On 26 and 27 September 2022 in the town of Dryanovo The National Rehabilitation Center for the Blind and the Union of the Blind in Bulgaria organized and held an informative training seminar on the changes in the legal framework regulating social services. The training was attended by managers and specialists from the Centers for Social Rehabilitation and Integration in Pernik, Gabrovo, Ruse, Shumen, Varna, Burgas, Sliven, Kardzhali and NRCB. Lecturers at the seminar were representatives of the Agency for Quality of Social Services - Nadia Dzhunova - Head of the Department "South Central" in the Directorate "Control, Monitoring and Licensing of Social Services" and Hristina Panteva - Head of the Department "Northeast" in the same Directorate. The lecturers provided up-to-date information on various texts of the Law on Social Services and the Regulations for its implementation, the Regulation on the criteria and standards for social services for children, the Regulation on the quality of social services and others. Sufficient time was also given to answer and discuss the numerous questions raised by the audience regarding the practical aspects of the topics discussed.
The National Rehabilitation Center for the Blind, together with the three Plovdiv Lions Clubs - Plovdiv-Philippopolis, Plovdiv, Evridika, launched the fifth edition of the campaign "Merry Eyes" in the kindergartens in the city. Within its framework, preventive examinations of the functional vision of children from the preparatory groups of the kindergartens are carried out. The examination takes the form of a game, engaging the child's vision through sound and picture, which is automatically analysed by a special apparatus that checks the cornea of the eyes, registers whether there is evidence of hyperopia and myopia, and compares the pupil sizes of the two eyes. The aim is the prevention of children's vision, and a specially trained specialist notes and interprets the results. Parents of children who are found to have a deviation from visual norms are advised and guided for a follow-up consultation with an ophthalmologist.
Participants from all partner organizations from Bulgaria, Italy, Slovenia and Austria took part in the meeting.
The following subjects were discussed during the meeting:
- Dissemination activities.
- Revising, editing, and completing the O.M.D.E.R. Manual.
- Discussing ideas on the new /the last one/ newsletter and its contents.
- Presenting and discussing the new logo of the project.
- Discussing the final reports.
Three month Report on the Financial Performance of the NRCB-Plovdiv and three month report on the activities performed for the period 01.7.2022-30.9.2022
On 21 and 22 September 2022, in Trieste, Italy, the next partner meeting of the EARLY project took place, aimed at developing information materials for early intervention for parents and close family of congenially blind children. During the meeting, the partners - organisations for visually impaired people from five European countries, including NRCB Bulgaria - presented draft versions of brochures in their national languages in the field of early intervention. Good practices were reviewed and project cooperation was established, which will result in new information materials that take into account the specificities of each participating country.
Page 2 of 21
