100 years - Austria / II. Republic of Austria 1997 - 7 Shilling

At the end of the 19th century, blind and severely visually impaired women and men joined forces. The purpose of this first association was to support blind people and to help them with their professional activities. In addition, their interests in life were socially and economically responsible. An objective that quite corresponds to a disability organization of our time. The blind associations that were formed in our century joined together after the war to form a blind organization. The Blind Association runs a range of activities for the benefit and well-being of blind people. So he leads a Hörbücherei (about 6,000 works), which represents a valuable institution. For many years, dedicated representatives of the self-help system called for a financial compensation for the additional burden caused by blindness. In 1993, a law was finally passed that sets the necessary support for the blind and highly visually impaired. The self-help organizations also pay special attention to the education of the blind and to vocational training. The early support of blind preschool children and counseling for parents, as well as training in practical life skills, mobility and orientation training, are for the most part carried out by specialists. The concept of self-help is particularly pronounced with blind and partially sighted people and is also perceived at the international level, namely the European Blind Union and the World Blind Union. The Post and Telekom Austria are dedicating a special stamp to blind people whose value is not only printed but also braille, which is a world premiere. The brand image shows a blind man with a guide dog.