Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Württemberg

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Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired Württemberg e. V. (BSVW)

logo
legal form non-profit association , self-help organization
founding 1909
Seat Stuttgart
management Angelika Moser (chairwoman);

Arne Jöns (deputy chairman)

Website www.bsv-wuerttemberg.de

The Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Württemberg e. V. (BSVW) was founded in 1909 as the Württembergischer Blindenverein e. V. (WBV) founded by Rudolf Kraemer in Stuttgart . In 2009 the BSVW celebrated its 100th anniversary in the Forum am Schlosspark in Ludwigsburg . In the years that followed, the association joined other projects and initiatives, responding to demographic change and the resulting need for advice and support for blind and visually impaired people and their families.

History of the association

Copper relief showing the portrait of Rudolf Kraemer (1885–1945)

On June 27, 1909, the Württembergische Blindenverein e. V. (WBV) in the life called. The law student Rudolf Kraemer from Heilbronn had invited to the founding meeting. 38 of 63 association members took part in the founding meeting in the hotel "Herzog Christoph" in Stuttgart . On the occasion of the founding of the association, Rudolf Kraemer pointed out the need for a self-help organization for the blind in Württemberg . He also clearly indicated the purpose and goals of the association: "The blind should work for the blind". Blind people who had reached the age of 18 were accepted as "Ordinary Members" at this point in time. Two motions were submitted to the founding meeting for resolution:

King Wilhelm replied in a friendly manner to the telegram of homage addressed to him, but refused to take over the protectorate on the grounds that the young association had to wait a certain period of development and probation. Miss Helen Keller replied in the affirmative by asking the chairman to convey her best thanks to the members of the WBV for the honor conferred on her .

The idea of ​​" helping people to help themselves " was the focus of the association's work from the start. The association gradually founded local and district groups whose primary task was the cultural support of the members. The first district group was founded in October 1909 in Heilbronn. Two other groups, Stuttgart and Ulm , were launched in February 1910. Two years later, the Reutlingen district group followed , from which the Tübingen and Nürtingen groups emerged in the 1920s . Esslingen , Freudenstadt and others followed.

The time of National Socialism was extremely problematic for the development of the blind in Germany and thus also in Württemberg. Individual blind people became victims of the "law on the destruction of life unworthy of life". It is not uncommon for blind people to be harmed to body and soul by forced sterilization due to the “Law for the Prevention of Hereditary Offspring” . Rudolf Kraemer, who had meanwhile completed his studies and received two doctorates, dealt critically with these inhumane practices in his publications. The membership of the WBV had risen to over 900 in 1939.

After 1945, due to the division of the states into zones of occupation ( Württemberg-Baden and Südwürttemberg-Hohenzollern ), the WBV was split into two associations. The will for unity and unity in the interests of a joint organized self-help for the blind, however, has always remained alive among the members of both politically separated zones.

As early as 1947, the chairman of the association, Otto Glänzel, made the proposal at the general meeting of the Stuttgart district group in the Württemberg Blind Association to elect not only men but also a young woman to the district group committee. Ilse Enssle was elected with the most votes. She took on the task of writing minutes and invitations and helping to organize events.

The three state blind associations in Baden-Württemberg (Badischer Blindenverein VmK, Blindenverein Südbaden e.V., Württembergischer Blindverein) founded a working group to represent the interests of blind people. Together they started negotiations, the aim of which was to regulate the blind allowance for Baden-Württemberg . In February 1972 it was achieved: the state parliament of Baden-Württemberg passed the law on state assistance for the blind .

Efforts at the beginning of the 1970s to merge the three civil blind associations in Baden-Württemberg were unsuccessful. As a result of the community reform , a discussion about the new naming of the association arose . The renaming to "Blindenverband Ost-Baden-Württemberg e. V. (BVOBW) ”was decided in 1976. In order to better address the group of visually impaired people and to be able to involve them in the work, the association changed its name to the delegates' meeting in 2000 in the Blind and Visually Impaired Association of East Baden-Württemberg e. V. (BSVOBW) changed.

In agreement with the two DBSV state associations in Baden and in accordance with the request of the delegates' assembly, the association renamed itself again in 2010. Based on the roots of the association, the assembly of delegates decided on the name Blinden- und Sehbehindertenverband Württemberg e. V. (BSVW)

Facilities

The BSVW left and leaves no stone unturned to offer blind and visually impaired people "help for self-help" in various facilities.

