EBU Questionnaire Survey on the education, vocational
training and rehabilitation of blind and partially sighted
women across the 27 EU Member States
QUESTIONNAIRE RESULTS
QUESTIONNAIRE RECOMMENDATIONS
QUESTIONNAIRE RESULTS
EBU Questionnaire Survey on the education, vocational
training and rehabilitation of blind and partially sighted
women across the 27 EU Member States
December 2008
I. Attendance to special or mainstream schools
1. - Is it possible for blind and partially sighted children to attend special schools in your
country?
Yes 83%
No 17%
2. Is it possible for blind and partially sighted children to attend mainstream schools in your
country?
Yes 100%
No 0%
3. - In case there are both special and mainstream schools do the majority of visually impaired
girls attend (Please tick one of the following):
Special schools. 24%
Mainstream schools 46%
Don’t know 12%
No information or statistics available
in my country 18%
4. – Do male and female pupils and students in practice have the same rights and
opportunities to access the education system at all levels?
Yes
83%
No
11%
No info 6%
5. – Do female pupils and students receive in special education adequate support measures
among the following:
1- Books in
Braille or large
print 16
2- Recorded
texts 15
3- Braillers
16
4- PCs with
speech
synthesizers or
Braille display
14
5- Texts in
electronic
format 14
6- Financial
support 12
7- Support
teachers 11
8- Assistants at
home 8
- Other
1
6. - From your point of view, is this support in special education equally available to blind and
partially sighted boys and girls?
Yes
No
Don’t know
94%
0%
6%
7. – Do female pupils and students receive in mainstream education adequate support
measures among the following:
1- Books in
Braille or large
print 17
2- Recorded
texts 16
3- Braillers
17
4- PCs with
speech
synthesizers or
Braille display
14
5- Texts in
electronic
format 15
6- Financial
support 14
7- Support
teachers 13
8- Assistants at
home 9
Other
7
8. - From your point of view, is this support in mainstream education equally available to
blind and partially sighted boys and girls?
Yes 100%
No
0%
9. – From your point of view and experience are the teachers of blind and partially sighted
women and girls qualified enough?
1 Yes
61%
2 No
33%
3 Don’t know 6%
II. Comparison between female and male pupils and students
10 – Do female pupils and students in practice have the same opportunities to participate in
the general education system on an equal basis with male pupils and students?
Yes 94%
No
6%
11. – Which qualifications do the majority of blind and partially sighted women have (Please
tick one of the following)?
Primary school level 18%
Secondary School level 35%
Vocational training courses 25%
University level
0%
Postgraduate level
0%
Don’t know 11%
Other 11%
12. – Do blind and partially sighted women access the academic career on an equal basis with
blind and partially sighted men?
Yes
82%
No
12%
No info
6%
III. Physical education
13. – Is it possible for blind and partially sighted girls to participate in physical education
classes on an equal basis with non disabled girls?
Yes
61%
No
22%
No info
6%
Don’t know 11%
14. - Is it possible for blind and partially sighted girls to participate in physical education
classes on an equal basis with their blind and partially sighted male peers?
Yes 83%
No 17%
15. – Are there specific services, centres or courses for sports activities aimed at a better
awareness of the potential and physical skills of visually impaired women?
Yes
61%
No
33%
Don’t know
6%
No info
0%
16. – Are there any courses for visually impaired women aimed at acquiring a proper posture
and adequate body language?
Yes 61%
No 39%
IV. Rehabilitation
17. – Do blind and partially sighted women access rehabilitation services and centres on an
equal basis with blind and partially sighted men?
Yes 100%
No
0%
18. – Do blind and partially sighted girls attend specific daily living courses?
Yes 78%
No 22%
19. – Are there any personal care/look-good/makeup courses?
Yes 72%
No 28% 28%
V. Reproductive health education
20. – Do young blind and partially sighted women have the opportunity to attend general and
specific sexual education and is it possible for them to get information and training materials
in accessible format?
