In 1991 I spent a whole school year in Overbrook, in the United States (Philadelphia) and participated in an international programme within the School for blind students. The benefit that I could withdraw from that experience was considerable. Unfortunately, this programme was disrupted.
My parents and myself, some Belgian professionnals and three associations of parents of visually impaired children in Belgium, the UK and France, have then created VIEWS with the objective of proposing to the young visually impaired Europeans the same opportunity for experience adapted to the European reality and culture. But...
Why gathering visually impaired people at a time where integration is considered by all the key for success ? Why gathering youngsters who experience different social, administrative, functional realities from country to country ? Why should we leave our cosy and secure environment to face a possibly distressing and not immediately usable experience abroad ?
Because, whether or not we admit it, we, visually impaired people, have problems - And their solutions - which are specific. Because we, young people want to offer our solutions, different from those of professionals, parents, etc. Because, besides our cultural, social, and political differences, we have in common our will to find out new life situations, new experiences, new places, just like any other youngster. We want to have fun, to learn, to think about what to do with our life, our future ... But of course, an important challenge faces and unifies all of us : We live in a world of sighted people and our impairment puts us at a disadvantage.
One does not set up an international programme dedicated to the young visually impaired from the one day to the other. Since mid 2001 however, we never stopped progressing each year. In June 2008 this has lead to VIEWS becoming an umbrella organisation: "Visually impaired education and work support international".
Séverine Renard