Aid community for the blind and partially sighted in Austria
| Aid community for the blind and partially sighted in Austria
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| legal form | society |
| founding | 1935 |
| Seat | Vienna , Austria |
| management | Elmar Fürst (CEO) |
| Website | www.hilfsgemeinschaft.at |
The Aid Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired Austria was founded in 1935 by Jakob Wald and is a non-profit, denominational and politically independent association. The aim is to improve the living conditions of blind and visually impaired people. As the oldest and, with 4,300 members, also the largest self-help organization for the visually impaired , it represents the interests of around 318,000 visually impaired people in Austria. The aid community finances its activities almost exclusively from private donations and has been the bearer of the Austrian seal of approval since 2001 . In this way, the supporters can be sure that their donations will be used exactly as they wish. Membership is free for visually impaired and blind people and allows access to many services, most of which are also free.
Services for visually impaired and blind members
- Advice on social law issues (disability pass, care allowance, fee exemption, etc.)
- Free braille courses
- Inexpensive rental of reading devices
- Aid advice
- Low vision advice
- Art and psychotherapeutic offer
- Mobile advice in Lower Austria and Burgenland
- Children's group "Sehsternchen"
- 1. Austrian guide dog regulars table
- Wide range of leisure activities (lectures, language courses, games, singing, dance and theater groups, creative design, memory training, tactile tours in exhibitions, excursions with sighted companions and much more)
- Aids shop
- Vacation and permanent living in the barrier-free senior citizens' home Waldpension in Lower Austria
Accessibility
Another goal is to break down existing barriers. Current topics are barrier-free communication, barrier-free architecture, barrier-free tourism and barrier-free art education. As part of projects on the subject of accessibility, the aid community cooperates with other organizations for the disabled, but also with companies, technical colleges and universities. The association is also a member of numerous working groups and committees to represent the interests of its members: Austrian Disability Council, Austrian Standards Institute (specialist group for blind aids), platform football4all and theater4all, EDF - European Disability Forum.
Eye care
The aid community has been involved in the field of eye care for many years. In order to sensitize as many people as possible to the necessity of regular preventive examinations at the ophthalmologist, the free app “Eye care: Look at yourself!” Was developed. In addition, the barrier-free web platform www.augengesundheit.at was launched. It provides bundled and easily accessible information on the topics of eye health and prevention, as well as specialist articles on the latest medical developments.
Information and education
"But you see!"
With this campaign, the association wants to move away from conventional imagery. Everyone forms their own images in their heads. Depending on his experiences, his imagination and of course his eyesight. People with impaired vision see reality differently than sighted people. But blind people also have images and ideas of the world in their heads. We resolve these requirements by not using any images. A simple sentence creates an idea in the mind of the beholder. The positive approach is also essential. With this campaign, the line continues.
"We see differently"
With the information and awareness-raising campaign "We see differently", the association counteracts the cliché of pathetic blind recipients of alms. Part of this campaign is a free brochure with funny tips for the relaxed coexistence of sighted and blind people. In it, sighted young and old learn to shed their shyness and - if necessary - to offer the right support. One focus of the ten tips is the topic of "communication": What is necessary to provide a blind person with useful information? How do you draw attention to yourself? How do you show a door or a seat? Ten everyday situations are shown, which were illustrated in a humorous way by the German cartoonist Phil Hubbe . The texts dispel common prejudices and are intended as an introduction for those who have always asked themselves: “What to do when someone is blind?” The aid community has already had international recognition in the past for its unusual TV commercial “Blinde Piloten ”, Which was also created as part of the“ We see differently ”campaign. The brochure continues the line that has been followed to date, namely using humor against discrimination.
The latest spot shows in a funny way the challenges a blind person has to face in everyday life. The blind hen Humphrey has to overcome numerous obstacles to get to his destination safely.
Points of view
The monthly magazine “ viewpoints” is designed to be suitable for the visually impaired and provides information as a print edition or audio version about new therapeutic approaches in ophthalmology as well as about innovative projects and technologies that contribute to the inclusion of visually impaired people.
Donate and help
Donation lottery
The association carried out its first donation lottery in 2008, which due to its success has now become an annual campaign.
Projects
Theater4all
The theater4all project enables visually impaired people to enjoy art without barriers. In Vienna, blind and visually impaired theatergoers can take advantage of a very special service: A professional live audio description makes inaudible events on the stage "visible" for them: costumes, set design, facial expressions and gestures, poses, scene changes - everything is done by experienced people Commentators described. All you need is a portable radio or cell phone with radio reception and headphones to be able to follow the image descriptions on 99.2 MHz. Performances with audio description are currently offered on the following stages: Burgtheater, Volkstheater, Theater in der Josefstadt, Schauspielhaus.
Football4all
The association has been dealing intensively with the topic of barrier-free tourism for years and is implementing its know-how on this topic in numerous specific projects. The focus is on the target group of blind and visually impaired guests. The aid community implements many projects in cooperation with various partner organizations.
On the occasion of the UEFA EURO 2008 , the association and other organizations (ÖAR, ÖBSV / umbrella organization, opportunities benefit office ÖGB etc.) founded a platform and representation of interests for and for fans with disabilities. The football4all platform has existed since autumn 2007. The goal was a largely barrier-free UEFA EURO 2008. The challenge: For the first time in Austria such a large event - the EURO is the third largest sporting event in the world - should be made barrier-free. In very good and close cooperation with the tournament management of the UEFA EURO 2008, this goal was achieved in both Austria and Switzerland. Over 1,000 fans were able to experience the EURO directly in the stadiums, and thousands were able to watch the games in the barrier-free public viewing zones. With the service website, the platform had a tool at its disposal that enabled fans with disabilities to obtain comprehensive and, above all, barrier-free information and to contribute themselves. In October 2008, the website received a special prize from the “ebiz egovernment award 2008”.
The football4all project - for a barrier-free football experience - will continue after the UEFA EURO 2008. In cooperation with the ÖFB, a moderation system was developed that enables blind and visually impaired football fans to follow the course of the game. Moderators from Antenne Steiermark comment.