Yes 56%
No 44%
VI. Music education
21. – As music education is highly formative for everybody and playing a musical instrument
facilitates integration, do women have the opportunity the opportunity in your country to
access music education either as amateurs or as professionals?
Yes 94%
No
6%
22. – Are there any visually impaired women who teach music education?
In special
schools
Yes
11
No
4
Don’t know
3
In
mainstream
schools
Yes
8
No
4
Don’t know
6
23. – Are there any blind or partially sighted women who have established themselves as
concert performers?
Yes
No
Don’t know
No info
71%
6%
17%
6%
VII. Other training courses
24. – Have there ever been any leadership courses, neuro-linguistic programming courses or
public speaking courses open to or mainly targeted at blind and partially sighted women?
Yes
56%
No
33%
Don’t know 11%
No info
0%
25. – Are these courses:
- organised
regularly
Yes
5
No
6
Don’t know
1
- never
organised
Yes
4
No
7
Don’t know
1
- organized
but women
did not
participate
yes
0
No
7
Don’t know
2
26. – Who offers these training courses?
mainstrea
m services
yes
4
No
4
Don’t know
2
special
services for
blind and
partially
sighted
persons?
yes
8
No
3
Don’t know
1
VIII. Vocational training centres
27. – Are there any special vocational training centres carrying out courses for blind and
partially sighted women?
Yes 39%
No 61%
28. – Is it possible for blind and partially sighted women to attend vocational training courses
in mainstream facilities?
Yes 94%
No. 6%
29. – Do those attending vocational training courses receive texts/notes/handouts in accessible
formats?
Yes
No
Don’t know
83%
6%
11%
30. – Are blind and partially sighted women supported by specialized staff?
At school 17
At university 13
At vocational training
centres 13
Other 1
IX. Access to information
31. - Do visually impaired women have access to new technologies and information on an
equal basis:
with visually impaired men
Yes 100%
No 0%
with non disabled persons
Yes 50%
No 50%
32. – Do blind and partially sighted women get technical aids in order to access information? :
Yes
No
Don’t know
If yes, where is it offered?
At school 28%
At university 23%
At work 26%
At home 19%
Other 4%
33. – If yes, what kind of support is received?
X. Mobility and transport
83%
6%
11%
34. - From your point of view, do blind and partially sighted girls and
women benefit from special support facilities/concessions when travelling to school or
university?
Yes 89%
No 11%
If yes, what kind of support?
1 Financial
aid
Yes
6
No 12
2 Reduced
fares on
public
transport for
them
Yes 13
No
5
3 Reduced
fares on
public
transport for
their
accompanyin
g persons
Yes 15
No
3
4 Taxis Freeof-charge
Yes
5
No 13
5 Permanent
personal
assistant
Yes
4
No 14
6 Special
transport for
disabled
people
Yes 10
No
8
Other
3
35. – Do blind and partially sighted women have the same level of mobility independence as
blind and partially sighted men?
Yes
72%
No
11%
No info
11%
Don’t know
6%
36. - When travelling to school, university or training courses blind and partially sighted
women mainly move (Please tick one of the following):
1
Accompanie
d by a
family
member 9
2 Alone,
with a white
cane 8
3 With a
guide dog
5
4 With a
GPS and a
white cane
0
5 With a
GPS 1
6
Accompanie
d by paid
staff 2
7
Accompanie
d by a
volunteer 1
XI. E.U. impact
37. – Do you think that the European Union has had any impact on the status of blind and
partially sighted women in your country?
Yes, a positive impact 9
Yes, a decisive impact 1
No impact 5
Yes, but a negative impact
0
Don't know 1
No information available
2
38. – To sum up, do you think that education, vocational training and rehabilitation in your
country are carried out along the lines of the dictates of the equal opportunities policy?
