Blind and visually impaired people in Bulgaria – conditions of life, education and rehabilitation

1. Blind and visually impaired people in Bulgaria – conditions of life, education and rehabilitation

2. Till the end of 2008 the total number of the membership of the organization is 17946 including 6 not visually impaired people The Union of the Blind in Bulgaria is the main structure which unites blind and visually impaired people in Bulgaria

3. Distribution by the lost working capacity

4. Distribution by gender and age

5. Distribution by education and job

6. Education of the blind children in Bulgaria is organized in two ways: 1. Special schools for Blind and visually impaired There are two special schools in Bulgaria – in Sofia and Varna. About 300 children from the whole country study there. The main part of the students in these schools is multiple disabled. The schools exist under the umbrella of the Ministry of Education. The books and the training materials are approved by the Ministry of Education and the UBB is responsible for printing them in Braille. Education of the blind children

7. About 200 children attend school as integrated students. They meet many problems in their everyday life – the schools and professionals are not prepared for integrated education. Every school has a right to choose books and training materials among many of them. The children study in different schools and their books are not the same. Usually they are different than the books of the special schools. This means that they haven’t got adapted publications; they haven’t got books in Braille or in MP3 format. The other problem is that the number of resource teachers is not big and they are not prepared to cover all needs of the integrated children. Example: The number of integrated children from Plovdiv district is 15. They are all different ages and study in 15 different schools. Two resource teachers cover their needs – they have to help children to prepare their home works on all subjects and in the same time – to work with schools, teachers, parents etc. 2. Integrated education

8. One of the main problems in education of blind and visually impaired children is the lack of professional orientation and vocational training.

9. The rehabilitation and training of blind and visually impaired adults is taking place in the National rehabilitation centre as well as in the Day time centers for rehabilitation and social integration in the country – their number is 8. Vocational training of blind adults is taking place in NRCB only. Training and education of blind adults

10. The National Rehabilitation Center for the Blind /NRCB/was founded on 17 October, 1966. Basic rehabilitation and vocational training of visually impaired people from the whole country take place at the Center in boarding-house, outpatient, home and distant forms. About 120 clients from the whole country take advantage of the Center's services each year. Over 6000 clients have used so far the different forms of rehabilitation. History

11. A team of highly qualified trainers, special teachers and psychologists provide the following rehabilitation services: • BASIC REHABILITATION • VOCATIONAL TRAINING • Social and psychological consultations All teachers have passed different stages of special training in Bulgaria, England, the Netherlands, Sweden, Russia and the USA. The teachers exchange their experience with related organizations from Germany, Italy, Finland, Russia, Macedonia, Poland, the Netherlands.All teachers in NRCB cover more than one rehabilitation disciplines. SERVICES

12. The activities on the basic rehabilitation are directed at rehabilitating the person’s social functions with the purpose of optimum accomplishing a self-dependent life. The following basic rehabilitation activities take place at the NRCB: BASIC REHABILITATION

13. Training in orientation and mobilitythis training helps students to move in new conditions -

14. Visual rehabilitationthe better usage of poor sight

15. Cookery

16. Useful skillsrehabilitates the previous everyday skills and assists the acquisition of new ones under the conditions of bad damaged or missing sight

17. Braille trainingassists the overcoming of the informational deficit

18. Physical educationA program for overcoming the hypodynamy

19. Computer training for blind people, operating a computer with synthetic speech or a Braille displayComputer training for visually impaired people, operating a computer with a visual monitor

20. The NRCB has started the vocational training in 2002 with training in upholstery. The program has been realized under the financial support of the “Sonneheerdt” Foundation – the Netherlands. In 2003 5 visually impaired upholsterers have been trained; three of whom found a job at the labor market. The upholstery training became very popular among the visually impaired people mainly due to the good job realization. 50 % of the visually impaired, graduating upholstery, start a job in upholstery companies or start their own business. In 2004 the NRCB hosted an international conference “Upholstery – a suitable profession for visually impaired people”, funded under the Leonardo da Vinci Programme. Participants from the Netherlands, Moldova, Lithuania, Rumania and Finland were present. The main idea was unification of the upholstery curricula. VOCATIONAL TRAINING

22. In 2006 the NRCB got a license for providing visually impaired people with vocational training in 10 professions – text processing, office secretary, programming, social activities, hand-made knitting, cosmetics, upholstery, floriculture, planting, tuning. In 2007 the NRCB got a license for an ECDL training and test center. In 2007 the NRCB the NRCB executed a project for developing a Vocational training center, funded under the PHARE Program of the EU. Licenses

23. TRAINEES’ RECRUITING The NRCB recruits trainees under the request of the regional structures of the Union of the blind in Bulgaria /UBB/. Each trainee presents a doctors’ commission finding and a medical certificate that the training in a certain profession does not obstruct the impairment. The trainees are provided an accommodation. They pay a fee - 40% of their basic pension /with no allowances/, which varies from 1,20 lv /0,60 euro/ to 5,20 lv. /2,60 euro/ per day depending on the amount of the pension. • When coming to the NRCB, each trainee meets a team of a psychologist and teachers for preparing his individual plan for basic rehabilitation.

