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EUD Members News |
Protocol between BRISA and FPAS for Total Accessibility for the Deaf Community |
In October BRISA (Portuguese Highway Company) and the Federação Portuguesa das Associações de Surdos (FPAS) (Portuguese Federation of Deaf Associations) signed a Protocol.
The objective of the Protocol is to eliminate one of the greatest communication barriers which existed in the Portuguese highways. As from now, every Portuguese Deaf Citizen may ask for information or request assistance on the highways of which BRISA is a concessionary, through SMS to the number 968 508 508.
In order to benefit from this new BRISA service, all that the Deaf Citizen has to do is to make his inscription at the Portuguese Federation of Deaf Associations, either by e-mail to fpas@fpas.org.pt or by fax to +351 21 492 81 28. As soon as submission is received, the rules of use of this service are sent to the Deaf person. Only the numbers in the database of FPAS will receive an answer to their request.
During the ceremony Eng. Pedro ROCHA E MELO (Vice-President of BRISA) offered his help to intercede with other concessionaries in order to have them join this Protocol, maintaining the same number so as to make it easier for Deaf Citizens.
The President of FPAS, Mr. Arlindo DE OLIVEIRA stressed the good receptivity of BRISA in face of the proposition presented in June, and the need for other companies to follow this example. António RODRIGUES, FPAS’ General Secretary and the principal promoter of this project, emphasized that, as from now on, he will feel much safer when travelling, as he will be protected by this system.
Dr. Adalberto FERNANDES, who represented the National Secretariat for the Integration of People with Disabilities said he was proud to be at an event like this and that there is more need to broaden the highways of accessibility and partnerships between the institutions and the private companies. He also said that there is a need for all to be conscious that to share knowledge and experience is of great benefit, at all levels, for the society in which we live.
This Protocol is the living proof that all that is needed to get from dream into reality, is one step. The step of will, of search and of compromise. |
Press release by FPAS (Portuguese Deaf Association)
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Marching for Italian Sign Language |
The Italian Association of the Deaf (ENS), within the framework of its campaign for the recognition of the Italian Sign Language (LIS), has launched another initiative for increasing public interest for the recognition of the LIS.
The “March for the LIS”, a national event, while involving the Italian Deaf Community, will also have the participation of representatives from the Italian Parliament, the political community and many personalities from the Italian sports community.
Such event is part of a wider campaign for the recognition of the LIS, which has been decisively led by ENS for the last year. The adopted strategy includes lobby activities and communication initiatives.
Indeed, during the past year ENS has, on the one hand, increased and strengthened relations and alliances with the political community and, on the other, launched events and initiatives, with the participation of the community, aimed at raising the public’s concern with regard to Sign Language issues. Among the events, ENS organized the “Climbing for the LIS” by Mr Roberto SALERNO, an Italian Senator, who is a strong supporter of the LIS and who has signed a Bill on the recognition of the Italian Sign Language. Mr SALERNO also participated, together with ENS president Ms Ida COLLU, in this latest initiative, the “March”.
As an outcome of the lobby strategy, up to date six Bills on the recognition of the LIS have been submitted to the Italian Parliament. Such Bills have been signed by members of the diverse political groups, which is a meaningful sign of the wide favour of the political community towards the recognition of the LIS.
Also, the Italian Minister for the Social Affairs, Mr Paolo FERRERO, who addressed the ENS on the National Day celebrated on the 27th of September, expressed the full support and solidarity of the Italian government towards the recognition of the LIS.
The March for the LIS has started on the 9th of October from Turin and has arrived on 27 th October at Piazza Colonna, in Rome, near the Italian government building, with objective of pressing the government to adopt the Sign Language recognition Bill. |
Source: Press release by ENS
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BDA congratulates BBC on 25 years See Hear |
The British Deaf Association (BDA) Board of Trustees and its members of staff would like to congratulate the BBC and See Hear programme in achieving its 25th birthday! It is a remarkable achievement and we are immensely proud of the fact that the Editor is Deaf himself. We are also proud to acknowledge that Terry RILEY is also a previous Board member of the BDA.
Being the only organisation that truly represents the sign language community, the BDA believes that See Hear has done wonders to advance our community, both from Deaf and Hearing perspectives. Hearing people have learnt so much about the Deaf community's diverse cultures and achievements, and Deaf people are able to enjoy programmes in their own language, sharing news and views across the country.
See Hear has continuously improved over the years and has many happy memories. It has covered wonderful issues close to our hearts, it has provided hundreds of role models to viewers both Deaf and hearing.
The series "Switch" has done a great deal to advance the drama skills of deaf people on TV and has raised the standards of images of Deaf people in mainstream TV. We would like to thank BBC See Hear for its initiative.
