National IT Centre for the Blind

National IT Centre for the Blind is a specialised centre of Czech Blind United. Its activities include practical application of IT technology for the blind & visually impaired, and web design services. The centre closely cooperates with Tyflokabinet, an adaptive equipment centre, and with the Digitisation and Technical Support Department, which administers the digital library of books and magazines, and provides technical support to clients in Bohemia as well as to the Head Office of Czech Blind United.

We undertake the BLIND FRIENDLY WEB project - an Internet portal of Czech web pages accessible to blind users.

National IT Centre for the Blind:

• Provides consulting, publishing and teaching services, organises workshops on assistive aids and internet for the blind;
• Organises exhibitions, presentations and conferences to promote the activities of Czech Blind United and to inform about the utilisation of IT by the blind & partially-sighted;
• Initiates development of new adaptive equipment and cooperates with its manufacturers & distributors;
• Provides technical support to clients in Southern Moravia.

The centre also provides:

• Technical support to the Regional Centre for the Blind and Partially-Sighted in Brno and to the Internet Club for the WWWisually Impaired;
• Services related to web presentations on www.braillnet.cz, www.sons.cz, www.nrzp.cz, www.crho.cz and other servers.

With Tyflokabinet, the centre cooperates in:

• The development of training methods for PC courses designed for the visually impaired;
• Testing accessibility and usability of software for the visually impaired;

We are responsible for development and maintenance of the information system within the framework of the INTERNET FOR THE DISABLED project. We also offer web design and internet presentation services to NGOs and civic associations providing services to people with disabilities.

For the BLIND FRIENDLY WEB project, we assess the accessibility of Czech web sites to the blind and partially-sighted, we update the guidelines for web designers, and we publicise this Programme at exhibitions and events relating to the Internet.

Our events:

• Invex 2000
• Invex 2001
• RehaProtex 2001
• ISSS 2002