Greetings from the Editorial Team
Happy
New Year to all our readers, may all your hopes be realised and promises
fulfilled.
We
would like to take this opportunity to thank Ms. Diana Swanson, a member of the
Editorial Team who has resigned effective from 1 December 2014. We wish her all
the best in her future undertakings. In her replacement, the Royal Society for
the Blind South Australia very kindly offered the services of Ms. Jessica
Hamilton and Ms. Kylie Bauer to the Team. We welcome them on board and look
forward to their active participation.
In
this issue, we summarise the events that took place during the Mid Term General
assembly in Hong Kong. We also include news from the Philippines, Laos,
Indonesia and plans for the WBUAP/DAB Project.
We
look forward to your feedback and news contributions for further issues of this
newsletter. Kindly e-mail any member of the Team. Our contact information can
be found at the end of this publication.
Editorial
Team
******
The World Blind Union Asia Pacific Mid-Term General Assembly
The WBUAP held its Mid-Term Regional General Assembly at
the Cyberport Complex in Hong Kong from 21 - 24 November 2014. It was
splendidly hosted by the Hong Kong Blind Union (HKBU) under the leadership of
Mr. Chong Chan-Yau, President of HKBU and Chairman of the Organising Committee,
and efficiently co-ordinated by Miss Stella Ho and the staff of HKBU. The
Assembly was given added warmth with the attendance of the WBU officers who
held their Executive Committee Meeting at the same venue from 25 - 26 November.
Our heartfelt gratitude goes to the HKBU team for a well-managed and
action-packed Assembly, and the active participation of the WBU officers.
As planned, there were thematic workshops and symposiums
for women, youth, on E-Accessibility, social enterprise and on the UNCRPD. The
aspirations and recommendations of these sessions are reflected in the Hong
Kong Statement found elsewhere in this issue of East Wind. There were 379
delegates and participants from over 30 countries and territories within and
outside WBUAP, but we regret not having representatives from North Korea, Samoa
and some of the Pacific island states, although great efforts were made for
their representation.
Undoubtedly, you will hear more about the Assembly in the
months ahead as the Board and Policy Council and the thematic committees start
to implement the contents of the Hong Kong Statement. Of immediate interest is
the Silent Auction managed by Dr. Kevin Murfitt. Many interesting items were
donated for auction, such as a throwing boomerang and kangaroos from Australia,
an origami peacock from Japan, a Malay house from Malaysia, wooden buffaloes
from Vietnam, a mermaid from Denmark, and many more interesting items from
China, Mongolia, Myanmar and Thailand. The total sum collected is 2,135 Aus
Dollars; and to top up the amount, HKBU donated to US $1,000.
******
World Blind Union Asia-Pacific (WBUAP) Hong Kong Statement
We
the participants at the WBUAP Mid-Term Regional General Assembly (Assembly) in
Hong Kong, 24 November, 2014:
1.
Call upon all governments throughout the
Asia-Pacific region (region) to ratify the Marrakesh Treaty at the earliest
opportunity so that persons who are blind or partially sighted (blind) or who
have other print disability have full access to works of literature, culture
and to educational materials.
2.
Welcome the opportunity to cooperate with the United
Nations (UN) Development Programme to build capacity across the region so that
persons who are blind or who have print disability are able to advocate for
greater access to information.
3.
Encourage development organisations to work with
governments to support data collection, develop disability inclusive policies
and strategies to progress the action plan of the Incheon Strategy.
4.
Urge all governments and relevant bodies throughout
the region to make all efforts toward the speedy ratification and effective
implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities (UNCRPD). In particular, prioritize to ensure the full and
effective participation of persons with disabilities and their representative
organizations in strengthening independent monitoring mechanisms, given that
fewer than half of the countries in the world who have ratified the UNCRPD have
presented country and shadow reports to the UN.
5.
Being moved by the enthusiasm and strong
determination expressed by women who are blind through the Women’s Forum,
campaign for the acceleration of women with disabilities’ empowerment
programmes in accordance with the Asian and Pacific inter-government
Ministerial Declaration on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (UNESCAP,
2014).
