Osh, Kyrgyzstan – On September 16, southern Kyrgyzstan’s first Resource Center for the blind was opened to the public. The Center has special equipment available to visually handicapped people, which enables them to work with computers, write and edit texts, read literature, translate common texts into Braille, and access various databases, electronic information, and the Internet.  

The Center was opened with the support of EFCA’s “Library of Equal Opportunities” project, which was realized by Blagodat, or “Grace,” an NGO that helps disabled people adapt to society.

 “We think the main goal of our activity is to help disabled people realize their rights for equal access to information,” said Rakhat Shakirova, Chairman of Blagodat. “We are grateful to the Mayor of Osh, Zhumadyl Isakov, for his support and attention to the problem. Under the auspices of the City Administration’s Infant Rehabilitation Center, accommodation was rented to the Resource Center for the Blind. In their turn, employees of our foundation renovated the place using our own resources.”

The equipment for the Center was purchased with funds donated by USAID. In particular, the Center purchased a Braille display with Virgo-4 software installed as well as the German-produced “Bibliophile-Compact CD,” for a total sum of €9, 790.

Attending the presentation were the Vice-Mayor of Osh, Ainura Shayumkulova, the Head of Department of Labor and Social Protection, the Directors of the Society of the Deaf and Blind and the Boarding School for Blind Children, and representatives of cultural institutions, international organizations and business associations as well as blind and visually impaired people themselves. Event participants could familiarize themselves with items made by visually impaired people at the Exhibition of Arts and Crafts that was held during the presentation. They could also see performances put on by children from the Boarding School.