Description
The Society of the Blind is the mediator between members, people with disabilities and local government, state and other NGOs. Cooperation with skilled worker has so far helped achieving significant changes in Latvia, but lack of financial support makes it difficult to provide long-term support. This project will help ensure continuity of the society’s work. The project aims to improve the capacity of society to promote further effective action to strengthen civil society in addressing employment issues of disabled people. Furthermore it aims to address social entrepreneurship development, environment, services and information access issues and continued financial support for the administrative operation of the NGOs created for disabled people. By promoting universal design principles and the "UNO Convention on the rights of Persons with Disabilities" targeted implementation and enforcement at the local and national level will benefit NGO members and people with disabilities.
Summary of project results
Thanks to the Quality management system workshops for the society staff and volunteers organized within the project, have been able to improve the operational capacity of Liepaja Society of the Blind, set targets for future and establish a strategy for further effective actions for the benefit of disabled people. In this reporting period there have had 155 meetings in total. In total 47 various proposals and suggestions, have been submitted to state and local government institutions. Due to the activity concerning universal design included in the project, during these years have visited 12 local governments, where have presented the basic principles of universal design, as well as real life situations to builders and other interested parties. Liepaja Society of the Blind have provided consultations (107in total) concerning provision of universal design and environmental access on various sites to builders, architects and other interested parties not only in Latvia, but also in foreign countries. Significant were also the informative and educational events for schools “Get to know my world”, during these not only the educational institutions from Liepaja, but also from other cities of Latvia visited Liepaja Society of the Blind to explore the lives of disabled people and their possibilities to take care of themselves and people around them. At the start of the project also began a new fellowship cycle of societies – networking meetings of NGOs of the disabled (9in total). In order to continue sustainable development of the organization at regional and national level Liepaja Society of the Blind is an active member of the National Council of Disability Affairs of the Ministry of Welfare and the Board of the Latvian Society of the Blind; the Society successfully cooperates with Latvian Association of the Deaf, the largest Latvian organizations of disabled people, regional governments of Kurzeme, state institutions and entrepreneurs on key issues of disabled people. By the time the project was implemented at the end of 2015, the number of members of Liepaja Society of the Blind had risen from 531 to 655 however, the number of volunteers varies and by 31 December 2015, there is a total of 26 concluded volunteering agreements. In 2014 and 2015 Liepaja Society of the Blind has also managed to attract 24 subsidized jobs for disabled people. All this work will continue after the project is concluded, thereby contributing to organization's professional development.
Summary of bilateral results