The challenge of the labour market - Plan Early, Act Right, Achieve High
Venue: Lordos Beach Hotel, Larnaca, Cyprus, 10 - 11 November 2006
Organized by the Pancyprian Organization of the Blind in collaboration with the European Blind Union.
The Conference is sponsored by the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance of the Republic of Cyprus
and the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority.
Programme
Friday, 10 November 2006
09:00 - 09:30 Registration
09:30 - 10:00 Opening and welcome
Christakis Nicolaides, President Pancyprian Organization of the Blind
Vaclav Polasek, Secretary General, European Blind Union
Chuji Sashida, Member Employment Committee of the World Blind Union
Pambis Kyritsis, Chairman Parliamentary Committee for Labour and Social Insurance
Antonis Vasiliou, Minister of Labour and Social Insurance
10:00 - 10:20 The European Employment Strategy
Estefania Mirpuri, Director of the Technical Office of European Affairs
ONCE General Council
10:20 - 10:40 Minimum standards of Rehabilitation in Europe: Present Situation and Perspectives
Unn Ljoener Hagen,Coordinator Rehabilitation, Vocational Training and Employment Working Group of the EBU Diversity Committee and
Head of the Rehabilitation Dept, Norwegian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted
10:40 - 11:00 The Fernstein Model of Intelligence and its Application to Blind Persons
Nathalie HARAR, Pedagogical Director at the Vocational Training Centre of Association Valentin Haüy in Paris
11:00 - 11:20 Discussion and Questions
11:20 - 11:50 Coffee break and visit exhibits
11:50 - 12:10 A typical Professions Accessible to the Blind: New Opportunities and Limitations
Philippe Chazal, Chairman EBU Social Policy Commission and
Director of the Centre for Professional Training and Rehabilitation (CFRP) of
the Valentin Haüy Association for the blind
12:10 - 12:40 Real People Doing Real Work - How We Can Show Visually
Impaired People and Employers Our Potential
Penny Menville-Brown, Disability Consultant, Company Director
and Government Advisor
12:40 - 13:00 Questions and discussion
13:00 - 14:30 Lunch and Visit Exhibits
14:30 - 14:50 The Quota Systems and Occupations Reserved for the Blind
Ivica Robic, Member EBU Social Policy Commission
14:50 - 15:10 Vocational Training and Employment Challenge in a New EU Member Country
Sergio Radu Ruba, President of the Association of the Blind in Romania
15:10 - 15:30 Vocational Training and Job Opportunities for Visually Impaired People - A South African Perspective Madalein Greyling and Andrè Manders
15:30 - 15:50 Present Employment Situation of Blind and Visually Impaired Persons in Japan
Chuji Sashida, Councilor, National Committee of Welfare for the Blind in Japan (NCWBJ),
Researcher, National Institute of Vocational Rehabilitation (Japan)
15:50 - 16:20 Questions and discussion
16:20 - 16:50 Coffee break and visit exhibits
16:50 - 17:30 Film Presentation: The Work Conditions of Visually Impaired Masseurs in Sweden
Introduction by Björne Karlsson
20:00 Dinner
Saturday, 11th November 2006
09:30 - 09:45 The Employment Continuum: Approaches to Supported Mainstream Employment
for Blind and Partially Sighted People
Fred Reid, Chairman Policy and Advocacy committee at Royal National Institute
of the Blind
09:45 - 10:00 The New RNIB Social Firm "Concept"
Dr. Philippa Simkiss, RNIB Head of Employment and Lifelong Learning
10:00 - 10:20 Perspectives of Sheltered Employment and the Future of Cooperatives for Multihandicapped
People
Michel BRALS, Director of a Structure Employing 80 Multihandicaped Blind Workers in
Lyon
10:20 - 10:40 Questions and discussion
10:40 - 11:00 Coffee break and visit exhibits
11:00 - 11:20 Rehabilitation of Visually Disabled People at Sheltered Factories of
the All-Russia
Association of the Blind
Larisa Cherkesova, Deputy Coordinator Rehabilitation,
Vocational Training and Employment Working Group of the EBU Diversity Committee
11:20 - 11:40 The Expansion of Sheltered Workshops of the Lighthouse of the Blind in Greece
George Karkoulias, Director of the Workshops of the Lighthouse of the Blind of Greece
11:40 - 12:00 Towards the Labor Market - the Workshops of the Pancyprian Organization of the Blind
Christakis Nicolaides, President Pancyprian Organization of the Blind
12:00 - 12:20 Questions and discussion
12:20 - 12:40 The Role of the Theatre in the Vocational Training of the Blind
Nathalie HARAR, Pedagogical Director at the Vocational Training Centre of
Association Valentin Haüy in Paris
12:40 - 13:00 Questions and discussion
13:00 - 13:15 Closing session
Vaclav Polasek, Secretary General, European Blind Union
Christakis Nicolaides, President Pancyprian Organization of the Blind
13:15 - 14:30 Lunch and visit exhibits