Overview
Lobbying Costs
75,000€
Financial year: Jan 2016 - Dec 2016
Lobbyists (Full time equivalent)
1.25 Fte (2)
Lobbyists with EP accreditation
0
High-level Commission meetings
0
Lobbying Costs over the years
-
Info
Hilfsgemeinschaft der Blinden und Sehschwachen Österreichs (HGB)
EU Transparency Register
742752330806-73 First registered on 14 Mar 2018
Goals / Remit
The Hilfsgemeinschaft – the Austrian Association in support of the blind and visually impaired is an independent non-profit-organisation founded in 1935. With more than 4.300 members, it is Austria’s oldest and largest self-help organisation to improve the conditions and standards of living of its clients. The Hilfsgemeinschaft is almost entirely funded by donations and voluntary financial contributions which are also tax-deductible. In 2001, we were awarded the Austrian seal of approval for donations (“Österreichsiches Spendengütesiegel”).
The membership in the Hilfsgemeinschaft is free of charge for blind or visually impaired clients offering access to a broad variety of services, which are even complimentary at times.
Our services for blind and visually impaired members include:
Counselling in social and legal affairs, particularly social legislation (attendance and nursing allowance, certificate of disability, etc.)
Low vision counselling and low vision aids
Leisure and recreation opportunities
Holiday, residence and care in our retirement home “Waldpension” (with fully equipped nursing ward)
Breaking barriers
Reducing barriers and improving accessibility is a crucial aspect in supporting blind and visually impaired people, hence The Hilfsgemeinschaft offers advice to companies, organisations and authorities in planning and implementing barrier-free measures. It provides information about new developments in several technological domains (smartphones, tablet computers, e-book-readers, etc.) and shows which devices are helpful for visually impaired persons and how they can be used in everyday life.
The development of new and promising solutions for the blind and visually impaired is also an important contribution to reducing barriers. The Hilfsgemeinschaft – with its team of experts – is part of national as well as international research consortia, such as the project RoboBraille, an e-mail and web-based service automatically converting documents into different legible/accessible data formats, the project INK 2016 to improve indoor-navigation and communication in local public transport, and the project VUK with new technologies for door-to-door navigation.
Information and awareness
Our magazine “sichtweisen” (German for “perspectives”) has both normally sighted and visually impaired readers. It is designed to fulfil the requirements of visually impaired readers and in its print and audio versions, it informs about new therapeutic approaches in ophthalmology or about innovative projects and technologies enhancing the inclusion of visually handicapped persons, for instance. The regularly published electronic newsletters keep readers informed about dates, events, campaigns and projects.
Lobbying, representation of interests and networking
The Hilfsgemeinschaft is a member of numerous bodies and committees in which it represents the interests of its blind and visually impaired members including ÖAR - Austrian national Council of Disabled Persons, ASI – Austrian Standards Institute (e.g. committee for guiding systems, working group for accessible build environment – design principles, working group for technical aids for blind, visually and mobility impaired persons, etc.), KMS – Austrian committee for the mobility of visually impaired persons, platform “football4all”, EDF – European Disability Forum, OCG – Austrian Computer Society, etc.
Retirement home “Waldpension”
The Waldpension is a specially equipped house targeted mainly at senior blind and visually impaired persons. Ramps instead of stairs, banister rails throughout the premises (within the house and all over the park), contrasting surfaces and designs and glare-free lighting are standard. The house has a newly refurbished nursing ward with 12 beds. Once a month we offer daytrips from Vienna for relatives of our permanent guests, friends and interested persons.Main EU files targeted
European Accessiblity Act
Mandat 376
Mandat 473
Mandat 554Address
Head Office
Jaegerstrasse 36
Wien 1200
AUSTRIA -
People
Total lobbyists declared
2
Employment time Lobbyists 75% 1 50% 1 Lobbyists (Full time equivalent)
1.25
Lobbyists with EP accreditation
No lobbyists with EP accreditations
Complementary Information
None declared
Person in charge of EU relations
Mr Klaus Hoeckner (Vorstand, CEO)
Person with legal responsibility
Mr Klaus Hoeckner (Vorstand, CEO)
-
Categories
Category
III - Non-governmental organisations
Subcategory
Non-governmental organisations, platforms and networks and similar
-
Networking
Affiliation
http://www.edf-feph.org
http://www.ocg.at
http://www.behindertenrat.at
https://www.austrian-standards.at/Member organisations
n.a.
-
Financial Data
Closed financial year
Jan 2016 - Dec 2016
Lobbying costs for closed financial year
75,000€
Other financial info
Most of the money comes out of private donations, because we are a private NPO
-
EU Structures
Groups (European Commission)
none
Groups (European Parliament)
None
Communication activities
BHGB promotes the implementation and monitoring of the CRPD and other legislation processes in all policy and legislative processes of the EU and therefore in Austria. This include all measures taken by the EU to promote human rights, gender equality, children's rights, social and economic policies especially in the field of PwD (blind and visually impaired). HGB works together with other organisations like EDF and standardisation bodies intensively to promote the freedom of movement of goods and services for persons with disabilities within the EU.
Other activities
None declared
- Meetings
Meetings
None declared
- Meetings