OREANDA-NEWS. October 23, 2014. At the thanksgiving seminar of the White Cane Day held in Tallinn Teachers House, the Estonian Federation of the Blind will hand over the award “Act of the Year 2014” to Tallinn University of Technology in recognition of introduction of tools at the Library that make computer and printed texts available for visually impaired readers.

In a short time, Tallinn University of Technology managed to prepare the university for admission of blind and visually impaired students. TUT Library is equipped with modern advanced technology, which enables visually impaired students to gain access to information and to complete a study programme equally with ordinary people. It is noteworthy that TUT has a long-term vision and a clear goal, since the new equipment was introduced not so much due to necessity, but in order to create equal opportunities for all future students. The European Union supported the purchase of the aids from the European Social Fund through the Primus programme intended for higher education quality enhancement. The programme is implemented by the Archimedes Foundation.

The Estonian Federation of the Blind is an umbrella organisation of the associations of visually impaired people and associations and foundations for visually impaired people.  The Federation comprises 16 unions. The aim of the federation is to protect the interests of visually impaired people and to represent them at the national and international level.

The White Cane Day celebrated all around the world on 15 October each year to draw attention to the blind and visually impaired people, has been celebrated in Estonia since 1987.

The award “Act of the Year“ is granted to the ones, who have made a significant contribution to improving the quality of life and increasing awareness of visually impaired people in the society.