Hefore: Estonia

Estonian Foundation for the Visually Impaired (ESTONIA): partner

Estonian Foundation for the Visually Impaired (EFVI) is a non-profit organization established on the 8th of December 1997 by three private persons. EFVI is a fully project based nonprofit organization without any paid staff.

EFVI’s goal is helping the blind and partially sighted persons in getting education and increasing their competitiveness in the labor market.

The main areas of the activity of the Estonian Foundation for the Visually Impaired have been:

* Organizing of supplementary training courses (computer training, typewriting training, courses of psychology etc) for the visually impaired adults;

* Promoting eLearning among the disabled people;

* Councelling of the lecturers of universities about the methods of teaching visually impaired people and assistive technology;

* Councelling of the IT specialists of public sector and private sector about the accessibility of public websites and e-services

* Councelling of the museum educators about the accessibility of museums and their educational programs with the special focus on visually impaired visitors.

Since 2004 EFVI has tested accessibility and usability of several e-services for instance e-Banking, e-Tax Board, e-Voting, e-Commercial Register Company Registration Portal etc.
In 2006-2007 EFVI was invited to participate in the activities of the project “Art for All”.

The focus of the project was to make the museums (mainly exhibits) accessible for the blind people. Among the project partners were Tate Modern (London) and Louvre Museum.

EFVI's role in HEFORE partnership will be to organize a meeting in Estonia, share experiences, lead workshops and facilitate access of the partners’ institutions to visually impaired people.

4nd HEFORE Meeting in Estonia June 29th – July 3rd 2011

June 30^th 2011 THURSDAY 2nd Day	09:00 Walk from the hotel L’Ermitage	9.30 – 10.15	Presentation of the partners and brief introduction of Estonian Foundation of the Visually Impaired (EFVI) Venue: residence of Tallinn City Government (Roosikrantsi 4B)	The aim of this session is to introduce the participants (who is who) and to give the brief overview of Estonian Foundation of the Visually Impaired, its main activities and projects.
		10.15 – 11.30	Welcoming speech on behalf of Tallinn City Government; review of the policy of Estonian cultural heritage	Welcome address of the head of the Tallinn City Office Mr. Toomas Sepp. Presentation of the policy of cultural heritage of Estonia. Speakers: Mr. Anton Pärn, under-secretary of cultural heritage of Ministry of Culture and Mr. Eino Pedanik, counselor of national culture of the Ministry.

First work session in residence of Tallinn City Government

Welcome speech by Mr Erik Loide

Welcome Speech by Mr Toomas Sepp

Presentation on Estonian Cultural Policy, Mr Anton Pärn, Ministry of Culture

June 30^th 2011		11.45 - 12.45	Information about the progress report; discussion of the pedagogical cards
	12:45 Walk to Katariina Lane (Old Town)	13.15- 14.30	Visit of Craftsmen’s studios/workshops of Katariina Guild.	The workshops are located in the buildings of Katariina Käik (Katariina Lane). Katariina Guild is uniting fourteen craftsmen/artists being a symbolic bridge between the past and the present handicraft. Guild is integrating eight studios (Hat workshop, Hot glass studio, Ceramics, Textile studio, Fine leatherwork, Patchwork, Jewelry, Liivia’s studio). During the guided tour by Mrs. Liivia Leshkin to the workshops we will observe the process of creation of Estonian contemporary handicraft by the artists.

Visit to Katariina Guild guided by Liivia Leshkin

Liivia Leshkin's Hat Studio

"Medieval woman" in Textile Studio

Visiting Hot Glass Studio

The materials used by craftsmen

Read more about the Craftsmen’s studios/workshops of Katariina Guild here.

June 30^th 2011	15.45-17.00	Visit of the Estonian History Museum Great Guild Hall.	The 600 year old Great Guild Hall is one of the most prominent public buildings in Tallinn. On 28 May 2011, the Estonian History Museum reopened the Great Guild Hall to visitors with a new innovative permanent exhibition. During the guided tour in Great Guild Hall we will discover the building and its treasures. We’ll see some possibilities of making medieval building accessible for to the visitors in the wheelchair.
	17.20-19.50	Visit of exhibition „ Dialogue in Dark!“ in AHHAA Science Centre	Exhibition „ Dialogue in Dark!“ is life, where you can’t find any light. What it feels like, when all around is darkness and the only way to make it is to use smelling, hearing sounds and touching things? This time roles are changing and blind people become guides to sighted people.
	20.00	Dinner BayernBöhmen Keller (Suur-Karja 18)

