In 1991 I spent a whole school year in Overbrook, in the United States (Philadelphia) and participated in an international programme within the School for blind students. The benefit that I could withdraw from that experience was considerable. Unfortunately, this programme was disrupted.
My parents and myself, some Belgian professionals and three associations of parents of visually impaired children in Belgium, the UK and France, have then created VIEWS with the objective of proposing to the young visually impaired Europeans the same opportunity for experience adapted to the European reality and culture.
One does not set up an international programme dedicated to the young visually impaired from the one day to the other. Since mid 2001 however, we never stopped progressing each year. In June 2008 this has lead to VIEWS becoming an umbrella organisation: “Visually impaired education and work support international”.
Séverine Renard
