5th Africa Forum Blindness Conference

Breakthrough African event focuses on accessible technology, braille, albinism

Perkins President Steven Rothstein in Accra, Ghana with a student who is blind and graduates of Perkins' Educational Leadership Program

The 5th Africa Forum, the largest-ever gathering in the blindness field, concluded July 8, 2011. For five days Accra, Ghana was transformed into a bustling hub for the exchange of ideas, information and empowerment for individuals living with blindness or visual impairment. (Download a French language press release (traduction en francais du communique de presse).

Download Papers & Keynotes from the 5th Africa Forum

We are pleased to offer downloadable English and French versions of keynote addresses and papers presented during the 5th Africa Forum. Download papers and presentations here.

Milestones and notable "firsts" from the 5th Africa Forum 

A number of significant milestones for African people who are visually impaired were announced or launched at the event, the only international conference on blindness in Africa.

•  Disabilities Report: The 5th Africa Forum coincided with the African release of the World Health Organization (WHO) and The World Bank international report on disabilities. This report highlights the fact that about 15% of the world's population - over one billion people - lives with some form of disability. This global disability prevalence figure is higher than previous WHO estimates. Disability is on the rise globally due to an aging population plus rapid spread of chronic diseases among other factors.

• TechShare Launch: TechShare is the largest exhibition and training on assistive technology in Africa. Such extensive sharing of high-tech solutions for people who are blind provides transformational opportunities for education, rehabilitation and more productive living through the range of available technology.Microsoft Corporation was one of the many technology companies represented.

• Braille Standards Established: Reading braille is key to full, effective education for people who are blind. The creation of the Ghana Braille Authority will play a vital role in setting common rules for the use of braille in Ghana and serve as a model for other countries, thus advancing literacy and educational standards for all of Africa.
  
  A resolution on copyright backing the WBU position at WIPO was formally and unanimously endorsed at the Africa Forum. It received the backing of the Government of Ghana through the support of Miss Yaa Atafua, Senior State Attorney, Ghana Copyright Department. The resolution will be submitted by the end of July 2011 to the Banjul-based Africa Union Human Rights Unit.
  
  Caroline Harper, CEO of SightSavers said, "the connections made and information shared can be transformative for those involved in the blindness field throughout Africa.:"
  
  


African dancers performed during the Forum's opening ceremony


• Participation by Consumers: Over half of the program participants were blind or partially sighted – the largest gathering of these individuals ever in Africa.
  
  
• Albinism in Africa: This was largest gathering to date of Africans with Albinism. There are tragic circumstances for people with Albinism in certain corners of Africa. This gathering provided the chance to share ideas and advocate on this issue which has led to the death and terrorizing of so many innocents.
  
  
• French Speakers Convene: The largest blindness gathering of Francophone countries ever in Africa.
  
  
• Portuguese-speaking Nations Included: The first time that so many Lusophone African countries had the opportunity to collaborate on improving lives for people in their countries who are blind, deafblind or partially sighted.

Spreading Education, Empowerment, and Technology Across the Continent

The 5th Africa Forum, sponsored by Perkins, Sight Savers International, the World Blind Union and the Norwegian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted, drew 400 individuals ranging from consumers and educators to members of nonprofit organizations and manufacturers. Some came to share their personal stories of living with a disability. Others came to network and unite in their advocacy and awareness efforts.

Still more came to experience accessible technology available for the first time in Africa, a major step toward the inclusion and empowerment of all individuals with disabilities on that continent.

A young woman who is deafblind examines a Perkins publication at the Africa Forum’s TechShare event. She is with a graduate from Perkins’ Educational Leadership Program

“It’s become something of a marketplace where people come to buy and share,” said Martin Kieti, senior consultant for the Institutional Development Program and Perkins’ consultant in Africa. “It’s the place to be in Africa.”

The seeds of Africa Forum were planted in 1996, when the continent’s first and only pan-African conference dedicated to organizations of and for the blind attracted 75 attendees. The program was an overwhelming success. Much anticipation at this year’s conference swelled around the launch of TechShare Africa, presented by the Royal National Institute for the Blind, to introduce and showcase assistive technology from a range of manufacturers. The event was a critical step toward improving the inclusion and empowerment of individuals who are blind or visually impaired, Kieti said.

“TechShare is exposing African consumers to the available products out there,” said Kieti. “And for the manufacturers, it’s the first time they’re coming to Africa, and they’re finding a whole market sitting there waiting.”

The number of individuals in need of assistive technology is growing. About 15 percent of the world’s population – more than one billion people – lives with some form of disability, according to the international report compiled by the World Health Organization and the World Bank, unveiled at Africa Forum.

The five-day program also launched the Ghana Braille Authority, a major milestone for the support of braille literacy for Africans. The Authority will assist in the development and standardization of braille in that country. The Forum was also the largest gathering to date of individuals with albinism, and provided an opportunity for discussion and advocacy.

The 6th Forum, scheduled for 2015, will build on the successes of this summer and work to include even more stakeholders. Issues affecting individuals with deafblindness will likely have a central role, and TechShare Africa will return with more manufacturers and more examples of technology.

Perkins International Director Aubrey Webson speaks at the 5th Africa Forum

It is estimated that over 90% of students with disabilities do not attend school. The number is higher for students who are deafblind.

The government of Ghana publicly recognized the impact of visual impairments by addressing a wide spectrum of government policy issues. Numerous governmental leaders played important roles, including the Minister of Employment and Social Welfare who opened the event, calling the 5th Africa Forum “a breakthrough.” Ghana’s Minister of Culture, the Deputy Minister of Health and many officials from the Ministry of Education participated as well. Tanzania and other nations also sent officials to the 5th Africa Forum.

“Africa Forum has grown into one of the major conferences on blindness in the world," said Dr. Aubrey Webson, Perkins International director, IDP director, and chief organizer of Africa Forum. "The object of every Africa Forum is to create opportunities so that Africans who are visually impaired can become part of the dream of exploring and accessing the continent as others do. In addition, the involvement of governments is helping to make the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities a practical reality in the lives of people in Africa. Perkins is proud to be a leader with the African people in making this event relevant and successful.”

Audio of certain portions of the 5th Africa Forum are available online at Insight Radio, the radio station from RNIB in England.   Click here to listen to key sessions and interviews on RNIB's website.

Perkins International - Sight Savers International - The World Blind Union - Norwegian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted