaran whose research and hard work have made this new independent server a possibility. Members wishing to know more about the website opportunities may contact ICEVI’s webmaster at the e-mail ID webmaster@icevi.org
MEETING WITH THE PRINCIPALS’ ASSOCIATION OF JAPAN
Larry Campbell, President of ICEVI, Mani, M.N.G. Secretary General, Prof. Ismail Salleh, Mr. Liew Yoon Loy, and George Thomas, all members of the Host Committee of the 12th world conference had a meeting with the Association of Principals of Schools for the Blind in Japan. The President of the Association Mr. Kamio informed us that ICEVI activities will be shared by him with the Principals of Schools for the Blind in the forthcoming assembly of the Association to he held in October 2005. ICEVI hopes that the Japanese version of The Educator will be effectively utilized by the teachers, parents and others working with children with visual impairment in Japan. The meeting was also attended by the faculty members of the Tsukuba University of Technology. Prof. Dr. Ismail Salleh, Chair of the 12 World Conference Host-Committee provided those in attendance with an update on conference preparations; including Japanese translation. We are hopeful that this meeting combined with Japanese translation will assure a good turnout of Japanese educators at the forthcoming world conference of ICEVI. During the discussion our Japanese colleagues mentioned that the developed countries such as Japan could play a vital role in the expansion of educational services for children with visual impairment in the least developed nations within the region. ICEVI believes that further discussions with the teacher educators, teachers, and visually impaired leaders in Japan will strengthen ICEVI activities in the country. We thank ICEVI East Asia Regional Committee member, Prof. Kurokawa for his work in facilitating this meeting.
LEE FOUNDATION PROJECTS
The ICEVI regions are implementing projects supported by Drs. Richard Charles and Esther Yewpick Lee Charitable Foundation as per approved plans for each region. The regional chairs feel that the tremendous awareness created by the Lee Foundation supported projects since 2002 has laid a solid foundation for the successful launch of the education for all global campaign. Besides the updating of skills in teachers, parents, and other professionals, the Lee Projects have created a larger impact in changing attitudes. One such example is the statement made by Dr. Madhavan Nair, Chairman of Indian Scientific Research Organisation (ISRO), who said during the inauguration of satellite broadcast services for persons with visual impairment co-funded through the Lee Foundation grants in India that persons with visual impairment should be mainstreamed in all aspects of the society and their potential fully developed. We are hopeful that the leadership role of the Lee Foundation will continue as we move into the global campaign of education for all children with visual impairment, particularly in the developing countries in Africa, East Asia, Latin America and West Asia regions of ICEVI, where more than 90% of children with visual impairment still have no access to educational opportunities.
PARTICIPATION IN IAPB COUNCIL MEETING
Larry Campbell, President, Grace Chan, Treasurer, Jill Keeffe, Chairperson, Pacific Region and Mani, M.N.G. Secretary General, ICEVI attended the Council Meeting of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) held in Hanoi, Vietnam on 15-16 September 2005. While presenting the report of the working group on “Education and Rehabilitation”, the President of ICEVI Larry Campbell highlighted the need for collaboration between the medical professionals and educators in providing comprehensive eye-health care and education services. He also urged the medical fraternity to include curriculum pertaining to disability management in the pre-service and in-service curriculum of medical practitioners so that they can provide proper counseling and referral service to the parents of children with visual impairment about their educational and rehabilitation avenues. He also mentioned that the collaboration between ICEVI and IAPB will mutually benefit in the areas of early identification, appropriate assessment, and timely intervention. IAPB’s President Dr. Nag Rao will also take part in the INGO meeting on education for all children with visual impairment further strengthening collaboration between IAPB and ICEVI.
ICEVI / ON-NET MATHEMATICS PROJECT
The much awaited learning package on teaching mathematics to children with visual impairment is ready for publication. The final draft is being evaluated by organisations and experts identified by the ON-NET and ICEVI and the printing work is likely to be completed by the end of 2005. ICEVI regions have already planned for a series of master level training programs on teaching mathematics and the availability of this package will further enrich training activities. The Mathematics Transcription Software jointly developed by ICEVI and the Webel Mediatronics, Kolkata, India is also being tested in select Braille presses in different parts of the world. ICEVI hopes that this publication is going to make a real difference in teaching mathematics to children with visual impairment in the years to come.
WORLD CONFERENCE - UPDATE
The on-line registration has started for ICEVI’s 12th world conference. Those wishing to register for the conference can log onto ICEVI’s website (www.icevi.org) which provides a link to registration pages or log onto the website of the Malaysian Association for the Blind (www.mab.org.my) The Program Committee has received more than 350 abstracts from potential presenters. The abstracts are being reviewed by the Program Committee and the Regional Chairpersons for the inclusion in the final program. The decision regarding the selection/rejection of abstracts will be made by the end of December.
