Catalan Association for the Blind
and Visually Impaired
(A C C D V)
News
The Social Studies Classroom (Aula d'Estudis Socials - AES) is a non-profit organization whose goal is the training of professionals, students, children and society in general, in all sorts of social problems, significantly emphasizing the field of people with disabilities.
Start here if you are new
If you are new to the world of visual disabilities, find answers to your questions. If your questions is not on this list, e-mail it to us.
1.What is a visually impaired person?
2.What happens when optical help is not enough to correct a visual defect?
3.How will my quality of life be affected by blindness or low vision?
4.If the handicap is from birth, what quality of life can my child expect?
5.How will I be able to move around?
6.How am I going to make a living from now on?
7.Which pension do I have the right to if I can't work any more?
8.Is there anyone who can help my family and I confront my loss of vision?
9.What kind of help will I be able to benefit form?
10.Where can I get help?
11.Which associations can I go to?
12.Will my social life be affected? What can I do to have fun if I have lost my sight?
13.I like reading very much, do I have to stop doing it?
14.Can I keep using computers?
1.What is a visually impaired person?
It is a person whose sight cannot reach 20/20, even with corrective lenses.
Sight is measured in terms of acuity and field. Visual acuity is the capacity to distinguish the shapes of objects at a certain distance and is measured reading a character or geometric shape chart in decreasing size, each line - seen or not seen - establishing a 10% of visual acuity.
The visual field is the angle the eye sees, corresponding to 90 degrees in each eye - a total of 180 degrees. The field is decreased by 'closing' around the edges or, randomly due to the formation of spots in the eye. (Return to the top of the list)
2.What happens when optical help is not enough to correct a visual defect?
The person who, despite the use of corrective lenses, cannot reach 20/20, but is above 20/40, belongs to the B3 category. They lead a normal life and are likely not aware of their diminution.
On the contrary, below 20/40, the person has evident visual problems and it is said to have Low Vision (B2). We must bear in mind that, below 20/100 the visual difficulties are severe and the person needs adaptation techniques.
People who test 20/200 or less after the best correction, or have a field defect in which the widest diameter of the visual field is no greater that 20 degrees is considered legally blind.
Finally, if the person can only distinguish light and shadow or nothing at all, it is said they are totally blind - B1. (Return to the top of the list)
3.How will my quality of life be affected by blindness or low vision?
Once the emotional shock of the disability is overcome, if alternative techniques (basic rehabilitation) are learnt, good quality of life and an adjustment to the disability can be achieved, not only in the case of low vision, but also in the case of blindness. (Return to the top of the list)
4.If the handicap is from birth, what quality of life can my child expect?
If our upbringing is stimulating instead of overprotective, our child will fully develop as an individual, without finding insuperable barriers in their studies, liesure, interpersonal relationships or, even and in spite of all, at work. (Return to the top of the list)
5.How will I be able to move around?
You must always take advantage of whatever sight you have left, if this is the case, and also the appropriate visual aids which normally or occasionally may be useful. When these are insufficient you must resort to specific walking techniques for the blind, either with a cane, guide dog or an accompanist. In addition, at this point, you can use the accompaniment services offered by some associations. (Return to the top of the list)
6.How am I going to make a living from now on?
Work integration of handicapped people is a pending issue in our country, but we must bear in mind that the adaptation of a work position for a blind or visually impaired person is not only possible in many jobs, but also cheaper than for other disabilities.
Every person with a degree of disability above 33% (in Catalonia, the institution in charge of this evaluation is the Institut Català d’Assistència i Serveis Socials - ICASS) benefits from tax cuts, social and work advantages which favor companies hiring them.
As a last resource, you can resort to the State pension system. (Return to the top of the list)
7.Which pension do I have the right to if I can't work any more?
Although this answer varies from person to person, in general if the person has contributed to the Social Security system the necessary number of years, they will be eligible for an Absolute Incapacity (Incapacidad Absoluta) pension, if their sight is below 20/40 in both eyes, or a Major Invalidity (Gran Invalidez), if their sight is 20/200 or below (follow this link for more information). It is recommended to seek experienced advice in an entity like ours before starting the procedures for these pensions. (Return to the top of the list)
8.Is there anyone who can help my family and I confront my loss of vision?
