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The Visually Impaired Know their Legal Rights with Help from the American People

June 7, 2007

Vahe, a visually impaired student, reads the Braille version of the human rights manual...

With U.S. Government funding, local organization Christian Association of the Blind (CAB) produced a user-friendly Braille version of a human rights law manual to help visually impaired citizens better understand their rights in society. CAB distributed 800 copies to visually impaired citizens throughout Lebanon. To complement the guide, CAB conducted awareness sessions and partnered with a number of local organizations to ensure effective outreach to the visually impaired community. At the end of the project, CAB conducted a survey to assess the level of satisfaction among beneficiaries regarding the guide. Based on the assessment, one hundred percent of those surveyed confirmed that the guide is easy to read, while 95% stressed that the guide had clear explanations of relevant laws.

 

 

This initiative falls under the Transparency and Accountability Grants (TAG) program managed by AMIDEAST with U.S. Government funding.  The program supports local initiatives that address the themes of corruption, transparency, accountability, good governance, as well those that enhance the role of indigenous organizations in advocating for reform in Lebanon. The program particularly encourages public-private partnerships between local organizations and government agencies that aim to improve good governance.

 

For the most up-to-date information on U.S. assistance to Lebanon, please read the Lebanon Situation Reports available at http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/humanitarian_assistance/disaster_assistance/.