Information about the new AFE-INNOVNET Newsletter.

Subscription to AFE-INNOVNET Newsletter now open:

Dear All,

If you wish to get regularly updated on AFE-INNOVNET, the new thematic network coordinated by AGE to promote age-friendly environments across Europe, you can now register to the project’s monthly newsletter on the homepage of AFE-INNOVNET’s website :

www.afeinnovnet.eu

The overarching goal of this thematic network is to support the D4 Action Group of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing by setting up a large European wide community of local and regional authorities and other relevant stakeholders who want to work together to find innovative evidence based solutions to support active and healthy ageing and develop age-friendly environments (AFE).

You can read more on the AFE-INNOVNET on the Special Briefing of February’s CoverAGE.

Should you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Kind regards,

AFE-INNOVNET Team

Host organization: National Association of the Deafblind in Bulgaria (NADbBg)

www.nasgb.org Place: Bulgaria, the city of Plovdiv, the Hotel “Novotel” – Plovdiv

www.icep.bg Dates: from 14th September 2014 to 22nd September 2014.

From 14th September 2014 to 22nd September 2014 on the following general program:

six separate competitions for persons with deafblindness, as part of the Second European Festival of the Specific Capabilities of the Deafblind:

14th of September 2014, Sunday:

Day of arrival

15th of September 2014, Monday:

1st day of the 3rd European Chess Championship of the Deafblind

16th of September 2014, Tuesday:

2nd day of the 3rd European Chess Championship of the Deafblind

17th of September 2014, Wednesday:

1st European Championship on Backgammon of the Deafblind

18th of September 2014, Thursday:

1st European Bowling Championship of the Deafblind

19th of September 2014, Friday:

2nd European Championship on Track-and-Field Athletics of the Deafblind

20th of September 2014, Saturday:

2nd European Championship on Arm Wrestling of the Deafblind

21th of September 2014, Sunday:

2nd European Amateur Arts Festival of the Deafblind

22nd of September 2014, Monday:

Day of departure.

More details regarding each competition – in the 2nd Announcement (will be sent in first half of January 2014).

Participants who can compete in sports championships and in the amateur arts festival:

Persons with Deafblindness (combination of hearing and visual impairment): men and women, only can compete in these competitions.

Interpreters and assistants of deafblind persons will work and help them during events, but they are sighted and/or hearing persons and they cannot to compete in the events.

Participation in one/ several competition(s) or to be only visitor

Each day can be day of arrival or day of departure. Each participant can decide in which competitions he or she would like to participate (several or one), to arrive on the day before, and to depart on the day after the competition.

Each of you can decide to participate as competitor in particular event(s) or to be only a visitor of the event(s).

The General Assembly of the International Sports Federation of the Deafblind (ISFDb)

We will hold the General Assembly of ISFDb at afternoon(s) / evening(s) in this/these day(s) when the free time is.

Trips and excursions

There will be arranged some trips at afternoon(s) in this/these day(s) when the free time is.

TRAVEL:

All travel cost from home country to Bulgaria are paid from participants themselves.

Air Transport is possible to the Sofia airport, Terminal 2 and Terminal 1.

Some flights also come to Plovdiv Airport.

The city of Plovdiv can be reached by train or by bus. There are trains and buses from Sofia.

AIRPORT TRANSFER / transfer from bus / train stations:

NADbBg will arrange car and bus transportation of the participants from Sofia airport to the hotel Novotel – Plovdiv and back from hotel Novotel – Plovdiv to Sofia airport.

Distance between Sofia airport and the hotel Novotel – Plovdiv is 146 km on the “Trakia” highway that takes 1 hour 30 minutes.

If there are participants come from Plovdiv Airport or bus/train stations in Plovdiv, they will be transferred to the hotel too.

Transfer service will be included in participation fee.

Participation fee, costs for accommodation and meals, registration form, deadline for registration and payment

In first half of January 2014 we will send the 2nd Announcement with participation fee, costs for accommodation and meals, registration form, and deadline for registration and payment.

HISTORY of the European Festivals of the Specific Capabilities of the Deafblind:

The 1st European Festival of the Specific Capabilities of the Deafblind was arranged from NADbBg and was held in 2008 in Bulgaria, the city of Varna (on Black sea coast) from 1st to 8th September 2008, and it was consisted from the competitions:

-2nd European Chess Championship of the Deafblind (because the 1st European Chess Championship of the Deafblind was held in 1997 in Denmark and arranged from FDDB)

-1st European Championship on Track-and-Field Athletics of the Deafblind

-1st European Championship on Arm Wrestling of the Deafblind

-1st European Amateur Arts Festival of the Deafblind

There was decided that the NADbBg will host in 2014 in Bulgaria the 2nd European Festival of the Specific Capabilities of the Deafblind with the same championships.

Please find attached more information about traditions in deafblind sports in Bulgaria, in presentation “Sports as way for social inclusion of the deafblind” that was presented in 10th Helen Keller World Conference – 07-08.11.2013, Tagaytay, Philippines.

Welcome!

With warm regards,

Dimitar Parapanov,

President of the National Association of the Deafblind in Bulgaria

President of the International Sports Federation of the Deafblind

EDBU Auditor

WFDB Auditor

Budapest, 30 Sept-1 Oct. 2013.

Tajana Uzun from Croatian Association of Deafblind Persons Dodir, participated at ForAge International Conference in Budapest in order to present the SensAge project to the conference participants.

ForAge is a European multi-lateral network which aims at communicating the experiences of later lifelong learning to create high standards of practice. Since the aim of this network is to make a database of all initiatives and experiences when it comes to the education of older people in general, the participant have been quite interested in the SensAge project and the coordinator of the network, John Benyon from UK, expressed interest in future cooperation of the two networks.

Participants saw the video of SensAge, along with a short powerpoint presentation and leaflets with information about SensAge and the Knowledge Base.

The 2nd Annual SensAge Conference ‘Ageing People with Sensory Disabilities – Quality of Services and Their Impact’ took place in Istanbul, on the 2nd July 2013, within the framework of the 8th ICEVI-European Conference on Education and Rehabilitation of people with visually impairment. On the 3rd of July a SensAge project meeting took place.

The Conference focused on the sharing of knowledge, practice and experiences and on the identification of issues, within the remit of SensAge being the Reference Point in Europe for Ageing People with Sensory Disabilities.

The best practices out of the Knowledge Base of the website www.sensage.eu were presented in Istanbul. You will be able to find them on this website or by just clicking here: Communication when the hearing is failing (Oslo Voksenopplæring Skullerud), Dodir Zagreb Lujo (Dodir), Method Specialist Care for visually impaired elderly at De Vlasborch (Royal Dutch Visio). A video of the lecture of Ruth van Nispen (Istanbul, July the 2nd) can be watched here (Depression and anxiety in visually impaired older adults: an overview). Below you will find the leaflet with these best practices [under construction].

The SensAge conference was organised with the partnership of the EU Grundtvig Network Project Lifelong Learning Needs for Ageing People with Sensory Disabilities (SensAge), ICEVI-Europe – International Council on Education & Re/habilitation of People with Visually Impairment and Beyazay Association of Turkey.