Experience tells us that seeking the support of other people affected is a good therapy to overcome the disability, not only for the individual affected but for their families as well.
There are associations that give this kind of support and can put the person in touch with professionals specialized in our collective's problems.
For more information about these associations, visit our links. (Return to the top of the list)
9.What kind of help will I be able to benefit form?
Medical help aside, the main ones are, in first place, information; secondly, what help the administration offers; and finally the ones which facilitate personal rehabilitation, education, and work and social integration.
Information is fundamental: doctors and sanitary personnel must have this information to offer the patient when the moment is right. The desolation that doctors experience when they must tell a patient they can't do anything more is only surpassed by the loneliness and isolation the patient, who does not know where to go or what to do for help. Administrative aids are valuable allies, though sometimes they lie hidden under a legal mess. Adaptation to the disability and psychological help are priority-one issues and must be confronted from the start. Not least important and almost as urgent is the education of the patient and their family to confront the new situation. The adaptation of the work place (the one the person currently has or a different one) is regulated by laws and norms and there are interesting subventions for companies that make the necessary modifications to allow a person with disabilities into their work force; therefore the reluctance to hire visually handicapped people is an anti-economic prejudice, for the company and society. Lastly, social integration aids facilitate adapted liesure and cultural activities, and private and public initiatives tending to improve mobility and better access to information for everybody, including the visually impaired. (Return to the top of the list)
10.Where can I get help?
Adequate medical treatment aside, associations are the place to receive psychological support and and training in mobility and everyday life techniques. If you speak Catalan or Spanish, you can call our Teléfono del Ojo (Eye Phone) 900-900-505 to get more information. (Return to the top of the list)
11.Which associations can I go to?
These are the organizations that offer services to visually impaired people in Catalonia: Associació d’afectats de Retinosi Pigmentària, helps people affected by Retinitis Pigmentosa; Associació Catalana per a la Integració del Cec, vindicates blind people's civil rights; Associació d’usuaris de gossos pigall de Catalunya, helps guide dog owners; Fundació de Cecs Manuel Caragol, offers information on computer accessibility for blind and visually impaired people.
There are, besides, two organizations that offer integral personal attention to the visually handicapped; one is the Organización Nacional de Ciegos Españoles (ONCE), at the national level, and the other is the Associació Catalana de Cecs i Disminuïts Visuals (ACCDV), at the autonomic level.
ONCE is the oldest and biggest one, but unfortunately, according to its legal statutes, it can only help people with a visual acuity equal or inferior to 20/200 - what is known as legal blindness - and with a Spanish citizenship, leaving out all foreigners - even E.C. citizens - and all B2.
ACCDV, instead, offers integral personal attention to blind (B1) and visually impaired (B2) people of any nationality, resident or not in Spain. Our services are limited by our financial resources, but are enhanced by our staff's enthusiasm and our team of volunteers. (Return to the top of the list)
12.Will my social life be affected? What can I do to have fun if I have lost my sight?
Once the emotional shock is overcome with the adequate rehabilitation techniques, visual impairment does not prevent from enjoying a huge variety of entertainment, such as: playing sports, enjoying nature, traveling, visiting museums and monuments, going to the theater, the cinema, etc., - especially if audio-description is available - concerts, dancing, etc. (Return to the top of the list)
13.I like reading very much, do I have to stop doing it?
Visually impaired (B2) should ask their doctor whether their particular illness requires restrictions on focusing. If there are no restrictions, there are techniques and tools to take maximun advantage of a person's remaining visual acuity. For the totally blind, there are books in braille, audio-books, machines and computer programs which transform text files into sound. B2 people can, of course, make use of these tools as well. (Return to the top of the list)
14.Can I keep using computers?
Computers are, precisely, fundamental tools of integration for the visually impaired person. They allow, using standard or specific programs, screen magnification and conversion of text into sound or touch (Braille line), and are useful for all levels of visual handicap.
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