EBU in action

Episode 13: Persons with disabilities in humanitarian responses

Crisis scenarios such as conflicts or natural disasters require humanitarian responses which bear in mind everybody's needs, including those of people with disabilities. Of course, optimising these demands good coordination between all the stakeholders involved. 
In this episode, we talk to Larysa Baida (National Assembly of Persons with Disabilities in Ukraine), Diana Stentoft (Danish Association of the Blind) and Talal Waheed (United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction) to explore this subject more deeply. 
Transcript available on our website. 

Episode 12: the European Accessibility Act - a new legal state of play

28th June 2025 marked the deadline for implementing the European Accessibility Act (EAA), a EU Directive aimed at establishing a series of accessibility requirements for products and services such as computers, smartphones, banking apps or e-commerce platforms. 
Daniel Casas (European Disability Forum), Susanna Laurin (International Association of Accessibility Professionals) and Svajūnė Sirvydytė (Ministry of Social Security and Labour of Lithuania) talk with us to let us know more about this new legal state of play. 
We also talk with the Vice-President of the Lithuanian Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired, Vilmantas Balčikonis, and discover more about the latest updates in our Lithuanian Member. 
Transcript available on our website.  

Episode 11: Merci Louis: 200 years of braille

In 1825, a French genius named Louis invented one of the most revolutionary tools for the blindness and partial sight communities: the braille code.
On the occasion of its bicentenary, EBU presents you its commitments to the promotion of the code through its braille Working Group, featuring an interview with Reiner Delgado and Tkáčik Michal. 
We also had the chance to talk to Lachwana Caboche, an 18-year-old student from INJA (where Louis Braille completed his studies) and Fernando Pinto, one of the Vice-Presidents of the French National Consultative Council of People with Disabilities. 
Segment's transcript available on our website. 

Episode 10: A toast to inclusion at the European Parliament

On February 18th 2025, the European Blind Union hosted a cocktail event at the European Parliament under the kind sponsorship of MEP Li Andersson (The Left/GUE-NGL), who we had the pleasure of talking to.  
The meeting gathered other MEPs and their assistants, giving them the chance to liaise with representatives of EBU National Members and discuss the priorities for visually impaired people in their countries.  
Francesca Sbianchi, Chair of EBU's Advocacy Committee, and Antoine Fobe, EBU's Head of Advocacy and Campaigning, were also present at the event and shared with us their impressions on our organisation's future advocacy work. 
Segment's transcript available on our website. 

Episode 9: Looking for more inclusion: the 2024-2029 legislative term

In a year marked by the 2024 EU Elections, the European Blind Union has gone through many internal changes so our organisation can optimise its advocacy efforts. Our President, Tytti Matsinen, and our Executive Director, Lars Bosselmann, discuss EBU's priorities for the upcoming five years. 
In this segment, we also get to know Anja Uršič, from the Union of the Blind and Partially Sighted of Slovenia, who presents us our Slovenian Member actions in areas such as access to the labour market or the promotion of accessible tourism.   
Episode's transcript available on our website. 

Episode 8: Running towards inclusion: the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games

The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games were a great party for the promotion of sports among our communities. In this segment, you will listen to the testimonials of those who made this fantastic event possible, such as Italian blind judoman DongDong Camanni and the Head of the Paralympic Games Integration Ludivine Munos. 
Furthermore, you will listen to the interesting perspectives of Laetitia Bernard, a blind journalist from Radio France, and Pádraig Healy, the National Sports Development Manager at Vision Sports Ireland, who were also present at the event.  
Segment's transcript available on our website.

Episode 7: Cast your vote: the 2024 EU elections

Casting your vote or running for office as a visually impaired person is possible today, but it's not an experience free from challenges.
Fredrik Stockhaus, a blind politician from Sweden, and Armin Rabitsch, the Democracy and Election Expert of Election-Watch.EU, reflect on the current state of this subject for blind and partially sighted people ahead of the 2024 European Parliament Elections. 
Furthermore, our hosts also talk to Luana Schena, from one of our Swiss members, the Swiss Federation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (SBV FSA), about her organisation's commitments in areas such as its advocacy work around the revision of the Disability Discrimination Act in Switzerland or a campaign promoting digital accessibility.  
Segment's transcript available on our website.

Episode 6: Engagement, Balance, Unity: EBU's 12th General Assembly

The beginning of 2024 was marked by the organisation of our 12th General Assembly on the year of our 40th Anniversary. 
This episode covers the main highlights of it, including a recap on the situation of blind and partially sighted people in Ukraine, a conversation with Christopher Patnoe (Google) on artificial intelligence and a discussion of the results of EBU's Board Elections with the newly elected President Tytti Matsinen and our new First Vice President Bárbara Martín. 
Segment's transcript available on our website.

Episode 5: The EU Disability Card Proposal: ambitious enough?

As part of its Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030, the European Commission presented a legislative proposal for a European Disability Card in September 2023. Antoine Fobe, our Head of Advocacy and Campaigning, discusses the proposal in more detail with Claire Damilano (European Civil Action Service). 
In this segment, we also talk to Dorota Krać about the Polish Association of the Blind engagements in areas such as accessible art or the promotion of a new standard code for official buildings.  
Segment's transcript available on our website.

Episode 4: Social Media - difficulties and opportunities for disability organisations

Although social media platforms bring some accessibility challenges with themselves, disability organisations can also benefit of their outreach to promote their commitments. We learn more about the pros and cons of these platforms with Natalia Suárez (European Disability Forum) and Ville Lamminen (Finnish Federation of the Visually Impaired).
In this episode we also speak to Madeleine McNamara, from Vision Ireland, who tells us more about our Irish Member' actions in key areas such as healthcare, mobility and sports.  
Segment's transcript available on our website.