24. Three vocational training courses in upholstery – 13 students Every course consists in 660 hours theory and practice Three vocational training courses in massage – 24 students Every course consists in 660 hours theory and practice Two vocational training courses in office secretary – 16 students Every course consists in 660 hours theory and practice One vocational training course in text processing – 7 students The course consists in 360 hours theory and practice Two vocational training courses in hand-made knitting – 15 students Every course consists in 360 hours theory and practice One training and testing ECDL course – 5 students Well-grounded in PC literacy students took participation in this course. After one month training they passed tests on 3 modules and have received licenses. Vocational training courses from 2006 till now

25. Requirements to the trainees • Age – at least 16 years of age; there is no up age limit • If the parents wish, we work with small children as well, but their training is a priority of the Ministry of education through the resource teachers or the specialized schools. • We require a detailed information from the trainee regarding additional illnesses. • The trainees for vocational training should have graduated primary education and for the specialties of Floriculture and Planting – 6 grade.

26. Training of the trainees • The duration of the training in basic rehabilitation depends on the individual needs and lasts from 2 weeks to 4 months. The training starts with an entry test, which shows the individual needs. • The duration of the vocational training depends on the licensed program – from 360 to 660 lessons. The trainees get a Certificate for professional qualification and get a first or second qualification degree after sitting for a state exam in theory and practice of the profession. The ones, who due to some reason do not sit for an exam, graduate with a Certificate for holding a vocational training.

27. Other activities • Consultations with parents and relatives of visually impaired people take place at the NRCB • The NRCB is a base for holding current practice and pregraduating practice of the students from the “Social pedagogic” and “Special pedagogic” specialties of the Plovdiv and Sofia universities • Instructors in basic rehabilitation are prepared at the NRCB for the needs of the Municipalities of Bulgaria, the UBB and non governmental organizations from the country. • The NRCB is a consultant of the local authorities when opening day-time rehabilitation centers for visually impaired people. • Parents’ consultations are held for supporting the professional orientation of visually impaired children • Training of the regional and local structures of the UBB – basic computer training and training for project writing and project managing • Organizing charitable actions together with the Municipality • Organizing ECDL training and ECDL testing • Organizing thematic conferences and seminars

28. Vocational training in massage – 8 students • Basic computer literacy – 34 students • Basic rehabilitation – 68 students • Visual rehabilitation – 6 • Training of parents – 38 • Training of instructors of guide-dogs – 7 • Training of social workers of the day-time rehabilitation centres – 6 • Training of the collaborators of the UBB structures – basic PC literacy – 32 • Training of the collaborators of the UBB structures – project management - 32 • Training of the collaborators of the UBB structures – interaction with institutions – 32 • Seminar with teachers of integrated children in mainstreaming - 10 • Seminar with resource teachers – 10 Activities of This year:

29. The NRCB is a base for conducting current and pregraduating practice of the students from the “Social pedagogic” and “Special pedagogic” specialties. Students on practice

30. Consultations of parents for supporting the professional orientation of visually impaired children Parents’ training

31. Employers’ consultations • The NRCB together with the Labor offices organize and conduct meetings with employers, at which the potentialities of the visually impaired people are presented

32. Exhibition of a student in hand-made knitting - daniela

33. Blind girls working on mosaic

34. ECDL training and test

35. Training of the UBB collaborators

36. Training of resource teachers

37. Training in massage and office secretary

38. Happy students and teachers

39. Receiving a braille printer – donation from the netherlands – force foundation

40. The NRCB shows scientific interests in the field of quality of training and professional orientation of visually impaired people. These subjects are developed in projects, funded under the EU Leonardo da Vinci Program. Project “Access to Art – Right, not Privilege” – for developing tactile cards of the works of art “OBVIOUS” project was developed and published a Manual for parents of visually impaired, assisting their professional orientation. Under the project a film was made “A day of…”, which presented 10 successfully realized visually impaired people. “SOFI” project – for developing soft skills “PROTECT” project for defining criteria for quality of the training of visually impaired. Indicators for the quality of training of visually impaired in 6 fields have been developed – special schools, mass schools, rehabilitation centers, vocational training, looking for a job and preserving a job. Three types of indicators are investigated: personal, indicators at micro level /surrounding environment – school, friend, etc./ and macro environment /legislation/. Scientific interests and international projects

41. The NRCB participates at international conferences, pilot projects and projects for exchange of specialists under the Leonardo da Vinci and Grundvig Programmes. NRCB is a member of EU group ENVITER • Our partners are: • Bfi Steiermark – Austria • Bartimeus – the Netherlands • VISIO – the Netherlands • FORCE – the Netherlands • Italian Union of the blind – region Ascoli Piceno • Specialized school – Krakow, Poland • Rehabilitation centers in Vuersburg and Duren, Germany • Romanian Association of the blind • Liceul for Blind - Romania • Institute Monteclair - France • CEVAP – Slovakia • ONCE - Spain • Arla Institute – Finnland • IBOS – Denmark • RNCB – UK and Ireland International projects and partners

42. On 15 January 2009 the Ministry of Council of Bulgaria acknowledged the representativeness at a national level of the NRCB NRCB policy is directed towards a fuller commitment of basic rehabilitation to the vocational training and active actions at the labor market. In that direction we intend to: 1. License a Center for information and professional orientation /CIPO/; 2. To open up training in new professions, suitable for people with different disabilities; 3. To expand our international activity; 4. To initiate or be partners at projects, relevant to the European mobility of labor force – unification of the credits of the vocational training of visually impaired and recognition of the diplomas in the network of the partner centers. Ideas for the future

43. For contacts: Alexandrina Kostova E-mail: a.kostova@rehcenter.org National rehabilitation center for the blind 24 Landos Str, p.b.11; 4023 Plovdiv E-mail: info@rehcenter.org; www.rehcenter.org Thanks for your attention