1st EBU International Conference on Education, 19-23 July 2000, Montegrotto Terme (Padua) - Italy
Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends, I am very pleased to welcome you to Italy.
A special welcome goes to Herman Gresnigt, European Chairman of the International Council for the Education of People with Visual Impairment, ICEVI. A special welcome to Norbert M�ller, Secretary General of the European Blind Union and also to V�clav Pol�ek, member of the EBU Board.
I would also like to thank you all for accepting our invitation to attend this international conference.
The Italian Union of the Blind considers it a great honour to host this conference organised by the Commission on Education of the European Blind Union chaired by Enzo Tioli, Vice-President of the Italian Union of the Blind.
Until recently the European Blind Union did not have a commission dealing with issues regarding education. Italy is among those countries which very much wanted the setting up of this commission and was particularly pleased when the existing working group was transformed into a regular EBU commission.
The Commission has been very successful and immediately put on its agenda important matters such as the policy of integration at school, the preparation of teachers and the role of families and associations.
This conference will discuss all this and we hope that at the end we will have some guidelines that are applicable at least at European level.
We have just come back from Cracow in Poland where we attended the periodic conference organised by ICEVI. The theme of this conference was "Visions and Strategies for the New Century". I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Herman Gresnigt once again for the excellent conference. I would like to repeat here a thought I expressed in the speech I had the honour to make on behalf of the European Blind Union.
At the dawn of the new millennium co-operation is not only useful, it is absolutely necessary. The challenges the blind have to face today are indeed many and sometimes they frighten us.
To give just one example, new digital technologies are a great resource for mankind because they break barriers and reduce distances, but if they are not made accessible to all, they can be a new form of isolation and therefore exclusion. As you know, the blind are not asking for the moon but only equal opportunities to study, to work and to have relationships just like everyone else. For many blind people this is still a far-off goal. For some it is even a forbidden dream. It is also the duty of this conference to tackle the theme of equal opportunities for blind children who go to mainstream schools. These children are often left on their own to fight against the huge mountain of difficulties created by blindness. Blindness is a very serious impairment. Nevertheless, it is necessary to take steps to make sure the blind are given the necessary means and help.
In conclusion I will express the hope that this conference will give the right answers to many questions, seeing that we have invited here from all over Europe people of great experience and culture. I can therefore say that I am optimistic because being optimistic can help us continue our fight and win our battle against blindness.
Thank you all for your attention.
Back to the: Home Page