6.
In recognition of challenges and opportunities faced
by youth who are blind in this region, and the tremendous success of the Youth
Forum held during this Assembly in stimulating innovation and social
entrepreneurship among youth of the region, it is recommended that:-
7.
A youth forum be held at future regional assemblies,
and the World Blind Union (WBU) be requested to hold an international youth
summit.
8.
Call upon all governments, businesses and other
global partners to take the necessary steps to ensure that essential
technologies are available, accessible and affordable to persons who are blind
in the region, as it is through such technology that real inclusion can be
advanced and social isolation eliminated.
9.
Initiate and implement a web accessibility campaign
at the regional level to promote the adoption of internationally recognised
accessibility standards in web design, APPs, e-learning and other ICT products
and services; in consultation with organizations of the blind.
10. Undertake
to actively share best practice initiatives and programmes in areas of fund
raising and capacity development.
11. Noting
the high levels of unemployment and under employment of persons who are blind
in the region, task all governments to implement programs that enable full
participation in open employment including education programs for employers and
the community, transition to employment programs and the provision of
specialist equipment schemes by the government.
12. In
recognizing that social enterprises have demonstrated their impact in creating
employment for persons who are blind, in changing public attitudes and in
generating funds to further the cause of the movement for people who are blind,
the Assembly urges the WBUAP and WBU to establish a task force to investigate
how social enterprises can be promoted and advanced.
******
The WBUAP-DAB-DANIDA Project
As you might have heard, WBUAP approached the Danish
Association of the Blind (DAB) in early 2014 to prepare an application for US three
million dollars to the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA). These
funds were needed to continue the project for the capacity building of Lao
Association of the Blind (LAB) and the Mongolian National Federation of the
Blind (MNFB), and this time to include the Myanmar National Association of the
Blind (MNAB).
DAB, which is a member of the Disabled People's Organisation
of Denmark (DPOD) got the support of DPOD, and we are so grateful for their
co-operation which saw the application approved by DANIDA in September.
Following the Midterm Regional General Assembly, representatives from the
concerned organisations met in Hong Kong from 25 - 28 November to discuss
implementation plans for the three year project. Here is the Action Plan
Outline submitted by WBUAP to support the Project and to help strengthen the
less-developed affiliates within the Region.
1. Engage a Paid
Part-time WBUAP Editor:
By June 2015, discuss with the more developed organisations
in the region and succeed in negotiating with one of them to assume the
responsibility of finding a dedicated person to hold this paid part-time job
with some financial assistance on their part and the allocation under the
DANIDA Project. Some of the main duties of the part-time Editor will be: To
ensure useful and inspirational information is gathered and disseminated
through existing regional communication channels in a timely manner, develop
new ones as recommended by the WBUAP Editorial Board (including an Internet
Radio station), and to co-ordinate the functions of the Country Information
Liaison Officers (CILO) described below.
2. Appoint CILO's:
By June 2015, have worked out the main duties for these
appointees and have negotiated with at least five countries to appoint
dedicated persons for the role. It is hoped that the more developed
organisations will consider giving some monetary payments to reimburse expenses
incurred by the CILO's appointed by them, and WBUAP to do likewise for CILO's
from less-developed countries in our region.
3. Re-design the WBUAP
Website:
By June 2015, discussion and agreement upon the hosting and
maintenance of the WBUAP Website, investigation of the re-designing and
positive actions taken towards the redesign as recommended by the Editorial
Board.
4. Fund-Raising
Initiatives:
By June 2015, with the participation of the Committee on
Resource Generation and through the WBUAP Website, active promotion and sharing
ideas on fund-raising initiatives, particularly successful methods used by
well-established organisations for their financial sustainability.
5. The ASIA Pacific BPS
Youth Summit:
By June 2015, finalisation of the organising of the Summit
to be held in Penang, Malaysia in August, and sourcing of funding for
participation by youths from the less developed organisations for the sharing
of experiences, networking and to come up with recommendations for the
development of youth programmes as called for in the Hong Kong Statement.