Former institutions of the association

  • Recreation home "Sonnenheim": By taking over and setting up the recreation home "Sonnenheim" in Rohr near Stuttgart, the WBV created the prerequisites for recreational opportunities for blind people and their companions. The inauguration took place on May 12, 1918. The association had to raise 57,000 marks in cash for the purchase. Despite the deliberately kept low pension prices that were charged to the blind and their companions, the association tried to give its destitute and poor members - and these were soon the overwhelming majority - a free recreational stay in its home. On March 15, 1944, the rest home for the blind in Stuttgart-Rohr was hit by bombs and burned to the ground. After 1945 the WBV set about rebuilding the rest home for the blind in Stuttgart-Rohr. An extension was added to this in 1955. After the Rudolf Kraemer Home was opened in Bad Liebenzell in 1968, the home in Stuttgart-Rohr was continued as a home for the blind. The increasing age of the residents and the associated frailty made it necessary to equip the house with sanitary cells in accordance with the regulations and to set up six care places. These measures were completed in 1985. However, the need for care places continued to rise. Despite intensive efforts, the association was no longer in a position to maintain the old people's home, which had become a new home for many blind people in the greater Stuttgart area, due to high requirements and the resulting increase in personnel costs. It therefore had to be closed in 1996.
  • Rudolf Kraemer House (RKH): In 1968, the WBV opened its blind cure and convalescent home in Bad Liebenzell , named after the founder of the association, Rudolf Kraemer. The house had 72 beds in modern rooms. As early as 1974 it was recognized that mobility training is very important to improve the mobility and orientation of blind people . Therefore it was decided to add a mobility center to the house in Bad Liebenzell in order to help blind people to be largely independent in road traffic. Since the occupancy numbers of the Rudolf-Kraemer-Haus had been steadily declining since 2003, the delegates' meeting decided to close the building on September 13, 2008, as continued operation would result in unacceptable costs. The Rudolf Kraemer House ceased operations on November 30, 2008.

Significant participation in other former institutions

  • Cooperative for the blind in Heilbronn : The cooperative for the blind was founded in Heilbronn in 1913. In accordance with its tasks, the WBV played a key role in this. They gave blind craftsmen a facility that offered them work and organized the distribution of goods. Karl Anspach helped the company to success in the following years from 1915. On September 10, 1944, the workshop building of the blind association and on December 4 its office and warehouse building with all its inventory and warehouse were destroyed by the effects of the war. 17 members of the association lost their lives in this attack on Heilbronn.
  • In the 50s, the Nikolauspflege built in cooperation with the Württembergischer Blindenverband e. V. on the site of the Nikolauspflege am Kräherwald in Stuttgart, a dormitory for single working blind people. In 1980 the Nikolauspflege announced that it was necessary to vacate the dormitory in order to make it available to the students and trainees of the Nikolauspflege as a boarding school. This resulted in the dissolution of the contract between Nikolauspflege and the Association for the Blind and with the reimbursement of shares in 1984 the matter was closed.
  • Süddeutsche Blindenhörbücherei e. V .: In 1957, on the initiative of the chairman at the time, Mr. Karl Wohlgemuth, the Süddeutsche Blindenhörbücherei e. V. founded in Stuttgart. The task of the audio library was to produce audio books and make them available for loan to blind people. In 2004 the audio library had to be closed for economic reasons.

Current facility

  • Advice house at the Sun Fountain : After extensive renovation, the advice house at the Sun Fountain in Karl-Anspach- Weg 1 in Heilbronn-Böckingen was opened in 2019 in the former stationer's house in Sun Fountain . This was made possible by donations, grants and with many helping hands. In the counseling and group rooms one is set up for the topic of "vision-visual impairment-blindness".

Tasks of the association

Chairperson
1909-1910 Rudolf Kraemer
1910-1922 Ferdinand Neunhöffer
1922-1932 Adolf von Nickel
1932-1934 Theodor Bäuerle
1935-1939 Adolf Loebich (acting)
1939-1941 Paul Rudolph
1941-1949 Otto Glänzel
1949-1958 Karl Wohlgemuth
1958-1965 Karl Greiner
1965-1969 Winfried Walz
1969-1973 Ferdinand Zekel
1973-1974 Karl Klein
1974-2000 Heinz Lichy
2000-2001 Eugen marble
2001-2006 Hartmut Dorow
2006-2013 Wolfgang Müssig
2013– Angelika Moser
  • The association promotes the professional, societal, cultural and social participation of blind and visually impaired people, is committed to the maintenance and establishment of facilities that serve the education of blind and visually impaired people and maintains advice centers for blind and visually impaired people as well as for patients with threatening people Eye diseases .
  • The chairman, the deputy chairman and the committee members are elected by the assembly of delegates by secret ballot for a period of four years. The chairman and the deputy chairman each represent the association in and out of court as a board within the meaning of § 26 BGB. They carry out the resolutions of the assembly of delegates and the board of directors, take care of the day-to-day business if no managing directors are appointed and exercise the powers otherwise assigned to the chairman by these statutes. The board of directors has to decide on all matters of the association that are not expressly assigned otherwise by the statutes.
  • The Board will, among other assignments for the needs of the district groups, sections and departments for visual impairment , for aid , for the working group school education, public relations, for seniors and for persons affected with diabetes perceived. (As of 2020)