The BDA have appreciated being asked for our views in several issues and programmes, and we shall endeavour to continue to do so. |
Source: Sign Community website
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Revamped website SGB FSS (Switzerland) |
EUD member SGB FSS has recently revamped its website (with information in sign language).
Please have a look at: http://www.sgb-fss.ch |
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EUD News |
EUD seeking Executive Director |
EUD is seeking to recruit an EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.
Based in Brussels and reporting to the EUD Board, the Director will be responsible for:
- monitoring EU policy and programmes
- preparing project applications, networking
- fostering and maintaining contacts with EU institutions and other NGOs
- representation of EUD at meetings/conferences throughout Europe
- financial and operational management of the EUD secretariat
To download a detailed application pack for the position of Director, please visit our website http://www.eudnet.org
Deadline for receipt of applications is 17th November 2006. |
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EDF News |
Commissioner Reding recognised accessibility of information and communication technologies for disabled persons as a priority |
Advancing the agenda on accessibility of Information and Communication Technologies for people with disabilities was at the core of a meeting between Viviane REDING, European Commissioner in charge of Information Society, and Yannis VARDAKASTANIS, EDF President.
In particular, Commissioner REDING and EDF President, Yannis VARDAKASTANIS, discussed the measures to be taken to follow up on the Riga Ministerial Declaration on e-Inclusion adopted in June 2006 by 34 European countries which have expressed their strong commitment to promoting an inclusive and barrier-free Information Society which fosters social and economic
inclusion, including a special focus on people with disabilities.
The EDF President raised the importance of concrete measures to be taken in the field of accessibility of digital television, accessibility of public websites, as well as accessibility requirements in the structural funds regulation and public procurement. “There is a need for pragmatic and concrete response to disabled citizens’ concerns”, said VARDAKASTANIS. “The opportunity offered by the accessibility requirements in European public funding should be used as a lever for change”.
Commissioner REDING expressed her interests in disability issues and reiterated her commitment to make Information and Communication Technologies accessibility standards for public procurement mandatory by 2010. She stressed that “In the context of demographic changes in Europe, the perspectives on disability and accessibility issues will change as society
will age. The European Commission is fully aware of these concerns and therefore included disability and ageing as a priority in the future research framework programme.” |
Source: EDF Press Release
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EDF issues Toolkit on mainstreaming disability in the Structural Funds |
EDF produced a toolkit to assist disabled people’s organisations at national level to understand the new Structural Funds legislation and to use it in order to maximize the benefits of the European regional policy for people with disabilities.
As you are aware, the Structural Funds constitute the most important financial instrument at EU level for social and economical development from 2007 to 2013. In many European regions they will represent the most important source of public funding. Through intensive lobbying, EDF managed to secure that non-discrimination on the grounds of disability and accessibility would be major requirements for funding.
The toolkit is composed of three main parts. The first part tries to give a general framework and explanation of the funds. The second focus on some key elements and definitions of concepts that have to be carefully understood by all organisations and finally, the third part is proposing an action plan at national level to lobby on the implementation of the main elements of the EU regulation.
The role of the national disability organisations should be to influence the policy making at national level on the design, adoption and monitoring of the Structural Funds.
The toolkit is available on the publications list of the EDF website: http://www.edf-feph.org/en/publications/publi/publi.htm |
Source: EDF Weekly Flash 27
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European Union News |
EUROPEAN YEAR OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL - National coordinators gear up for European Year |
Events and activities marking the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All will take place all over Europe in 2007. There will be European level events, such as the Equality Summit at the end of January, but national coordinators will be responsible for organising the vast majority of events and activities in their countries.
Almost all 25 EU Member States have now nominated a ministry or equality agency as their national coordinator. These coordinators, known as ‘implementing bodies’, will take the lead in organising events at national, regional and local level.
They will also be the key contact point for anyone in a country who wants to get involved. Any trade union, NGO, school or individual wishing to host an event or contribute in some way can contact their national coordinator for advice and support.
A few countries are still in the process of nominating a national coordinator. These will be announced on the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All website in due course. Negotiations are currently underway with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein and it is hoped they will also take part in the Year 's activities.
To know who is your national implementing , please visit the follwing website: http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/equality2007/nb_en.htm |
Source: non-discrimination.eu.info
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Equal Rights in Practice newsletter now online |
The autumn 2006 edition of the Equal Rights in Practice newsletter can now be downloaded as a PDF in English, French or German from the European Commission’s anti-discrimination website: http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/fundamental_rights/public/pubst_en.htm#news
The bi annual newsletter reviews the Community Action Programme to combat discrimination. This sixth issue has a special focus on training. It looks back on the Warsaw Community Action Programme conference in spring that shared this focus and highlights a wide range of ongoing training in the field of anti-discrimination, such as for legal professionals and for civil society groups.