6. Promotion of
Programmes for Women:
By June 2015, through the Women’s Committee, active encouragement of the establishment of
Women's committees in Member-countries to plan activities and to develop
programmes specially catering to their requirements, including advocating for
opportunities for younger female leadership.
7. Implementation of
United Nations' Conventions and Disability Framework:
Through the WBUAP CRPD
Co-ordinator and National Champions, the Co-ordinator for the Marrakesh Treaty
and the WBUAP Women's Committee to promote and provide advisory and technical
assistance in advocacy for the implementation of the conventions and treaties
adopted by the various agencies of the UN, such as the CRPD, the Marrakesh
Treaty, the Incheon Strategy, and the Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and Education for All BVI
Children.
8. Promotion of
Employment and Social Enterprises:
Through the Committee on Employment and Economic
Empowerment (CEEE) and the WBUAP Massage Commission, the promotion and
enhancement of the employability of
BPS persons through such initiatives as the Job Readiness Programme, active
encouragement of the involvement of
BPS in social enterprises, and the training and upgrading of blind massage
therapists in the massage profession.
(Submitted by Michiko Tabata and Ivan Ho, representing
WBUAP on the Project Steering Committee).
******
Autobiography of Aria
Indrawati
President
of Pertuni
– Indonesian Blind Union 2014-2019.
Educational Background:
Bachelor of Law.
Profession:
Public
relations practitioner
Social
worker – career counsellor for BVI people
Social
entrepreneur
Hobbies:
Reading,
writing, travelling, sport.
Motto:
The
more we give, the more we get.
Leadership:
It
is a matter of power and capability to influence other people to work together
to reach common goals and dreams.
Being
born with low vision, I experienced painful discrimination especially in
pursuing education. I was rejected by teachers and the head master of high school
as well as the rector of the university where I sought to enrol, although I was
able to obtain the minimum passing grade. It felt sad that there were no
accessible books for me during my education, while my brothers, sisters and
friends were enjoying reading their favourite books. Many questions came
in to my mind and heart about what was happening to me, and why I was being
mistreated as a person with low vision.
I
was so grateful to have such great parents. They were my heroes, my advocates,
and my best friends who were always on my side. They empowered me step by step,
supported me growing up, until I achieved independence.
Besides
my parents, the ones who contributed most my life were the headmaster and my
teacher at the special school for the blind which I attended for my elementary
education. The headmaster convinced my parents that the best place for me to
study after finishing elementary education was a regular secondary school. That
was when I entered the real world, the world where I was not accepted because I
had low vision, but it was also the world to which I could contribute as a
person with low vision to make the community and society a better place.
The
challenging situations I faced drove me to become a strong person. For me,
learning occurred not only at school and university, but during my whole life.
20
years ago in 1994, when I was still in Semarang - a city in Central Java where
I grew up – it came into my heart – a wish to help other blind people. A
teacher from special school for the blind introduced me to Pertuni, an
organization of the blind. Being at the Pertuni office, among other blind
people, I felt at home. I decided to join this organization, and accept their
offer to become a board member of one of their chapters.
A
restless feeling came up one day while attending one of Pertuni’s events. There
were almost a hundred blind people, mostly lacking in education. Only two of us
were university graduates; a few others had completed high school and obtained
a diploma. I was shocked by their lack of education, poverty and
disempowerment. This was the most important realisation of my life.
In
2004, after spending several years in Jakarta, I joined the Pertuni national
board as Third Vice President. One important accomplishment, which
contributed a lot to my growing as
a leader in Pertuni, was the “higher education project”; a project which was
conducted to accelerate participation of blind students in higher education,
and to promote inclusive higher education in Indonesia. This
project was supported by The Nippon Foundation through ICEVI. As country
coordinator for this project, I had the golden opportunity to work together
with Larry Campbell - ICEVI’s president. As project coordinator, I had to think
strategically, to advocate more systematically – from the grassroots level to
national policy change. This project succeeded in encouraging The Ministry of
Education of Indonesia to issue a decree on inclusive higher education – a
policy guidance for universities in Indonesia mandating them to develop
inclusive practices.
