The Swedish Association of the Visually Impaired

The Swedish Association of the Visually Impaired (SRF) is the main organisation of the blind and partially sighted in Sweden. SRF is a social, non-political organisation where its members actively participate in decision making.

The aim of SRF is to achieve a society based on equality and solidarity where the visually impaired can participate on the same terms as everybody else.

SRF divides its work into two main areas: safeguarding interests, and managing co-operative activities.


Co-operative activities
The commitment of the people it concerns is the only guarantee of success. Only the visually impaired themselves know what is necessary to improve their situation in order to achieve full participation.
Areas SRF are particularly engaged in are:
- meetings, discussions and social activities in the 170 local branches, - training to help people who have recently become visually impaired to overcome their insecurity,
- leadership training,
- meeting of parents of visually impaired children in order to exchange experiences,
- individual counselling about rights and services,
- initiatives on new kinds of service.


Safeguarding of interests
Creating a society that is equal is the responsibility of everybody. SRF's nationwide involvement serves to ensure that the government, municipal authorities and businesses follow official guidelines for creating a society with equal rights for all.
Priority is given to the following areas:
- guarding against discrimination of people with impairments,
- rehabilitation and compensatory training of people who have recently become visually impaired,
- vocational training and changing of attitudes to give unemployed visually impaired people a fair chance,
- giving visually impaired people access to new information technology - maintaining a general welfare system that applies to all citizens.


International involvement
SRF is involved in two areas of international activity:
Firstly, there is co-operation between national associations within the World Blind Union. There is a constant exchange of ideas, as well as co-operation between national associations in order to influence international authorities such as the United Nations and the European Union. SRF has been particularly active in bringing the situation of visually impaired women to the fore.
Secondly, there is material and personal support for organising projects in developing countries aimed at building strong national organisations of the visually impaired. In a globalising world, these and other types of co-operative development are becoming more and more important.

Facts
SRF was established in 1889 and is a national association with about 15.000 members, 170 local branches and 24 regional affiliates. 250 officers/secretaries are employed in the organisation, about half of which are visually impaired themselves.

Since most visually impaired people are elderly there is also a youth organisation linked to SRF:
The Swedish Association of Visually Impaired Youth

SRF is financed partly through membership fees, partly through public funds, and partly through its business group Iris.

Contact us:
webbredaktor@srfriks.org