The Commission commends the efforts made in 2023 by Government and their partners in a bid to promote and uphold aspects of the rights of blind people related to access to the built environment, education, lifelong learning, and employment. 

The Commission remains concerned about:

- the negative attitudes of some parents who, ashamed of their children's disability, refuse to enrol them in school or leave the educational and social supervision of their blind children to private centres for specialised accommodation and training without any follow-up

- the low number of specialised and qualified teachers in inclusive public schools

- the lack of textbooks and official documents in Braille

- the limited consideration given to Braille displays and formats that are easy to read and understand in buildings and/or areas open to the public, as well as on consumer products, including pharmaceutical products.

The Commission is gratified by the positive response of public administrations to the recommendations highlighted in its statement to mark World Braille Day on 4 January 2023, particularly from the Ministry of Higher Education, the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and from the Ministry of Arts and Culture.

Also committed to making Braille more widely available, to disseminating related teaching tools and materials, and to encouraging people to "play down visual impairment by showing that a blind person can live like anyone else with a few adaptations”, the Commission recommends the building and equipping of government nursery schools specialising in teaching blind children Braille writing, reading and arithmetic.

The Commission recommends that the Ministry of Basic, Secondary and Higher Education and Vocational training centres should include the study of Braille as an optional subject in school curricula.

The Commission recommends that the Ministry of Public Health and CSOs should raise parents' awareness on the importance of their children's eye health.