On 10-15 May 2018, UNESCO IITE participated in the Russian rehabilitation conference “Gelendzhik 2018” organized by the All-Russian Association of the Blind. More than 70 persons with visual impairments took part in the conference, including active members of the All-Russian Association of the Blind (VOS), who represented all Russian federal districts, as well experts involved in education of people with disabilities.
The programme of the conference comprised lectures, seminars and workshops, which allowed to present the best practices of rehabilitation and education of persons with visual impairments.
Participants demonstrated their strong interest in computer technologies and rehabilitation equipment. The Head of the UNESCO IITE Unit of Teacher Professional Development and Networking Natalia Amelina held the seminar “Digital technologies in education and rehabilitation of persons with visual impairments”. Seminar participants were informed about the advanced assistive technologies designed for blind and partially sighted persons and considered the problems of their application. Within the framework of the seminar, Natalia Amelina also discussed with the coordinators of VOS regional centres in the Russian Federation, participating in the seminar, the project initiatives possible to be implemented jointly with UNESCO IITE.