Vision Alliance - ICEVI

Founded in 1952, the International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI) is the organization of individuals and agencies concerned with the formal and non-formal educational needs of children with visual impairment throughout the world. ICEVI brings together at the global level educators, administrators, parents and others to promote equal educational opportunity for children with visual impairment. ICEVI works closely with UN member agencies, government and non-government organizations concerned with education.

ICEVI carries out these efforts through seven regional committees which each develop their own plan-of-action that builds upon needs articulated by national level committees. Of particular concern to ICEVI are the needs of children and youth in developing countries where blindness is most prevalent and where, on average, less than 10 per cent of these children have access to any education. This situation perpetuates a cycle of illiteracy and poverty that must be broken as it ensures that people with visual impairment are among the most marginalized groups in the world. ICEVI is addressing the challenge of breaking this cycle with the launch of its Global Campaign on Education for All Children with Visual Impairment (EFA-VI) acting in partnership with the World Blind Union.

The Campaign addresses three key Millennium Development Goals: -achieving universal primary education, -promoting gender equality and -developing global partnership for development. The Campaign works within the framework of the general and special education system of countries and is initially focusing attention on awareness and demand creation for education of children with visual impairment. Provision of appropriate support in educational settings and creation of alternative settings to reach out to the un-reached is also a key aspect of the campaign. The success of the campaign is measured by: 1. increased enrolment rates, 2. reduced dropout rates, 3. improved access to support services, and 4. educational achievement for children with visual impairment, on par with non-disabled children. The Global Campaign presents a unique opportunity for collaboration between the education and eye-health care communities in assuring that all children with visual impairment have access to the basic human right of "education for all".

Lawrence F. Campbell
Overbrook School for the Blind, 6333 Malvern Avenue,
Philadelphia, PA 19151-2597, USA
e-mail: larry@obs.org

Mani, M.N.G.
No.3, Professors’ Colony, Palamalai Road, S.R.K. Vidyalaya Post,
Coimbatore 641 020, INDIA
e-mail: sgicevi@vsnl.net

Wilfred Maina
African Braille Centre, P.O. Box 27715, 00506, Nairobi, KENYA
e-mail: wmaina@africanbraille.org

Datuk Dr. Ismail Md Salleh
International University College of Technology, Twintech Holdings SDN BHD
(260301-A), Level 6, Block E, Sri Damansara Business Park, Persiaran Industri,
Bandar Sri Damansara, 52200 Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA
e-mail: drismail@iuctt.edu.my

Hans Welling
Visio, Amersfoortsestraatweg 180
1272 RR Huizen, THE NETHERLANDS
e-mail: hanswelling@visio.org

Lucia Piccione
Urquiza 2659, 5001 Cordoba, ARGENTINA
e-mail: lpiccione@arnet.com.ar

Kathleen M. Huebner
Graduate Studies in Vision Impairment, National Center for Leadership in Visual Impairment (NCLVI), Pennsylvania College of Optometry
8360 Old York Road, Elkins Park
PA. 19027, USA
e-mail: kathyh@pco.edu

Frances Gentle
Renwick Centre, Royal Institute for Deaf & Blind Children
Private Bag 29, Parramatta NSW 2124
AUSTRALIA
e-mail: frances.gentle@ridbc.org.au

Bhushan Punani
Blind People’s Association
Jagdish Patel Chowk, Surdas Marg, Vastrapur
Ahmedabad 380 015, INDIA
e-mail: blinabad1@sancharnet.in