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Funding and governance of library and information services for visually impaired people: international case studies

Part2:Country studies

Sweden

Participation by visually impaire people

There are local and county based councils of disabled persons all over Sweden. The Board of the TPB has a members' representative from the Swedish Association of Visually Impaired.

Disabled people's voluntary organisations have an important part to play in Swedish disability policy. The movement has been influencing policy direction in this particular sphere for over 50 years, and its cooperation with Swedish policymakers at all levels is well established.

Most of these organisations belong to the Swedish Disability Federation (Handikappforbundens samarbetsorgan, HSO), an umbrella body that seeks to influence official policy in the disability sphere.

The organisations provide crucial input by reporting on the positions and circumstances of people with disabilities. They also help shape public opinion by presenting their members' demands and proposing improvements. Around fifty disabled people's organisations receive state funding to help them pursue their activities. The Government has established a disability commission to serve as a forum for discussions and exchanges of information between the state and the disabled people's organisations