ENVITER Celebrates 25 Years at Annual Meeting and European Conference in Dublin

From 21 to 23 April 2026, 65 participants, representing 28 members of ENVITER gathered in Dublin for the organisation’s Annual General Meeting and the celebration of its 25th anniversary.

Hosted by our member, ChildVision, the event brought together professionals, researchers and service providers from across Europe to exchange knowledge, strengthen partnerships and explore future directions in support for people with visual impairment.

The gathering combined internal network meetings with a major european conference under the theme:

“Future-Proof Care: Innovation and Sustainability in Support for People with Visual Impairment — Balancing quality, accessibility and affordability in a changing world.”

Conference Program

Theme 1: Person-centred Care

1. “Futureproof School – Living in the present with one foot in the past and the other in the future“, by Agnes Somorjai, BSB Hungary
2. “Moving beyond rhetoric to provide robust, person-centred care: evaluating services through a human rights lens“, by James Forbes, ChildVision, Ireland
3. “Moving toward Stepped Care at Royal Visio“, Mark Lanting & Jolien Makkinga, Visio, The Netherlands
4. “Promoting Inclusion Through Shared Living“, Christing Richardson, ChildVision, Ireland

Theme 2: Technology and AI

5. “From Compliance to Competitive Advantage: The European Accessibility Act, Harmonised Standards, and the Strategic Role of Accessible EU”, by Klaus Höckner, Hilfsgemeinschaft – Austria
6. “AI as a subject in vocational training for visually impaired people. Areas of application”, by Jürgen Hüllen, BFW Düren – Germany
7. “Vigo4AI Visually Impaired go for Artificial Intelligence”, by Dr Irene Sudy, Hilfsgemeinschaft – Austria
8. “EMVI app”, by Henri de Vroey, EMVI – Belgium

Theme 3: Rehabilitation

9. “From Instructions to Understanding, Teaching Navigation Through Segmentation – A Practical Framework”, by Þorkell J. Steindal, NIFBVID – Iceland
10. “Inpatient Ophthalmological Rehabilitation in Germany: A Holistic, Interdisciplinary Approach”, by Prof Dr habil. Kathleen S Kunert, Dr-Ing. Oliver Kolbe, Henneberg Rehaklinik Masserberg – Germany
11. “Find the Puzzle – Coping with Vision Loss after Brain Injury”, Estella Björnsson, Sjónstöðin(IS) Fræðslsetrið Starfsmennt (IS), Rapture-Games (ESP), Blindensorg Licht En Liefde(BE), Berufsförderungswerk Halle(GE)

Theme 4: Media Adaptations

12. “Support for Families of Children with Cerebral Visual Impairment in Serbia: Use of Adapted Materials and Development of a Support Network“, by Valentina Martać, Vesna Vučinić, Branka Jablan, Videti Jasno – Serbia
13. “Road2Braille“, by Laurence Barrier, CRDV – France
14. “Erasmus Project to Create a Bilingual Book on Emotions“, by Aideen Brady, Aisling McDonagh, Tríona Keane, Astric De Foucaud, Louise Balon, ChildVision – Ireland
15. “TouchnMatch – Adressing Barriers for VI in fashion sector”, by Dr Irene Sudy, Hilfsgemeinschaft – Austria

Throughout the conference, participants engaged with presentations and discussions covering person-centred care, rehabilitation, accessibility, artificial intelligence, vocational training and media adaptations. Speakers from numerous European countries shared innovative projects and practical approaches aimed at improving quality of life and inclusion for people with visual impairment.

You can find the presentations in our private Members Area.

The event also provided opportunities to visit ChildVision services, including its equine-assisted activities programme and educational facilities, offering delegates valuable insight into innovative service models in Ireland.

A highlight of the week was the gala dinner celebrating 25 years of ENVITER, marking a quarter century of European cooperation, professional exchange and commitment to advancing education, rehabilitation and inclusion for people with visual impairment.

The programme concluded with project discussions and the development of new collaborative ideas for future European initiatives. An optional visit to Cork allowed participants to further explore Irish services in the field, including Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind and regional ChildVision programmes.

The Dublin meeting reinforced ENVITER’s role as a dynamic European platform fostering innovation, collaboration and shared expertise in the field of visual impairment support and services.