Yes
84%
No
11%
Don’t know
5%
No info
0%
39. – Do you have any expectations with regard to (Please tick one or more of the following):
Education
9
Vocational
training
10
Leadership
and
Capacity
Building
courses
10
Mobility
10
Access to
informatio
n 10
Other 4
EBU Questionnaire Survey on the
education, vocational training and
rehabilitation of blind and partially sighted
women across the 27 EU Member States
Recommendations
Although the outcomes of the questionnaire appear somewhat incomplete due to the low
number of responses (18 countries out of 29 EU/EEA member states) the following
recommendations were made by Ms Luisa Bartolucci, coordinator of the EBU Blind and
Partially Sighted Women Steering Group.
1) EBU should strengthen the women network already in place for it to become an evermore
useful tool not restricted to a source of information, an increasingly effective means of
exchange of good practice as well as a place allowing European women to discuss and grow
together, a real point of reference for role models, ideas and solutions aimed at improving the
quality of life of blind and partially sighted women in EBU member countries
2) Physical education, sports and techniques aimed at acquiring a proper posture and adequate
body language have always been considered as essential elements in the life of every human
being and they are even more so for blind and partially sighted women. Such elements in fact
contribute to developing a harmonious body, which is important both for women and men.
There are still too many women and girls who do not have access to such training courses.
EBU should raise awareness of the matter urging all its national members to organise specific
courses targeted to blind and partially sighted women and girls.
3) We live in a time when women, despite some obstacles and more or less hidden forms of
discrimination, are constantly taking steps forward, acquiring more independence, starting to
play prestigious roles, although with some difficulty, and making their way in the field of
employment. Blind and partially sighted women are still facing a lot of obstacles, are
confronted with barriers and difficulties due to bad practice or economic hindrances but often
also to low self-esteem sometimes arising from society or even family. EBU should therefore
provide its national members with tools that could help women take a real quality leap. Not
only should the WBU Leadership and Mentoring Kit be circulated again but also other useful
tools in order for women to achieve better personal abilities and greater awareness. It could be
useful to develop a kit based also on neuro-linguistics and public speaking. Very useful could
be a publication collecting testimonies of blind and partially sighted women successful in
different areas than the traditional ones, overachieving women who despite adversities and
discrimination have been able to take that quality leap.
4) As far as sexual education is concerned, taboos are still strong either in relation to religion
or various socio-cultural elements. It would be advisable to develop workshop models (pilots)
to be proposed to a number of countries during which insiders could get information on how
and with what tools blind and partially sighted women and girls should receive targeted
sexual education. It would be advisable to produce a high level scientific publication with
relevant tables to be put at the disposal of interested organisations. Young people, in fact,
more and more often point out discomfort or embarrassment due to either inaccurate,
incomplete information or uncertainties/mental blocks caused by wrong approaches.
5) EBU should intensify its participation in European projects targeted at women and promote
participation of as many countries as possible in such projects through provision of
consultancy/advice services.
6) EBU should promote - through various means - a new portrayal of blind and partially
sighted women which can replace in the collective imaginary the stereotyped weak portrayal
which traditionally occurs not only in some kinds of fiction, TV programmes and movies but
also in the minds of many people.
7) EBU should identify some kind of award to be given to blind people associations which
have best worked to the benefit of blind and partially sighted women by promoting - among
other things - their access to information and new technologies as well as the provision to
them of ICT learning opportunities.
8) EBU should continue developing gender policies taking into account the principles of
equality and diversity as well as of balanced representation.
9) EBU should raise awareness in its member associations in order for them to urge blind and
partially sighted women to attend rehabilitation and daily living courses aimed at improving
their quality of life and their mobility and daily living skills.
10) EBU should raise awareness in its member associations in order for them to encourage as
many blind and partially sighted women as possible to go on to higher education, by means of
financial support - whenever possible – and/or education assistance. High-level training, in
fact, will help blind and partially sighted women to overcome discrimination and will give
them the opportunity to get important jobs and hold prestigious positions in line with their
abilities and skills.
Disclaimer: This document has been supported by the European Commission. The content of
this document is the sole responsibility of its publishers and represents in no way the views of
the Commission and its services.