Sectors	Regional and territorial cooperation
EU Acquis Chapters	Other issues
EU funds	41 755 €
Implementation period	2013 - 2024
Categories	Civil society;  Gender ;  Digital ;  Climate action (Mouse hover to see significance)

The project seeks to contribute to the improvement of social cohesion in Zadar County (Croatia) and Banja Luka Region (Bosnia and Herzegovina) by enabling access to education for blind and visually impaired persons. Through joint project activities aimed at enhancing social inclusion of blind and visually impaired people in local community, the project plans to improve accessibility to community-based services (library services) for blind and visually impaired persons in Zadar County and Banja Luka Region. Increasing the level of information, knowledge and skills for visually impaired people is relevant for formal education, professional enhancement, employment and independency, especially for the youth and children. Ultimately, the joint efforts are to improve quality of life for the blind and visually impaired persons.

Accessibility to community-based services (library services) for blind and visually impaired persons in Zadar County and Banja Luka Region was significantly improved as the project improved the conditions for organisation of education and information provision for the blind and visually impaired persons. The premises in both Libraries were adapted and new equipment and furniture purchased. Following the adaptation of 40m2 of premises in Banja Luka, a cabinet for education and literacy courses was equipped with office furniture, IT equipment, shelves and equipment for recording of audio books and magazines. To increase mobility of the library service, Banja Luka received a bibliobus – van 8+1 to transport blind and visually impaired persons to the library and education centre as well as to transport the publications to their home addresses. To ensure the use of equipment and facilities for the benefit of users, the project contributed to strengthening the capacities of Libraries staff and beneficiaries. As a result, 4 Library staff were trained in using daisy production equipment for production of books in daisy format (2 employees from Research Library Zadar and 2 from Banja Luka City Organization of the Blind); the same 4 employees were trained for work with blind and visually impaired persons; 50 (20 from Banja Luka region and 30 from Zadar County) blind and visually impaired persons have been trained for using personal computer and internet as knowledge resource, 71 blind and visually impaired persons and other interested parties (31 from Banja Luka region, and 40 from Zadar County) have been advised about skills for enhancing quality of daily life. The new skills combined with improved equipment were immediately put to service and produced 5 audio books by Research Library Zadar, 3 audio books by City organization of blind Banja Luka as well as 100 Mp3 sound magazines produced (4 times 25 copies each). As a result of these activities on improvement of the library services, the Zadar and Banja Luka Library services recorded an increased number (50) of beneficiaries (blind and visually impaired persons). The project achieved a coordinated partnership and co-operation through establishment of a formal partnership framework. The partnership resulted was strengthened throughout the project implementation and resulted in new project ideas.