At
Pertuni’s 8th general assembly I was elected as Pertuni’s President
for the period from 2014 to 2019. There were 7 candidates running for
president, and I was the only female candidate.
For
me, becoming a leader a national organization like Pertuni was not an instant
process. I began from chapter leadership at the provincial level, then moving
up to national level.
Indonesia
is a huge archipelago. People with BVI are spread over thousands of islands.
Based on The Ministry of Health estimation, there are at least 3.6 million
people with BVI. Most of them still receive inadequate education, leading to
poverty.
For
the next five years, Pertuni’s main agenda is to “release BVI people in
Indonesia from poverty”.
For
school-age children, we will launch a movement called “let’s go to school” to
promote children’s education in either special schools or regular schools
inclusively. We believe that government should ensure that 12 years compulsory
education is available to BVI children.
We
believe blind students should also have qualified access to higher education.
Basic and secondary education is important, but, higher education is a
strategic way to achieve personal change. We hope to support young people to
obtain educational qualifications and to be the leaders of the next generation.
For
adults, job opportunities in both formal and informal sectors should be open.
Given the limited capacity of formal employment to absorb all the BVI
population, I believe informal employment/entrepreneurship should be
encouraged, including such fields as agriculture/farming for people living in
rural areas/villages. The quality of blind massage should be improved, so
masseurs can compete in the massage industry which is now growing very fast in
the world.
We
believe access to technology is important, and our agenda gives priority to
improving access to technology for those having the least access.
In
undertaking all these activities, Pertuni cannot work alone. Cooperation with CSOs and the
business sector will be continued and developed.
As
a DPO, Pertuni’s main goal is policy changes for disability inclusion.
Therefore, once we succeed in formulating effective policy models in the areas
mentioned above, we will convey them to the related government agency/ministry,
in order that they can be disseminated at a larger scale. All development
should reach everyone with BVI in Indonesia. No one should be left behind.
Indonesia
should implement disability inclusive development. In order to implement this
new paradigm, Indonesia should have a new disability act, in whose development
Pertuni hopes to take an active part.
******
Country Report of Lao Association of the Blind 2014
Lao
Association of the Blind (LAB) has just celebrated the 7th Anniversary
of the organization on 17 September 2014. With the wind beneath its wings from
two European associations of the blind: Norwegian Association of the Blind and
Partially Sighted and Danish Association of the Blind, LAB is stronger
gradually as we would like to praise their continuous supports and record them
in the history of the association.
During
this year, LAB together with the Ministry of Education and Sports was
registered to be the sixth member of ICEVI in the region of Asia-Pacific. LAB and the Ministry of Education and
Sports have been working hard to strengthen inclusive education for the blind
and visually impaired students in Laos with the National Policy on Inclusive
Education as well as the National Strategy and Action Plan on Inclusive
Education 2011 to 2015 issued by the ministry mentioned. Through fabulous cooperation of the
ministry, LAB trained 14 inclusive education teachers from two primary schools,
two secondary schools, two colleges and the National University of Laos with
training in basic Orientation and Mobility, Daily Living Skills and Lao
Braille. A number of teachers from those educational institutes providing
inclusive education for the blind and officers from the Ministry of Education
and Sports were supported with study tours in Thailand for the purpose of
raising awareness of actual practices of inclusive education and to allow them
to learn how to provide inclusive education in Laos.
Moreover,
with support from ICEVI and coordination of the Christian Foundation for the
Blind in Thailand this year, at least nine blind and visually impaired students
from Laos were sent to Bangkok to be trained in ICT and all of them could
access education at a higher level with notebook computers provided by ICEVI.
Through
the supports mentioned above and numerous meetings with educational institutes,
eventually students with visual disabilities have been allowed to study at
colleges and the National University without costs of registration, tuition and
dormitory fees.
