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Deafblind Detector app: a new step towards early detection and better care for people with deafblindness
Deafblindness is a very specific and complex disability. Very often, many people identified as having multiple disabilities, developmental delay or age-related problems may be deafblind. According to the European Deafblind Indicators study, in 2014 there were over 3...
Encounter with the President of the European Parliament
The President of the European Deafblind Network - EdbN, Ricard Lopez, met with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, in the context of the European Parliament of Persons with Disabilities to help raise awareness of the rights of people with...
Representing deafblindness in Brussels
The president of the European Deafblind Network, Ricard López, has travelled to Brussels to attend the Annual General Assembly of the European Disability Forum (EDF) and the 5th European Parliament of Persons with Disabilities (EPPD). Two major disability events are...
Networking for european EDbN projects on deafblindness
The European Deafblind Network is reactivating its efforts to campaign for the rights of deafblind persons. We are currently developing relationships with numerous European Parliament members and working on new projects that incorporate deafblindness within the...
WAI-Coop open meeting 7 march 2023
Online from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. CET (Brussels time). Zoom On March 7, the Web Accessibility Initiative Communities of Practice (WAI-CooP) initiative will host a new open meeting.This event will concentrate on the Web Accessibility Directive's feedback mechanism and...
Anniversary Of the Istanbul Conventions
Today marks the one-year anniversary of the Istanbul Convention's openness to signing. The Istanbul Convention is a global commitment aiming to reduce violence against women and girls. It is especially important for women and girls with disabilities, who are two to...
A proposal for a Deafblindness ICF Core Set development
Deafblind International Together with organizations from six WHO regions, and EDbN, are presently working on the second stage of the ICF project (qualitative study). This would aid in the discovery of pertinent concepts for future planning and the tracking of the...
In development an international project about defblindness
A thorough investigation is being conducted by non-profit groups and international institutions in order to create specialized ICF Core Sets for deafblindness.Deafblind Internation is conducting an international study under the direction of the European Deafblind...
Platform meeting in Brussels with special guest Mher Hakobyan EDF officer
Platform meeting in Brussels with special guest Mher Hakobyan EDF officerOn the last 30th of October, the whole Platform got together to discuss some very important things that were not solved at the last meeting in March. The meeting took place in the Delegation of...
EDbN in the ITU Evaluation Committee for an Accessible Europe
The Regional Competition for an Accessible Europe took place on the ITU building in Geneva on October 24 and 25, with the help of Agenzija Sapport and Zero Project. As the Competition's Evaluation Committee, a panel of IT and sensory loss professionals met at the...
We demand accesible european elections 2019
Open letter to the EU institutions According to the European Deafblind Network (EDbN), political decision-makers in the EU should make sure that people with disabilities can meaningfully use their right to vote and to run for office. Voting is not an option, it is a...
European Deafblind Day
April 1st, the day the European Parliament settled as the most remarkable date for the European Deafblind Community2004 was an unprecedented great year for the European Deafblind Community. On April 1st, the European Parliament formally adopted a historic written...
Conference at European Parliament about deafblindness “Alone we can do so little, toghether we can do so much”
The conference/Deafblind Awareness Day, "Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much," will be held on June 5, 2018, at the European Parliament in Brussels from 12.30 am to 14.30 pm. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Helen Keller's passing, 2018 is...
CHARGE Congress 2018
In order to better serve the requirements of those who surround the CHARGE children, the CHARGE Association, the CRESAM, the medical professionals from NECKER's Hospital, the CESSA, and the ANPSA propose this to families and information and exchange conference...
MOU between EDBN and EDBU
Mabel Asensi, a deafblind person, Sonja Tarczay, EDbU chair and Ricard López, EDbN chairDuring the 9th DbI European conference on deafblindness, the EDBN chair, Ricard López, scheduled numerous network meetings, all of which were a great success. The head of the...
EDBN meets northern countries parents associations
Ricard Lopez, the chair of the EDBN, has made the most of his time at the conference in Aalborg. In the course of the conference's four days, he has organized three extremely fruitful networking events. At the initial meeting, Mr. Lopez met with some Nordic parents of...
Touch of Closeness – Maintaining Social Connectedness
500 people with a connection to deafblindness actively participated in speeches, workshops, and networking events over the course of the conference's four days in Aalborg, Denmark, which hosted the 9th Deafblind International European Conference on Deafblindness. Many...
The Alliance for the World Universal Accessibility Day has been created
This coalition, whose goal is to advance accessibility for all, submitted the agreement to form an alliance last week at the Auditorium 1899 in the Camp Nou.Several well-known and accomplished individuals joined the celebration during the signing ceremony. The groups...