Accessibility

In order for blind and visually impaired people to lead as independent a life as possible, it is important to make public space and correspondence from public authorities accessible.

  • In public space: “With regard to public space, it is our concern that, for example, stairs are designed with high contrasts and danger areas are delimited. These and other measures contribute to the safety of blind and significantly visually impaired people in public spaces. It should be noted that, due to increasing life expectancy, more elderly people are living and visual impairments often occur in old age. "
  • Correspondence: Blind and visually impaired people have the right to request documents from public authorities in the form accessible to them. These offices have the opportunity to have individual letters or information of general interest converted into Braille, large print or an audio CD and made available. This gives blind and visually impaired people a little more opportunity to regulate their affairs independently. The legal basis for this can be found in the State Disability Equality Act BW, Section 9 - Design of correspondence.

Subdivisions

In order to give the members the opportunity for exchange, advice, on-site activities and support and in certain areas of interest, the association is divided into district and specialist groups and departments.

  • Specialist groups: The association has four specialist groups to carry out specific offers for blind and visually impaired people. The specialist groups are aimed in particular at women, owners of guide dogs and working members in the fields of education and office professions as well as medical-therapeutic professions.
  • Departments: The two departments address both younger members and parents of visually impaired children.

Projects

In order to meet the increasing need for advice for eye patients, seniors with visual impairments and people with multiple disabilities , the association takes part in three nationwide advice offers.

  • Eye focus (BPA): The German Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired. V. (DBSV) initiated BPA in order to be able to support eye patients with advice and help. Advice is provided by those affected for those affected. On October 15, 2013, the BSVW opened the first advice center in Lauda. Further advice centers were opened in Ravensburg, Stuttgart, Schwäbisch Hall, Böblingen and Heilbronn by 2020.
  • Seeing in old age (SiA): On 27./28. In June 2014, the German Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired e. V. (DBSV) and the Federal Working Group of Senior Citizens' Organizations (BAGSO) founded the action alliance “Seeing in Age” in Bonn. From January 2016 to December 2019, the BSVW's regional project “Seeing in Old Age” was dedicated to the main objective of raising public awareness of improving the specific living situation of visually impaired seniors. As a result of the association's new initiative since January 2020, support offers to maintain the independent and self-determined way of life of later blind people are to be installed in the association area.
  • Supplementary independent participation advice (EUTB): On January 1, 2018, the second stage of the Federal Participation Act came into force. The supplementary independent participation advice (EUTB) was thus introduced. The EUTB provides advice that is aimed at people with disabilities and their relatives. The advisory service is provided independently of service providers and service providers. Service providers are, for example, pension insurance or health insurance. Service providers are, for example, the providers of aids or rehabilitation measures. The EUTB relies on the principle of peer counseling for advice. This means that people with disabilities are advised by people with disabilities. In doing so, the legislature also aims to strengthen self-help in their work. To introduce the EUTB, the federal government has launched a funding program. The supplementary independent participation advice is financially supported over three years with the funding program.

Memberships and cooperations

Memberships
  • German Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired V.
  • State working group SELF-HELP for disabled people Baden-Württemberg e. V.
  • Baden-Württemberg Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired V.
  • The Paritätische Wohlfahrtsverband Landesverband Baden-Württemberg e. V.
  • Umbrella association for integrative planning and building e. V.
  • Bavarian audio library for the blind, visually impaired and reading impaired e. V.
Cooperations
Participation

media

A wide variety of information is available in large print, Braille print or as an audio version for blind and visually impaired people. But access to literature, film and television is also of great importance for the participation of blind and visually impaired people.