Visiting History Museum

Exposition of women's headwear

Children's corner - building a medieval house

July 1st 2011 FRIDAY 3rd day	9.00 – 11.00	Workshop „Accessibility of the museums“ Venue: residence of Tallinn City Government	The aim of the workshop is to explain and discuss different aspects of accessibility of the museums (inc accessible communication, accessible pricing, accessibility of the buildings etc). The example of checklist of accessibility of the museums is introduced by EFVI and discussed by the participants.
	11.00- 11.15	Coffee break
	11.15- 12.15	Discussion of the pedagogical cards continues
12.15 Walk to Tallinn City Museum	12.45-14.15	Visit of Tallinn City Museum. Participation in the workshops of the museum. The building of the Tallinn City Museum is a typical medieval dwelling. The house was adapted for museum purposes after a reconstruction period from 1963 to 1965.	During the guided tour in the museum you’ll discover the medieval building and get an overlook of Tallinn’s history through centuries. The pedagogical programs of the museum are introduced. You will participate in two workshops: women will weave the medieval belts and men will get acquainted with medieval armament.

Ülle and Erik explaining how to make museums accessible

Gothic letter workshop

Gothic alphabet

Simone and Sorin – medieval fighters

Simone and Sorin with medieval arms

The model of medieval Tallinn in City Museum

Belt-veawing workshop

Simone and Agu with medieval arms

Simone and Agu - medieval fighters

Read more about Tallinn City Museum here.

July 1^st 2011	15.30 - 17.15	Guided tour to the passages under the Bastions	Guided tour to the passages under the Bastions inc a slow-moving train ride, where guests are shown the various stages of the tunnels' past, and even a few decades into their possible future in 2219.
	19.00	The Opening Ceremony of the XI Youth Song and Dance Celebration and first performance of the Dance Celebration Venue: Tallinn Song Festival Grounds NB! in November 2003, UNESCO declared Estonias’s Song and Dance Celebration tradition a masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.	The first dance performance starts with the joint opening ceremony of the XI Youth Song and Dance Festival. The lighting of the song and dance celebration fire forms an important part of the opening ceremony. Dance Celebration is almost a 2-hour dance performance with thousands of dancers’ and gymnasts’ groups on the dance ground.

Chiara: I love Tallinn

Town Hall Square

Simone in Tallinn Old Town

Tour in Bastion passages

Photo of passages under the Bastions as bunker

Bastion passages as a bunker

Delphine and Claire-Marie in the train into future

More information about passages under the Bastions is available here

Tallinn Song Festival Grounds

Performance of the Dance Celebration

Festival audience

Photo - concert is over and dancers and visitors are leaving

Concert is over - dancers and visitors are leaving

Sorin and Laura with Seto singers

Song Festival Fire

Look 360 degrees panoram picture of the Opening Ceremony and read more about XI Youth Song and Dance Celebration here.

July 2nd 2011 SATURDAY

4th day

9.00

Bus from the hotel L’Ermitage

10.30-13.00

Video program in Lahemaa National Park visitor centre in Palmse

Visit of Altja village

Lahemaa National Park is the oldest (founded in 1971) and largest national park in Estonia created to protect the nature and cultural heritage of the Northern Estonian coastal landscape.

In Lahemaa National Park visitor centre in Palmse we will watch video program (subtitles in French) about the national park. We visit Altja old fishing village (inc open-air museum of rocks) and working watermill in Vihula manorial complex.

Slide show in Lahemaa National Park


Palmse Manor Complex

Suzana in Palmse Winter Garden

Winter Garden in Palmse Manor Complex


HEFORE group in Palmse

Visiting Altja fishing village

Altja fishing village

Visiting Altja Museum of Rocks

July 2nd 2011 4th day		14.15- 16.15	Visit of Sagadi Manorial Complex	We will discover the Sagadi Manorial Complex and programs through the game “Hide and seek”. Guided tour in Sagadi Manor House, Forest Museum and Nature School.
		16.45-19.00	Visit of Käsmu and Viinistu villages	We will visit Käsmu known as captains’ village (inc graveyard and chapel) and walk up to the largest boulder field in Estonia (ca 400 hectares). Evaluation of the program in Estonia using natural means. Visit of Viinistu village – the local cultural centre (inc Art museum with the collection of 400 paintings and drawings by the best-known Estonian artists).