This issue of Equal Rights in Practice also looks forward to a busy 2007, which will see the European Year for Equal Opportunities for All and the launch of the new PROGRESS programme. |
Source: EDF Weekly Mailing 27/2006
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Deaf News around Europe and the World |
The 15th World Congress of the WFD extends the deadline for developing countries to apply for Congress participation grants |
The 15 th World Congress of the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) will be held in Madrid from 16 th to 22 nd July 2007. It is going to be a very significant event for the Spanish society as a whole, since thousands of Deaf people from all over the world are likely to attend. Thus, it will become the first Disability Congress of international scope to be held in Spain.
Through plenary sessions and working groups, the 15th World Congress of the WFD will deal with issues of interest for the Deaf collective group, such as education, health, accessibility and technology. Given its relevance at world level, special emphasis will be given to the discussion on Human Rights and how to improve the quality of life of deaf people from developing countries. Likewise, for the first time in a congress of this kind, there will be a debate on the situation of deaf women worldwide and on the equalization of opportunities between men and women.
According to recent information from the Organising Committee, the official deadline to apply for Congress participation grants, initially set for delegations from developing countries, has been extended until 30 th November 2006.
The Committee has recently reached an agreement with the Spanish Agency for International Development so that at least two delegates from developing countries can have fewer financial difficulties when it comes to participating in the 15 th World Congress of the WFD and so that they could get a grant to cover their registration, meals and accommodation in Madrid.
The Organising Committee advises that potential beneficiaries of this support are restricted to Deaf people who act as representatives of their own National Association in the WFD General Assembly, scheduled to be held before the World Congress. Likewise, so as to achieve gender equality, it is highly advisable that each delegation is composed of both a man and a woman.
Finally, the Organising Committee of the 15 th World Congress of the WFD reminds these potential participants to send the required attached forms by post.
More information is available under this following link. |
Source: Email from Axarpress
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134 Deaf students arrested at Gallaudet University |
On Friday 13 October, over 130 Deaf people were arrested in Washington D.C. in what has been labelled as 'Black Friday'. Police were quoted as saying that the biggest mass arrests in Washington D.C. since the 1960s were authorised by I. KING JORDAN, President of Gallaudet University, where the protests were occurring. Arrests took place in the dark, creating a dangerous situation for protestors who rely on visual communication.
Protesters were objecting to the appointment of Jane K. FERNANDES, President-Designate. They claim both a 'rigged' selection process and serious long-standing concerns about her administrative abilities, said to have alienated many people in her previous posts. They also insist that numerous calls of concern requesting that FERNANDES not be chosen were issued to the Presidential search committee prior to the appointment.
The protest has been escalating since Spring 2006, and on 16 October, 138 of the 168 faculty members present voted for a call for her resignation. The degree of protest, which has now lasted over 6 months, is unprecedented, spanning a wide range of people, both hearing and Deaf, and distinguished individuals and organisations right across the world.
Because Gallaudet University is the only Deaf university in the world, its influence, and thus its leadership issues reach far beyond its boundaries and take on international importance in representing the aspirations and the public image of Deaf communities worldwide. |
Source: Press release by http://tentcityuk.wordpress.com/
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The Guardian Civil Servant of Year Award |
Jeff McWHINNEY, the director of social enterprise Significan't, was nominated for the Guardian Civil Servant of the Year Award for creating SignVideo, which remotely connects British Sign Language interpreters to local government and health offices.
Jeff McWHINNEY has used new technology to bring sign language interpreters into public services, a breakthrough that is changing the lives of deaf and hard-of-hearing people.
He has developed a video phone and webcam system, which is being used by 15 London boroughs and four NHS trusts, giving staff and deaf clients immediate access to a team of 25 British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters, who work from a callcentre in south London.
The initiative, according to Mr McWHINNEY, is transforming the lives of deaf people because they used to face a six-week wait for an interpreter, or had to rely on using their children as interpreters.
He says: "There are about 275 registered BSL interpreters in the UK and around 70,000 BSL users. You just have to look at the numbers to realise that if a local authority or health trust sees a deaf person who is in urgent need and needs to communicate with them, they can't do it straight away.
"There is usually a six-week wait to get a BSL interpreter to help sort out an urgent issue. What usually happens is that a deaf person will take their hearing child out of school to interpret for them if they have a crisis with their GP, for example. You can have the situation where a deaf person is being told they have a terminal illness and their child is interpreting for them."
