Access of blind people to transport infrastructure discussed at conference

Chisinau, 22 November / MOLDPRES / - The leadership of the State Road Administration (ASD) participated in a conference on Danova transnational cooperation project, which offers innovative transport services for blind and visually impaired passengers in the Danube region. The event took place with the participation of the leadership of the Technical University of Moldova, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, Chisinau city hall, the Association of Blind in Moldova.

According to the European Union of the Blind, there are more than 30 million blind and visually impaired people who cannot travel independently, as more than 96% of the European transport system, especially in the Danube region, is not yet accessible to people with disabilities.

The main goal of the Danova project is to improve the accessibility of airports, ports, train and bus stations for the blind and visually impaired, by developing a set of new services and skills to enable them to have full access to all information and transport services.

"Based on a transnational and cooperative approach, the project partners will look for existing solutions and examples of good practice that can be effectively transferred to the Danube region, design a new concept of transport system fully accessible to blind and visually impaired passengers and test innovative solutions and services. They will also educate relevant target groups on how to use these solutions and how to adequately support visually impaired passengers, ”says ASD.

The project, lasting 30 months (1 July 2020 - 31 December 2022) and a total budget of over two million euros, funded by the Danube Transnational Program - Interreg, brings together partners from eight countries (Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria , Croatia, Montenegro, Moldova, Slovenia, Hungary) and 14 of these partners, motivated to work together to make transport facilities more accessible.

Photo: ASD