LAB
collaborated with disability organisations to perform many advocacy activities
in the past few years that resulted in the issuing of the Prime Minister’s
Decree on Disabilities on 18 April 2014. This was only an initial success
however, LAB’s activities will be continued in order to encourage the
Government to actively execute the decree.
Through
the support of the Danish Association of the Blind and the Norwegian
Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted, LAB kept on performing
community based rehabilitation activities. The Learning Project provided for a
number of staff and members of LAB by the Danish Association of the Blind and
good plan synchronized perfectly and supported LAB with lessons learned from experiences
of organizations of the blind such as Ghana, Nepal, Bangladesh, etc. The
learning workshop empowered LAB with knowledge and techniques for implementing
its community based rehabilitation activities in three target provinces:
Xiengkhouang, Luangprabang and Champassak as well as the capital, Vientiane.
People with visual impairments who were identified through surveys received
appropriate educational, vocational and physical rehabilitation.
During
2013-2014, the rehabilitation allowed 12 children who are blind or vision
impaired to have access to education at two blind schools in Vientiane,
supported 38 adults how are blind or partially sighted with vocational training
and around 450 people with permanent blindness were supported with training in
Orientation and Mobility as well as Daily Living Skills.
In
2013, with magnificent effort from staff of Duxbury in the United States of
America, a Lao Duxbury Program was developed and in 2014 it facilitated LAB’s
production of nearly 100 Braille books more conveniently. In addition, the US
Embassy to Laos also approved an application for a small grant enabling LAB to
create a screen reading program for people with vision impairment. During
2014-2015, with collaboration of the E-Government Centre under the Ministry of
Posts and Telecommunication of Laos and NECTEC, an ICT institute in Thailand
which produced a Thai version of the NVDA program, it is anticipated that LAB
will be able to distribute a Lao NVDA program to beneficiaries throughout the
country via a free download website by mid-2015.
******
Philippine Blind
Union
Suite 508
Jose Cojuangco and Sons Bldg.
119 Dela Rosa corner Castro
St.
Legaspi Village, Makati City
Tel. (02) 818-3911 loc 8251
E-mail: philippineblindunion@yahoo.com
First Blind
Ladies to Participate in the Philippine Fashion Week
By:
Gina Rose Balanlay, Philippine Blind Union
The
crowned 2013 Ms Philippines Vision Arhjessa Ashley Leechain Espiritu and first
Runner Up Michaela Czarinah Mercado were the first blind ladies who
participated in the Philippine Fashion Week Holiday, on 31 May, 2014 at 4pm in
Hall 3, SMX Convention Centre, Mall of Asia, Pasay City.
The
participation of the blind ladies in the fashion arena was made possible
through the efforts of the Philippine Blind Union (PBU) Committee on Women and
Nationwide Organization of Visually-Impaired Empowered Ladies (NOVEL), Inc.
through the help of Mr. Gerry Gonzalo, a former recognized model who became
blind due to an accident. He endorsed the two particular disabled people’s
organizations (DPOs) to Mr. Audie Espino, an executive director of Runway
Productions. Fortunately, its proposal to involve at least two blind ladies in
the Philippine Fashion Week primarily for societal inclusion and equality was
approved.
Runway
Productions, the organization behind the event, gave the blind models
reasonable accommodation to be well-oriented on the rectangular or a 40 feet
longer and 32 feet shorter base stage using their white canes and high heeled
shoes on 30 May 2014. They were trained by Ms. Mila Wayno, an orientation and
mobility trainer from Resources for the Blind. The fashion show opened with
modelling of luxury wear, visions and trends collection of the country’s top
designers by professional ramp models. It ended by the latest signature clothes
of Lyle Ibañez and Audieae where it was followed by a four minute white cane
advocacy video presentation from the DPOs followed by a parade from the two blind
models using their white canes, accompanied by a rendition of “You’ll Never
Walk Alone”.
The
DPOs, NGOs and women with visual impairment, who significantly contributed to
its preparation, were emotional about the success of the show and the reaction
of around one thousand audience members encompassing businessmen, young
professionals and politicians.