INFO DAY European Training Certification in Culture, Media, and ICT Accessibility
An information day was held on April 28 in Brussels by the ERASMUS+ project, ACT, and ADLAB PRO. This event's goal was to inform the accountable parties about the implementation of accessibility under the European Accessibility Law and the Media Directive, or AVMSD....
Workshop on Accessibility of Products and Services at European Commission
The objective of this workshop was to present the concrete aspects of accessibility and the business case for providing accessible products and services. The workshop reflected the state of the art of accessibility legislation, policies and products and services in...
Finnish Professionals visit Catalonia to observe High-Quality Services
The local organization working on the deafblindness field APSOCECAT hosted the exchange program concerning good practice in the world of disability In order to learn more about the working practices of several centers noted for their high caliber and excellence,...
EDbN present at the International Conference of Deafblindness in Moscow
The International Conference brought together the most notable and significant deafblind representatives to discuss the challenges facing the community. The conference's objectives were to establish precise policy recommendations, identify the methods for further...
WE CAN BE CONNECTED The European Deafblind Equipment Distribution Program
Communication is essential for maintaining one's health, finding and retaining a job, managing a household, and participating in social activities. March 3, 2015 Today's communication between most individuals has been substantially enhanced by voice, data, and video...
EDF will present the priorities of the Disability Movement to the UN Committee
The UN Committee will meet with the disability movement in Geneva on Thursday, 2 April, to hear about their concerns over how the EU is implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD). The EU has ratified the UN...
Time for Disability Development!
Commissar Mimica commits to support EU development that is disability-inclusive Representatives of the European Disability Forum (EDF) and the International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC) met with Mimica, the European Commissioner for International...
Discrimination of Deafblindness is expounded to the European Commission
In order to see Marianne Thyssen, the European Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs, the Board of the European Deafblind Network (EDbN) travels to Brussels on March 4, 2015. One of the main topics discussed at the meeting between the board of the European...
MEPs supporting Deafblindness
After the 'European Deafblind Indicators' project was finished, EDbN gave presentations on its findings and goals to each MEP who had previously served on the Disability Intergroup in the European Parliament. We had a backup of 20 of them from the beginning, and that...
European Deafblind Indicators Project Results
The "European Deafblind Indicators project website" was developed by nine deafblind organizations from eight EU member states between September 2012 and September 2014. The European Deafblind Network (EDbN), which comprises each individual project group member, was...
Red and White Campaign
Our current project, the red and white cane, is focused on deafblind transportation and movement in public areas, streets, and crossings. This 100mm white cane with 100mm red stripes. The deafblind individuals are carrying white sticks, which is a sign of blindness....
Challenge for Visibility: The Way of Saint James
The Way of St. James (Camino de Santiago), a spiritual route, has been walked by pilgrims from all walks of life for more than a thousand years. The Way is traveled by pilgrims for a variety of reasons, including enlightenment, adventure, penance, and more. Several...
80 Million Persons call for Accessible Information & Communication Technologies
Ricard López, a representative of the EDbN and a board member of the EDF, enthusiastically participated in the conference on behalf of the over 3 million Deafblind people worldwide. This past weekend, the EDF Board meeting brought together members of the European...
Sanja Tarczay, president of EDbU, awarded with The Order of the Croatian Star
Zagreb, Croatia The President of the Republic of Croatia bestows decorations and honors on deserving people every year for their exceptional achievements, unique contributions, and true greatness in career successes. These honorees might be Croatian or international...
Meeting with Vicepresident of the Committee of Employment and Social Affairs
On January 20, four members of the EDbN, including Lucy Drescher (Sense), Helle Buelund (CDH), Sonja van de Molegraft, and Frank Kat (Kentalis), met with Ms. Ulvskog, vice-president of the European Parliament's Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, Javi Lopez, a...
EDbN accredited to have access rights to the European Parliament
Recent confirmation that they had access to the facilities housing the European Parliament was given to the European Deafblind Network (EDbN). The accredited status will allow our representatives of Deafblindness greater networking opportunities to contact all the...
European Conference on Deafblindness in Barcelona
On June 20, an open day meeting will mark the conclusion of the European Deafblind Indicators Project.After two years working on the European Deafblind Project, for Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Commission, the project is getting to an end. The last...
The European Parliament endorses EDF Manifesto’s Key Priorities
On February 11, 2014, EDF presented their election platform to the European Parliament. The event, which was put on in cooperation with the European Parliament Disability Intergroup, drew a sizable number of MEPs. They all expressed support for the EDF manifesto's...
European Commission announces Access City Award Winner 2014 – GOTHENBURG!
On the occasion of the European Day for people with disabilities (3 December) the European Commission announced that Gothenburg is the winner of the Access City Award 2014. The dedication of Gothenburg to enhancing access to employment, housing, and transportation is...
