FSDB is a national organization of deafblind people, founded in 1959. Only those who are visually and hearing impaired can get full membership with voting rights. We have about 350 members. There are 12 regional associations within FSDB. There is also a parents' section and a youth section. In the parents' section the members work with issues concerning deafblind children and their families, and in the youth section the young deafblind people get together and arrange their own activities.
FSDB's aim is to make life better for deafblind people. It acts as a pressure group, influencing authorities and politicians to give deafblind people the service they need. This is generally achieved by starting different development projects or programs, with the financial aid of a special governmental fund for developing support for children and disabled people. When the project has shown the success of a certain service for deafblind people, the next step is to see to it that this service is made permanent and financed in the ordinary national budget. The newsletter, the Print-to-Braille service, interpreter service, computers as text telephones are all results of projects of this kind.
Another important aim for FSDB is to make it possible for deafblind people to meet other deafblind people and to have a good time together. We arrange summer and winter holiday weeks, information meetings and courses.
Bulletin Board System
FSDB has its own BBS, or computer conference system. It is also an information data base: deafblind people can read daily news there, as well as other information. They can also write and receive electronic mail and discuss different matters in conferences (newsgroups).
FSDB has an office (address see below) with about 15 employees, some of them deafblind. Most of its income comes from government grants.
Address:
Association of the Swedish Deafblind, FSDB
S-122 88 Enskede
Sweden
Tel. +46 8 39 90 00
Fax +46 8 659 50 42
E-mail: fsdb@fsdb.org
Homepage: www.fsdb.org