Instantaneously,
the fashion show was noticed on social media. The most touching feedback was
the blog of Myusefultips blogger. According to him, inclusion matters in 2014
Philippine Fashion Week. He further added, “…it was an awareness campaign on
social equality, one of the main challenges of the world today. Of the 50
Filipino fashion designers which participated in the said event, only Audie
Espino and Lyle Ibanez were bold enough to embrace the aforementioned blind beauties
as part of their ramp models, the best fashion statement so far which should be
replicated in other countries by fashion gurus and experts particularly in
developed fashion capitals of New York, London, Milan, Paris and Tokyo........”
The
blind models were featured on the news and current affairs of the country’s
three leading television networks. Arhjessa Espiritu’s story was even shown in
a drama anthology and recently in a documentary program.
Indeed,
the PBU Committee on Women and NOVEL’s advocacy in making the rights real of
women with visual impairment will not happen overnight, yet the recently concluded
event is a great step towards its progressive realization.
Philippine
Blind Union Committee on Women & Brgy and Mambugan Persons with Disabilities
Association Spearheaded a training session on how to assist persons with visual
impairment in Antipolo City
By:
Gina Rose Balanlay, Philippine Blind Union
The
Philippine Blind Union Committee on Women and Barangay Mambugan Persons with
Disabilities Association spearheaded a training course entitled “Courtesy
Guidelines: Orientation Training in Relating to people with Visual Impairment”
on 23 May 2014, to empower the staff and residents of Barangay Mambugan,
Antipolo City on how to properly guide and assist people with visual
impairments within their locale.
The
half day training was attended by 40 participants headed by its Barangay
Captain Marlon Zingapan and Barangay Councillor Roble Estrella, the chairman of
the committee on persons with disabilities vigorously performed the different
techniques of how to be of help to persons with blindness and low vision as
discussed by Ms. Mila Wayno, the resource person from Resources for the Blind.
******
Regional Conference of the International Council for
Education of People with Visual Impairment (East
Asia Region)
Date:
28 September – 1 October 2015
Venue:
Hotel Sanur Paradise Plaza
Bali, Indonesia
EFA-VI
Beyond 2015:
Asian Perspectives
Organised by
ICEVI Indonesia Network
International Council for
Education of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI) is a global association of individuals
and organizations that promotes equal access to appropriate education for all
vision impaired children and youth so that they may achieve their full
potential. For more information on
ICEVI, visit the website at www.icevi.org
East Asia Regional Conference
Keeping in view the global
agenda of “Education For All” children, ICEVI East Asia region is attempting to
deliberate on the issue of treating education of children with visual
impairment as their fundamental human right and ensuring that the global
campaign beyond 2015 includes these children too in the vast Asia region, which
is reported to have the largest number of visually impaired persons of the
world.
Theme:
Education For All Children with Visual
Impairment (EFA-VI) Beyond 2015:
Asian Perspectives
The conference theme will be
discussed in the light of global perspectives on education for all,
Legislations, curricular strategies, human resource development, technology and
higher education and the plenary sessions will focus on the following main
topics.
·
EFA
and Disability: Global Perspectives
·
EFA-VI
– Progress and Asian Perspectives
·
Legislation
for inclusion – ASEAN Experience – SEAMEO
·
EFA:
Strategies to serve low vision children and MDVI
·
Role
of Technology
·
Higher
Education
·
Audio-visual aids such as TV, LCD projector, Slide
Projector, OHP, Flip-charts, etc., will be available for the sessions.
·
Poster presentations can also be made by the
participants in the designated exhibition area.
·
Translation facilities will be made available in
Chinese, English, Japanese and Bahasa languages during the plenary
sessions. However, simultaneous
translation cannot be assured for the parallel sessions.
