European Year of People with Disabilities

Indigo Project Report

Romanian Association of the Blind,
Vatra Luminoasa str. No. 108bis,
Code 021919,
Tel. +40 21 2506525,
Fax. +40 21 2500519
e-mail: centranero@home.ro
www.anvr.ro

1. During 2003, The European Year of the Disabled Persons, The Romanian Association of the Blind (RAB) organized and attended certain activities in order to be better informed and to develop and encourage, within Romanian society (governmental and local authorities here involved), awareness concerning the needs and real situation of the visually disabled persons, as follows:

- Participation at the EDF conference in Athens, May 2003, where, together with other six representative organizations of the disabled persons of Romania, RUB founded The Steering Committee for the establishment of the National Disability Council.
- In July 2003, RAB organized a meeting of the above-mentioned committee, having the presidency and the secretariat of the committee.
- It attended two seminars and a conference organized in Romania by the EDF, on the following topics: a. psychiatric disabilities. b. hearing disability and the situation of this category of disabled in Romania. c. European legislation on disability and its impact on the Romanian laws and regulations.

2. The European Year of the Disabled Persons was fruitfully used by RUB in making the authorities more aware of these persons’ needs and to determine them to become more cooperative when voting laws and adopting decisions. In the spirit of these initiatives, RUB established, on March 26th, The National Alliance against Discrimination. It was established together with other organizations, and with The Nation Council for Combating Discrimination that is a Governmental Authorities. Together with The National Council for Combating Discrimination, RAB attended, on September 15th, an important conference in Bucharest on Employment and Nondiscrimination. After all these activities and campaigns, Romanian Authorities have shown a better understanding of the visually disabled persons’ specific problems and became more sensitive in this area. Certain difficult problems were solved, but other ones are still active, bringing about discriminating effects. However, a progress has to be noted.

3. In order to make aware the blind and partially sighted persons of our association (81.000 on December the 31st) of their rights, of the view that European Union has developed on disability and on the progressive trends in Europe on these principles, we have translated the Madrid Declaration in Romanian and issued it in our Braille magazine and in its ink print version. We have also arranged its broadcasting by the Romania Radio Society Company program concerning the visual disability. We do underline hereby that this program is picked up and listened to all over the country.
Relying on the Madrid Declaration and on The European Council Directive 2000 / 78 E.C. of 27. 11.00 establishing a general framework for Equal Treatment in Employment and Occupation, RAB set up, together with the other member organizations of the Steering Committee, The Manifesto on Disability. It was translated in English and submitted to the EDF enjoying its appreciations. On the other hand, it was issued in our Braille magazine and in its ink print version. We have also arranged its broadcasting by the Romania Radio Society Company program concerning the visual disability. The brochures containing the Manifesto were also widespread to the Central and Local Authorities, to media, etc.

4. The schools for the visually disabled in Romania and the students learning here are in a very difficult situation since 2000: their school boarding was transformed in placement centers like the institutions of the orphans, this placement centers former boarding was separated from the school and the educational process was profoundly disturbed. As not all the schools for the blind accepted to be divided and submitted to this separation, the National Authority for the Children’s Protection, responsible for all the children in difficulty – the disabled ones here involved - , decided to assure “protection” only to those who are in placement centers. By protection, our authorities mean food, heating, and other facilities in the school boarding. That’s why, in September 2003, the School for the Blind of Cluj Napoca faced an incredible situation of not been able to receive its students, because it wasn’t provided with food, Braille paper, other school devices and materials, having no money for the building heating, etc. RAB intervened immediately at the Government and the problem was solving for the school year 2003-2004, but the law wasn’t changed so far. On the other hand, food expenses for visually disabled children in placement centers were higher than those provided to the same children in school boarding. RAB also intervened at the Government and at The Parliament and this budget was equalized at the upper level.
In all the discussions with the authorities, the European Year of the Disabled Persons was evoked as a special moment and an example of the European Union constant policy on the disability.

5. All the information and knowledge concerning the European Year of the Disabled Persons and relevant documents of the EDF and EBU regarding this year were presented and debated in meetings with the blind and partially sighted members, organized in all the 30 branches of the association of all over the country. We have chosen this mean of information and awareness because we haven’t developed so far, due to economic and technical reasons, the access of the blind persons at the EBU site. People were informed about EBU Indigo project and its importance.

Sergiu Ruba