Mr McWHINNEY, who has been deaf since birth and is a former chief executive officer of the British Deaf Association, has spent the last two years developing the SignVideo project in conjunction with computer software and hardware companies and the sign language agency and social enterprise, Significan't, of which he is director.
In exchange for a subscription fee to SignVideo, which starts at £200 a month, organisations have instant access to a BSL interpreter, either via the screen of a video conferencing unit or a video phone.
Under the system, the BSL interpreter and deaf person can see each other on screen and can sign to each other. The interpreter translates the sign language and speaks to the hearing person. The interpreter then signs the reply to the deaf person, and the three-way conversation can continue. |
Source: http://society.guardian.co.uk/publicservicesawards/story/0,,1885862,00.html
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Deaftravel: a new website for Deaf travellers |
What do Deaf travellers do when they want advice about Paris, Sydney or Beijing, want to find out where the next international Deaf event is being held or want to know if the country they’re visiting has a local Deaf club or organisation?
They go to www.deaftravel.co.uk. It’s a unique community website; the first in the world to be set up with Deaf people in mind.
Deaftravel is a resource for Deaf travellers both at home and abroad. If a Deaf person in America or Australia wants to know where to meet British Deaf people and what Deaf events are taking place during their visit to the UK, they can use the website to access the information they need.
The website has been established as a response to the increasing number of Deaf people travelling abroad, and is packed with general as well as Deaf-related information.
Deaftravel ensures that Deaf people will now have the same access to travel information as everyone else since travellers can access the website in many ways, including through British Sign Language.
Deaftravel.co.uk originated from an idea by Ian REYNOLDS and Helga McGILP. Often approached for travel advice they realised that there was no central source of information specifically for Deaf travellers. This new website, designed and sponsored by AC2.com Productions Ltd, will address these issues and show that being Deaf and using sign language as a means of communication is no barrier to independent travel, either at home or abroad.
Deaf people will have the opportunity to talk about their travel experiences through written articles or BSL video clips. There will also be travel advice, images of Sign Languages from around the world, a calendar of international Deaf-related events, and a worldwide directory with information on Deaf clubs, schools and organisations. This will help promote social inclusion, independence and confidence.
One of Deaftravel’s aims is to promote a positive image of sign language and dispel myths and preconceived notions. It also aims to encourage an exchange of knowledge and personal experiences with Deaf people in developing countries. |
Source: Press release by Deaf Travel
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Other News |
Research project: “The psychosocial attributes and tactics that assist the psychosocial potential maximization of deaf people in society” |
Associate Professor Margaret BROWN, Ms Louise PAATSCH and Mr Paul JACOBS of the Faculty of Education at the University of Melbourne are conducting a research project: “The psychosocial attributes and tactics that assist the psychosocial potential maximization of deaf people in society”.
The aim of the study is to investigate how both hearing and deaf adults view the social and emotional attributes and tactics they use socially and vocationally. The information provided will be pooled together with other surveys completed by both hearing and deaf participants. The aim is to analyse this data and to assist the education of deaf students. The project has been funded by the Melbourne Research Scholarship, the Elisabeth Murdoch Scholarship and the June Opie Fellowship.
Should you want to participate it this research, please do not hesitate to contact the researchers; Associate Professor Brown ( 613) 8344 0987, Ms Paatsch ( 613) 8344 0989 or Mr Jacobs by e-mail: pjac74@yahoo.com.au or 0419539251 (text only).
Participants will be asked to complete a screening survey at a time convenient to you. Should you agree to participate, the survey should take no longer than 15 minutes to complete. Following the completion of this survey you may be contacted by Mr Jacobs by email to complete another two surveys at later dates. These surveys focus on your socio-emotional attributes and tactics that enable you to achieve social and vocational success. The first follow-up survey will take about 20 minutes to complete and will provide unique insights into deaf and hearing people’s beliefs, tactics and attributes related to socio-emotional issues. The second follow-up survey will be a short open-ended survey that will take 15 minutes to complete. |
Source: WFD email
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Editorial note
EUD Update is published by EUD in English with support from the European Community – the European Union against discrimination.
The information contained in this publication does not necessarily reflect the position or opinion of the European Commission, nor the official policy of EUD. The publication is for information only. Readers are invited to reproduce the information provided the source is quoted.
If you wish to receive EUD Update, please send us an email at: info@eudnet.org.
Should you wish to make any contribution or notify any e-mail address modification, please do not hesitate to contact the EUD secretariat, Fax: +32 9 225 08 34, E-mail: info@eudnet.org.
Editors: Mairead O'LEARY and Karin VAN PUYENBROECK. |
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