The abstracts of conference
papers not exceeding 200 words should reach the Programme Committee
Secretariat:
Dato’ S. Kulasegaran (Chairman,
Programme Committee) Kompleks MAB Jalan Tebing, Off Jalan Tun Sambanthan
450470, Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA on or before May 31, 2015. Abstracts
can also be sent by e-mail to (ranthoku@streamyx.com) with a copy to the CEO,
ICEVI Dr. M.N.G. Mani (oficevi@gmail.com)
Regional
Organising Committee
The Regional Organising
Committee of the conference is chaired by Dr. Suwimon Udompiriyasak,
Chairperson, ICEVI East Asia Region with Dato’ S. Kulasegaran as the
Vice-Chairman. Other members
include Sri Soedarsono (Indonesia);
Dr. Mudjito, Ak., M.Si., Faculty of Education, State University of Surabaya,
Indonesia; Ir. Sri Renani Pantjastuti, MPA, Director, Special Education,
Indonesia; Aria Indrawati, President, Pertuni, Indonesia and Dr. M.N.G. Mani,
CEO. The Regional Organising Committee will be responsible for the overall
policy decisions pertaining to the conference.
Host
Committee
The ICEVI Host Committee is
headed by Sri Soedarsono, Chairperson, ICEVI Indonesia Network. The members include Dr. Mudjito, Dato
Kulasegaran (Chair, Programme Committee), local members from the Government,
and Aria Indrawati or Representative of Pertuni. The host-committee will form committees
such as reception committee, resources mobilization committee, transport
committee, entertainment committee, etc., based on needs. Dr. Suwimon Udompiriyasak and Dr. M.N.G.
Mani will serve as ex-officio members of the Host Committee.
Programme
Committee
The Programme Committee is
chaired by Dato’ S. Kulasegaran from Malaysia which includes Dr. Suwimon
Udompiriyasak, Regional Chairperson, Dr. Mudjito, Aria Indrawati, Amy Mojica,
Herve and M.N.G. Mani (ICEVI) as members.
Registration
Details
The Registration Fee (in US
Dollars) for the conference will follow the following categories:
·
Early
Bird Registration
(before May 31, 2015):
US$250 – Participants from countries other than Indonesia
US$150 – Participants from Indonesia
·
Regular
Registration
(after May 31, 2015):
US$300 – Participants from countries other than Indonesia
US$200 – Participants from Indonesia
·
Accompanying
Person:
US$150 – Participants from countries other than Indonesia
US$150 – Participants from Indonesia
The Conference Hotel is Hotel Sanur Paradise Plaza.
Participants are expected to stay at this hotel by indicating their preference
through the registration form. There are some other hotels in the vicinity
which can be opted by the participants. More information on the hotels and the
rates will be available soon and shared with the members in the next
announcement of the conference.
Contact
Information:
Sri Soedarsono
International Council for Education of People with Visual
Impairment (ICEVI)
JI. Tanah Abang Timur No. 15
Jakarta 11010, Indonesia
Tel / Fax: +6221 3512431
Email: sris02@yahoo.com, Indonesia.icevi@yahoo.co.id
Registration
Form for the conference should be sent to the Chairperson, Host Committee, on
or before June 31 2015.
******
Editorial Team Contact Details
Chief Editor
Wong
Yoon Loong
National
Council for the Blind
Malaysia
94B
Jalan Tun Sambanthan
Brickfields
50470
Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia.
E-mail:
wongyl@pd.jaring.my
Dr. Issavara Sirirungruang
Ratchasuda
College, Mahidol
University
111
Moo 6, Phuttamonthon 4 Road,
Salaya,
Nakhon Pathom 73170,
Thailand.
E-mail:
isvrss@gmail.com, issavara.sir@mahidol.ac.th
Helen Freris
c/o
International Social Service
Australia
Level
2
313/315
Flinders Lane
Melbourne
VIC 3000
Email:
hfreris@tpg.com.au
Jessica Hamilton
& Kylie Bauer
The
Royal Society for the Blind
Australia
254
Angas Street
Adelaide SA 5000
Email: Jessica.Hamilton@rsb.org.au, Kylie.Bauer@rsb.org.au