European Union real-time sign language application by Adam Kósa MEP and Werner Kuhn MEP
Viviane Redding EU Vicepresidentand Adam Kósa, MEPOne million deaf sign language users in Europe were the target audience of this pilot project started by dám Kósa and Werner Kuhn. This project's objective is to create a service concept and, later, a technology...
The disability movement calls for an inclusive sustainable development
Left to right: Ms Dovilé Juodkaité, President of the Lithuanian National Forum of the Disabled; Mr Yannis Vardakastanis, EDF President; Ms Algimanta Pabedinskiene, Minister of Social Security and Labour of Lithuania. This past weekend, the European Disability Forum...
FESOCE new Deafblind Campaign
Federacion Española de Sordoceguera (Deafblind Spanish Federation) launched today its brand new fund raising campaign in Barcelona, Spain. This campaign aims to increase public awareness of deafblindness as a distinct impairment, to push for appropriate facilities...
European Platform Meeting
The European Platform on Deafness, Hard of Hearing, and Deafblindness decided to hold a discussion about the Board's recent advancements at the European Disability Forum on June 19, 2013. The primary goal of the meeting, excluding the EDF election, was to discuss the...
Deafblind International Board Meeting
The secretariat: Bronte and Elvira, and President: Gill Morbey The DbI Board got together the day before the 8th Deafblind European Conference to talk about a range of issues pertaining to its internal governance and ongoing initiatives. In her presentation to the...
EDbn 2013 General Assembly
On the 24th of August EDbN was able to explain its 2012-2014 working plan at the recent 8th Deafblind European Conference meeting at Lille, France, where it was finally approved. Its proposal for the rest of 2013 and the first half of the following year consist of...
Deafblind International Lille´s Summit
The past 24th until the 28th of August, Deafblind International organized a conference at Lille, France, which served congenital deafblindness and acquired deafblindness, scientists and other participants to discuss several subjects, share experiences and participated...
Deafblind Summer Camp 2013 at Cambrils
EDbn took active part in the latest Deafblind Summer Camp for persons who have a significant hearing and vision loss, celebrated in Cambrils, Catalonia, and organized by Deafblind Spanish Federation (FESOCE). The camp was held on the first days of September and the...
European Indicators for Deafblind Project Meeting
The celebration of the European Deafblind Conference last 24th of August in Lille, France, was the ideal setting to present the European Indicators for Deafblind Project. With the attendance of 21 members of 7 different countries (France and Slovakia were not...
2013 Deafblind Awareness International Week
Once again FESOCE celebrated the Deafblind Awarness International Week simultaneously with the Helen Keller Foundation Deafblind Awareness Week. Former American President Ronald Reagan recognized Deafblindness as a handicap in June 1984. Since that time, the Heller...
EDbN General Assembly Meeting
In order to explain to all of our members the goals we seek, our working methods, and to share perspectives, EDbN will host its first General Assembly in more than ten years at the forthcoming Deafblind Conference, which will be held in Lille, France. The EDbN's...
8th European International Deafblind Conference
The primary difficulties that deafblind people, their families, and the professionals who work with them encounter throughout their lives will be discussed at the Deafblind International Conference, with the theme "Identities and changes - Commonalities across...
The Green Meridian Challenge – High Endurance Runners and Deafblind
Fort the first time one of the stages of this tough dare crossed Catalonia. They run from Coll de Pal ski resort in the middle of the Pyrenees mountain range to the Mediterranean coastal town of Masnou. The adventure took place from the 14th to the 16th of June and...
Deaf, hard of hearing and deafblind people join the board of directors of the European Disability Forum (EDF)
The general yearly Meeting of the European Disability Forum (EDF) took place on the 25th and 26th May in Athens, with the participation of the member organizations representatives from whole Europe. EDbN was present there as member of EDF. One of the points appearing...
Deafblindness and the loss of autonomy
Recent information about the euthanasia of two brothers in Belgium has shocked the international media.According to information available, the Verbessem twins, deaf since birth, were diagnosed with a degenerative ocular disease that would deprive them of their sight...
European Platform of Deafness, Hard of Hearing and Deafblindness first conference
The first meeting, named Mind The Data Gap is a report published by the European Platform of Deafness, Hard of Hearing, and Deafblindness. Are the statistics needed for an effective EU inclusion policy lacking?It will take place at the Bavarian Free State...
PEGGY FREEMAN one of the great ‘trooper’ from the early days of Deafblindness passed away
After a brief illness, Peggy Freeman, MBE, tragically passed away over the weekend in a hospital in Nottingham. Peggy, who is now 94 years old, was one of the parents who helped create the National Deafblind and Rubella Association, which went on to become the...
