Copenhagen, April 2018
Minutes NOVIR meeting, 5th and 6th April
Presentation of participations
Sweden, National Agency for Special Needs Education and Schools, SPSM,
Anders Rönnbäck, Advisor at Resource Centre Vision
Elisabet Sepúlveda, Head of Resource Centre Vision
Island, National Institute for the Blind, Visually Impaired and Deafblind, Reykjavik
Margret Maria Sigurdardottir, Director General
Finland, Valteri Center for Learning and Consulting,
Riitta Kangasaho, Consulting Teacher
Norway, Statped,
Oliv G Klingenberg, Senior Advisor, Ph.d
Per Fosse, Head of department
Lars Bjørndal, Senior Advisor
Bente Elisabeth Kristiansen, Head of department
Denmark,
Synscenter Refsnæs,
Nanette Borges, Head of Department
Berit Houmølle, Vice Director
Bendt Nygaard Jensen,Knowledge Consultant
IBOS, the National Institute for the Blind and Partially Sighted,
Kenneth Hartmann,Deputy head
Lea Johanne Sarfelt,Development Officer
Marie Fasmer,Head of Department
Thursday afternoon and Friday morning:
Synscenter Refsnæs,
Dorte Larsen, Advisory Teacher for the blind
Lone Ibsen, Advisory Teacher for the blind
Liselotte K. Andersen, Media graphic, producer of accessible materials
Jacob Nielsen, ICT consultant and Advisor
IBOS,
Tina Thøgersen, Counselar
Jette Friis, Tactile Designer
Not able to participate:
Faroe– Islands, Sjóndepilin, Tórshavn,
Informations about the participants and countries
A short review of the situation in each organisation and participant’s role in it.
Sweden:
There are currently two resourcecenters, Stockholm and Örebro. Centralizing the two centers in Stockholm to gather the competencies.
Challenges:
The digitalization in the school and
Share knowledge and support throughout the country
How knowledge is based on research?
Keep the competence when many are retiring
The focus is on the organization and development of this. Not starting any new projects right now.
Norway:
Per Fosses presentation is attached (appendix 1)
Bente Elisabeth Kristiansens presentation is attached(appendix 2)
Iceland:
Unite two institutions on the same address.
-Institute for visually impaired and Deafblind
-State diagnosis and counseling centre
Huld and Thorbjørghave stopped.
Finland:
Riitta Kangasahos presentation is attached (appendix 3)
Denmark:
Synscenter Refsnæs:
Bendt Nygaards presentation is attached(appendix 4)
IBOS:
The Institute for the Blind and Partially Sighted (IBOS) is the national competence- and rehabilitation centre in Denmark for young and adults with visual impairment.
In 2018 we have done some organizational changes within the institute. We are now two departments instead of three departments.The aim is more flexibility in the group of employees.
We are working on being a self-governing institution pr. 1.1.2020.
Common challenges for all of us:
Organizational changes. New governance systems come often. It’s more or less out of our hands but we have to handle and cope with it.
Turnover in the welfare society, and generational shift, educating new colleagues.
Specialization vs. inclusion of the children and young people in local context.
Education of professionals, both within our own organizations and in the local organizations among professionals in the children’s and youth’scontext(daycare, school and educational institutions)
Theme for NOVIR meeting: Tactile Reading – Braille and graphics
Bendt Nygaard introduced the theme. Presentation is attached(appendix 5).
Anders Rönnbäck spoke about the Conference: Tactile Reading – Braille and graphics. Presentation is attached(appendix 6).
John Heilbrunn, Vice-president of the Danish association of the Blind presented the results and implementation of the project of Braille Literacy (2016-2017) “training and propagation of Braille” (EBU and ICEVI).
Find the report here:
John recommended two research papers on Braille reading. They are attached (appendix 7 and 8)
Bendt Nygaard presented the results of the Erasmus+ project “Inclusion in Europe through knowledge and technology INCLUTECH” (2015-2017). Presentation is attached(appendix 9).
Kenneth Hartmann presented the IBOS MusicXML music reader.Link to the program:
We had a group discussion about the theme.
Summary:
We have to look at the purpose of the NOVIR network (from NOVIR’ webpage):
To fulfill the mandate, the following areas are relevant to prioritize:
- Provide and share information about political and administrative decisions on issues relating to people with visual impairment
- Provide and share the status and tendencies for participation and inclusion within education, work and society for persons with visual impairment
- Provide and share the status for professional work within educational training for persons with visual impairment
- Initiate common Nordic research and development projects, seminars and conferences, within the field of visual impairment
- Initiate exchange of employees during project periods, or work, within specific areas of mutual interest
Can we work together between the meetings? And how can it be organized?
How can we reach the political level? It’s difficult but important. The importance of co-operation with the interest organizations because they can reach the political level was pointed.
Awareness on how we communicate about Braille outside our own organizations. Important to use “literacy” – the equalright to reading and writing.
Publication from Swedenabout“Elever med punktskrift som läsmedium” – allmänna råd tillskolhuvudmän och rektorer. Link to the publication:
A challenge is to make the decisions makers understand the importance of learning Braille and using the time and resources on the learning process.
Could the NOVIR newsletters be about the theme: Tactile Reading – Braille and graphics?
Look at the Swedish advices from the publication and see if we could look across the countries.
Next NOVIR newsletter
-Read the Swedish publications about “elever med punktskriftsomläsmedium” and reflect on it in relation to our work in each country and the challenges in this regards.
Write shortly in the newsletter about the reflections.
-And short about on-going and completed projects.
Deadline: September 1st 2018.
Lea will send an e-mail about the newsletter.
Information about finished projects, the ongoing projects, new ideas in each Nordic country
Norway
Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim.Oliv Klingenberg orientated about two courses in 2018-2019.
Per Fosse orientated about the Conference about Pre-school in Trondheim. 8.-9. June 2017. He concluded that the distribution of information about the conference through the NOVIR Network has to be improved for the next conference.
Nanette Borges told that Denmark will host the Conference next time.
Sweden
Kim de Verdier, psychologist at SPSM, Resource Centre Vision will defend her doctoral thesis, 31 of August 2018. Title:Children with blindness: Developmental aspects and implications for education and support
BjörnNyqvist, advisor at SPSM/Resource Centre Vision, master thesis.
Title: Produktion av digitalaläromedelför elever med blindhet.The production of digital teaching materials for students with blindness.
Attached is an overview over presentation from Sweden about the two studies(appendix 10)
Next NOVIR seminar: Learning Media Assessment, 20.-21. September 2018.
Need speakers for the seminar.Two from each institution can participate and every institution contributed with practical workshops (hands-on)
Finland
Have an on-going project about Math books with Braille.
Conference: Mathematics for pupils with visual impairments in 2019.
Denmark
IBOS:
Lea Sarfelts presentation is attached(appendix 11).
IBOS have made a publication about social skills in young people with visual impairment. Link to the publication:
In Denmark we now have five diploma modules in education and rehabilitation in the field of visual impairment.Link to the education: and
Synscenter Refsnæs:
Bendt Nygaards presentation is attached(appendix 4).
NEXT MEETING will be in April 2019 in Iceland. Margrét has confirmed it.
NOVIR meeting in 2019 we will have a follow-up from this meeting.
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