Presentation of A.C.I.C.

 The Catalan Association for the Integration of the Blind (ACIC) is a small group of people who, blind or not, are interested in working on aspects related to the integration of people with impaired vision (blind or partially sighted) into society. Our scope of action is Catalonia and we are a registered entity belonging to the Generalitat de Catalunya (the regional Government of Catalonia).

All its members work on a voluntary basis. Our key objectives, which complement each other, are the following:

a) Raising public awareness of the reality faced by people who are blind or partially sighted and making service providers, political parties, trade unions, companies and society as a whole sensitive to their needs.

b) Demanding those measures that we believe may contribute to facilitate integration of the blind and partially sighted into different social spheres.

c) Colaborating , within our means, in the implementation of those measures that make integration possible, by offering the relevant institutions our opinion as users of those services which need adapting.


With these key objectives in mind, our work is organised in 3 committees dedicated to specific areas. These commitees include:

1. Culture and access to information
2. Accessibility
3. Integration into the labour market


1. Culture and access to information

With the following aims: to colaborate and suggest the adaptation of museums; to encourage the adoption of those measures that make cultural events accessible to the blind and visually impaired (theatre, film and the world of arts in general); to establish contacts with publishing houses in order to propose that they publish their work in a way that is accessible to us.


2. Accessibility

This committee works on issues such as: developing awareness of the current legislation in Catalonia regarding this field; contacting transport entities to explain our situation and asking for solutions to specific problems as well as congratulating them on those iniciatives which we already benefit from; colaborating and contacting organizations specialised in the development of adaptations for the disabled; making people sensitive to the need for adaptations and expressing publicly our discontent with those adaptations which are faulty or carried out incorrectly.


3. Integration into the labour market

The lines of work of this committee are: collection of people's experiences of integration into the labour market; awareness and study of the contracting regulations concerning people with disabilitites; initiating contacts with companies and employers, etc.


Alongside the work carried out by the 3 committees we also organise other tasks of a more general nature. We organize discussions and talks about issues such as integration, personal independence, etc. On the other hand, we write an annual publication called "El Sete Punt" (The Seventh Dot) which includes articles on the tasks carried out by our organization as well as other topics of interest within the frame of integration. We also colaborate in solidarity campaigns and offer a small financial contribution to support organisations dedicated to promote the integration and welfare of the blind in developing countries (El Salvador, Bosnia, India), etc.


All in all, our organization, without it being a service provider, it aims to be a meeting point for opinions, experiences and thoughts, and a source of suggestions of iniciatives for the authorities and other official bodies which provide services for the integration of the visually impaired into society.
Therefore, our main goal is to make full social integration of the blind and partially sighted an ideal closer and closer to reality.