Mind the Data Gap! Brussels 15 november 2012. 1st. Joint Conference of the European Platform of Deafness, Hard of Hearing and Deafblindness.
Lack of statistics for an effective EU inclusion strategy?!Save the Date – 15 November 2012, 14:00 – 17:30 CET The European Platform of Deafness, Hard of Hearing, and Deafness has announced its first joint meeting due to the lack of comprehensive statistical data...
Constituted the EU Platform for deaf, hard of hearing and deafblind. Copenhagen, May 26th 2012
Objectives: By working together we plan to make our groups more visible Plan to attend meetings together with representatives of the European Parliament and the Europe Provide information on specific topics as required especially to assist in the development of...
1 Million Signatures Campaign
EDbN is a member of EDF (European Disability Forum) which is a European level organisation campaigning for the rights of all disabled people in the European Union. EDF has just launched a campaign to collect 1 million signatures to combat discrimination in all aspects...
2006 Listen to me 3. Family Event – Salou, Catalonia (ES)
The V European Family Conference took place in Salou (close Barcelona), Catalonia – Spain, in October 2006 since the 1st until the 6th. The previous family conference was hold in Slovakia, The Netherlands, Italy and Denmark. From Italy these events receive the name of...
2004 Listen to me 2. A personal experience: Letter of Peter Fasung of Slovakia.
A personal experience: Letter of Peter Fasung of Slovakia. Wonderful family weekend in Slettestrand – Denmark 20.-27. june 2004 When we got the wind of the information that also in year 2004 we will participate on second family conference “Listen to me 2”, we were...
2004 Listen to me 2. Family Event – Slettestrand, Northern Jutland (DK)
For the young guests activities as: exploring local nature, music, outdoor sculptures, artistic activities. Drama and dance for the deaf blind participants and brothers and sisters. For parents: Discussion concerning the experiences and the future of European...
Europe recognises deafblindness as a distinct disability
Lucy Drescher reports on her work joining friends and colleagues across Europe that led to this ground-breaking decision! A historic Written Declaration on the rights of deafblind people was formally adopted by the European Parliament on 1 st April, 2004. This was the...
LONDON meeting. EDbN Reconstitution. March 2003.
EDbN was originally set up to access funding from Europe for deafblindness projects. One of its principles was to involve a parent or family representative, deafblind person and professional from each country. Equal importance was attached to the three groups. At one...
2002 Listen to me. A personal experience: Letter of Arleta Kubicka of POLAND
A personal experience: Letter of Arleta Kubicka of Poland. My name is Arleta Kubicka. I am a mother of 7 years old daughter, Izabela, who is a deaf-blind child. I live in Poznan, in west of Poland. On 20-27 of October 2002, I participated in the Family Event “Listen...
2002 May. Brussels seminar, The social inclusion for Deafblind people in the European Union
Semi-structured interview with deafblind people and family membersThere are at least 150,000 deafblind citizens livings in the European Union. The personal testimony which forms the basis of this report, reveals a group of people who count as amongst the most socially...
2002 Listen to me. Family Event – Ruvo di Puglia (BA, Italy)
For the young guests activities as: “Beyond the words” artistic activities. For parents: Life and choice by Frank Ullmer Growing up together by Ursula Heinemann Quality of life for family members, Patrizia Ceccarini Presentation of Apascide, the spanish organization...
2001 May. VIENNA (AUSTRIA) seminar, Deafblind people, family members and professionals working together
Austria is a country with a special geography. The country is divided in several regions. Each region has its own laws and structure. That is the reason why awareness raising and initiatives involving deafblind children and adults are done on a regional or local...
2000 May. Ancona (Italy) seminar, Equal Opportunities and Access for Deafblind people
Our EDbN seminar on the 20th of May 2000 in Ancona, Italy was on all aspects of equal opportunity for deafblind people. We have started a new area, where policy starts from the point of view of deafblind people themselves. There is the anti discrimination clause in...
1999 Kosice. Slovakia. Family event 3rd European Family Conference
The Third European Family Conference was held in Slovakia one sunny weekend in September 1999 in the beautiful city of Kosice. There were over fifty people from sixteen European countries, mainly parents and other family members and a few professionals, with a large...
1997 November. DUBLIN Seminar, Report back from the groups discussions: Deafblind people, professionals and parents.
The Deafblind group Research should be done to develop communication with four hands, hands on signin, technical aids, international exchange in this field. In the future we should have separate programmes at the same time: One programme on congenitally deafblindness...
1997. The Netherlands. Parents Conference
18TH - 21TH OF SEPTEMBER 1997 There were approximately 80 persons from all over Europe. Also from Africa and Canada. The programme was quite full. We had lectures about the big variety of deafblindness. Video films were shown. There was a programme for deafblind...