POST-CONFERENCE TRAINING WORKSHOPS
Immediately following the 12th World Conference, ICEVI plans to organize three training workshops for a limited number of applicants who have attended the World Conference. The Training Workshop Topics are:
· WORKSHOP
A - Visually Impaired Children with Additional Disabilities
· WORKSHOP B - Low Vision
· WORKSHOP C - Early Childhood Intervention.
Assuming that there is sufficient
interest in these workshops they will be organized at three separate venues
in Kuala Lumpur on July 22 and 23, 2006. Those persons wishing to be considered
for acceptance in one of these workshops will be required to complete a separate
application form that will be available on the ICEVI website or through the
office of your regional chairperson after December 1, 2005. Please note that
in making selections the Training Workshop Coordinators will give preference
to applicants who are:
1. actively working in a program that includes or is developing a component
related to the workshop topic,
2. willing and able to share the skill and knowledge acquired with others and
3. from a developing or emerging market country with limited training opportunities.
ICEVI INDONESIA NETWORK MEETING
ICEVI played a key role in the international symposium on inclusive education organised by a consortium of organizations including the UNESCO, UNICEF, etc., in Bukittingi, West Sumatra, Indonesia from 26 to 29, September 2005. Larry Campbell, President ICEVI made a presentation on the role of INGOs in serving persons with visual impairment in the developing countries. Presentations were also made on the Mathematics project and Uganda Research initiated by ICEVI. For the purpose of strengthening ICEVI’s network in Indonesia, many small group meetings were conducted. On 29th September 2005, a focus-day workshop on ICEVI was organised. A presentation on the world conference was also made. William Brohier, the Immediate Past-President of ICEVI, Mavis Campos, Regional Chair of the East Asia Region, Prof. Ismail Salleh, Chairman of the Host-Committee, and Mani, M.N.G. Secretary General, ICEVI were amongst those who made presentations on behalf of ICEVI. ICEVI believes that this network will serve as the foundation for the formulation of national task force for the implementation of the education for all campaign in Indonesia.
PARTICIPATION IN WBU’S LOW VISION COMMITTEE
Jill Keeffe, Regional Chairperson
of Pacific Region will be representing ICEVI at the meeting of the Low Vision
Committee of the World Blind Union to be held at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on October
3-5, 2005. ICEVI and WBU have already published joint policy statements on education.
RESOURCE PACKAGE FOR UNICEF
ICEVI recently sent a sample resource guide to UNICEF on organizations serving persons with visual impairment in developing nations and had a very positive response from Alexandra Yuster, Senior Adviser, Child Protection at UNICEF. ICEVI is presently preparing a detailed resource guide consisting of organizations in developing countries who may be able to serve as resources for UNICEF on the following matters concerning children with visual impairment.
1. Community Based Rehabilitation
2. Inclusive Education
3. Advocacy for the Rights of Children with Disabilities
This resource guide will be ready by December 2005 and as we feel this may be a valuable resource for others we will post it on the ICEVI website when it is ready.
ICEVI is also actively participating in a newly formed UNICEF-NGO Working Group on Disability and ICEVI is pleased to be able to use our new server capacity to host the discussion list for this UNICEF-NGO group.
IMPORTANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS
The following events pertaining to ICEVI’s will take place in the near future:
1. Regional Committee meeting
of ICEVI East Asia region on 28-29 October 2005 in Bangkok, Thailand.
2. Meeting of the INGOs to discuss the global campaign of education for all
in Spain on 28-29 November, 2005.
3. Meeting of the Executive Committee of ICEVI to be held in Sight Savers International,
Haywards Heath, United Kingdom on 1-2, March 2006.
4. Program Committee of the World Conference of ICEVI to be held in Kuala Lumpur
on 6-7 March 2006.
12th WORLD CONFERENCE – THEME OF THE NEXT
ISSUE OF THE EDUCATOR
Steve McCall, Editor of The Educator has announced that the January, 2006 issue of The Educator will largely be devoted to information related to the 12th World Conference and issues that will be presented before the General Assembly on Friday, July 21, 2006.
This electronic Newsline of ICEVI comes to your mailbox in April and October
every year. Please provide us the e-mail addresses of individuals and organizations
that may be interested in receiving the Newsline and The Educator.
For further details, contact:
ICEVI Secretariat
International Council for Education of
People with Visual Impairment
IHRDC Campus
Sri Ramakrishna Vidyalaya Post
Coimbatore – 641 020
INDIA
Phone : 91-422 -2697530
Fax : 91-422 -2692353
e-mail : sgicevi@vsnl.net
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