World Blind Union

The World Blind Union ( WBU; engl. World Blind Union ( WBU ), French: Union Mondiale of Aveugles ( UMA), Spanish: Unión Mundial de Ciegos (UMC )) is the international industry association for blind and partially sighted people in 177 member countries and about 600 individual organizations that represent the interests of blind and / or offer services and programs for the blind. She has consultant status at the United Nations organs and agencies and the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations ( ECOSOC).

The WBU was founded in 1984 by the merger of the International Federation of the Blind ( IFB) and the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind ( WCWB ). Business headquarters in Toronto (Ontario) in Canada.

The aim of the WBU is to ensure blind and visually impaired equal participation in all aspects of social, economic, political and cultural life. To this end, it seeks to overcome prejudices, to promote confidence in the abilities of blind and partially sighted people and to achieve full social participation and equality.

Since 2001, the WBU supervises each January 4 of the World Braille Day, the World Day of Braille.

The WBU itself does not provide direct services, or services for the blind and visually impaired, but acts as a forum for advocacy and advocates. The work of the WBU is carried out for the most part in its six regional dummy unions:

  • African Union of the Blind ( AFUB )
  • Asian Blind Union ( ABU )
  • WBU Asia- Pacific ( WBU -AP)
  • European Blind Union ( EBU)
  • Unión Latinoamericana de Ciegos ( ULAC )
  • WBU North America / Caribbean ( WBU NA / C)

Members in German-speaking

Among the institutional members are:

  • Blind and Partially Sighted Austria ( BSVÖ ), Vienna
  • German Blind and Visually Impaired Association ( DBSV ), Berlin
  • Federation of Kriegsblinden Deutschlands eV (BKD ), Bonn
  • German Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired Students and Professionals ( DVBS ), Marburg
  • Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Stuttgart
  • Swiss Blind and Visually Impaired, Bern
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