  1. Association media:
    • Vereinsbote: In October 1911, the first edition of the Vereinsbote appeared in shorthand and black script. The quarterly membership magazine has kept its name to this day. The information on social law, the association, reports from the subdivisions and current topics appears in shorthand, black print and as an audio version on book 5 in DBSV-inform.
    • Manus: The magazine for blind and visually impaired professionals in the medical-therapeutic field appears 3 times a year on audio CD or for download. In addition to technical and informative topics from medicine, occupational politics and the blind, there is the possibility of collegial exchange on a variety of topics.
    • Baden-Württemberg-Journal (BWJ): The Baden-Württemberg-Journal was the three to four times a year published joint audio newspaper for members of the three Baden-Württemberg blind and visually impaired organizations. It contained interesting reports and information from the blind and visually impaired system in Baden-Württemberg. The last edition appeared at the end of 2008.
    • Brochures about blindness and visual impairment of the DBSV (umbrella organization of the BSVW): The black print brochures, which are also available as PDF, contain information about the topics of blindness and visual impairment , tips for coping with everyday life, information about aids for the blind and visually impaired Informed people, special rehabilitation offers and much more.
    • Circulars: The subdivisions and the chairperson regularly provide members with circulars on events and current issues.
  2. Radio and tape: The introduction of radio and the development of tape were major events as they opened up information and communication opportunities for the blind. The distribution of tape was a prerequisite for making books audible.
  3. Film and television: "The desire is directed towards the film industry and public and private television companies to increasingly produce and broadcast films with audio description ". The German Audio Film Award has been awarded by the DBSV since 2002 for films with audio description .
  4. Literature: With the creation of the libraries for the blind , literature was made accessible to blind and visually impaired people. For this purpose, books and magazines are made available in Braille, as audio books and sometimes in large print

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Wilfried Hartmann: Rudolf Kraemer . 1999, p. 10 .
  2. ↑ Ilse Enssle: Joy carries my fate . second edition. Self-published, 2002, p. 259 .
  3. ^ History of the association - Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired Württemberg e. V. Accessed May 11, 2020 .
  4. ↑ Christhard Schrenk: Rudolf Kraemer A life for the blind . No. 14 , 2002, ISBN 3-928990-81-0 , pp. 64-74 .
  5. ↑ Christhard Schrenk: Karl Anspach - A blind businessman revolutionizes the craft of the blind (1889-1941) . 2009, ISBN 978-3-940646-03-3 , pp. 16-20 .
  6. ↑ Christhard Schrenk: Rudolf Kraemer A life for the blind . No. 14 , 2002, ISBN 3-928990-81-0 , pp. 101-118 .
  7. ↑ ub: Pioneer of self-help for the blind. https://www.stimme.de/ , October 15, 2009, accessed on May 18, 2020 .
  8. ↑ (Minutes of a conversation between Nikolauspflege and BVOBW from March 27, 1980 / BSVW archive; letter from Nikolauspflege to BVOBW from October 25, 1984 / BSVW archive)
  9. ↑ CF Müller: Encyclopedia of the Blind and Visually Impaired System . Ed .: Deutscher Blindenverband e. V. ISBN 3-8114-2188-3 , pp. 163 .
  10. ^ History of the association. Retrieved May 20, 2020 .
  11. ↑ November 4th, 2019: Invitation to the opening of the advice center at the Sun Fountain - Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired Württemberg e. V. Retrieved May 26, 2020 .
  12. ↑ District group Heilbronn - Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired Württemberg e. V. Retrieved May 26, 2020 .
  13. ↑ Heilbronn district group . In: BSVW (Ed.): Vereinsbote 1-2020 . S. 33-35 .
  14. ^ Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired, East Baden-Württemberg e. V. (BSVOBW): Festschrift 100 years BSVOBW e. V. S. 41 .
  15. ↑ Board of Commissions - Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired Württemberg e. V. Retrieved May 26, 2020 .
  16. ↑ ws: Press Release . Ed .: BVOBW. September 22, 1999.
  17. ↑ sd and cm: Blickpunkt Augen solemnly opened . In: BSVW (Ed.): Vereinsbote 4-2013 . S. 5 + 6 .
  18. ↑ ws: Additional independent participatory consultation . In: BSVW (Ed.): Vereinsbote 2-2018 . S. 13 + 14 .
  19. ↑ Sponsors and partners - Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired Württemberg e. V. Retrieved May 13, 2020 .
  20. ↑ Christhard Schrenk: Rudolf Kraemer A life for the blind . No. 14 , 2002, ISBN 3-928990-81-0 , pp. 77-81 .
  21. ↑ ws: Press Release . Ed .: BVOBW. September 22, 1999.