The seminar was chaired by Māris Ceirulis, head of the society, and during it discussed topics such as emotional intelligence, forms of disability, discrimination, stereotypes and prejudice, the use of intelligent language, visual impairments and principles of universal design. We also discussed practical recommendations for communicating with people that have visual, hearing, movement or physical development and mental or intellectual development disabilities.

Bus drivers were actively involved in the discussions and shared their experiences of contact with people with disabilities during the seminar. It's quite regular in their daily lives, as many people with disabilities take advantage of bus ride fare relief when moving on intercity buses.

The topic of service dogs, especially guide dogs accompanying people with visual disabilities, was of great interest. There are not many such dogs in Latvia, but it is important that transport service providers know the rights of these dog keepers and how to treat these dogs. During our conversations, we learned that sometimes dog keepers have received a refusal to take the bus, because they themselves have not complied with the rules:
• the dog keeper must present an invalidity certificate;
• show a guide dog or assistant dog certificate;
• the “home (room) animal passport” of the European Union sample shall be presented with marks regarding vaccination.

Strengthening knowledge through practical experience

In order for drivers to have empathetic experience and to be able to feel even a little in the "shoes" of people with visual disabilities and people with reduced mobility using typhotechnics and assistive devices, each had to perform various practical tasks:
• Recruits wore simulation goggles that reflect a variety of eye diseases -- cataract, glaucoma, damage to the vitreous body, retinal detachment, side vision, tunnel vision, diabetes -- to understand how people with such visual impairments see the world.
• One of the participants was given the task of sitting down the seminar leader as a blind person. To his pleasant surprise, the driver knew how to do it correctly - without pushing or dragging, he elbowed her to the chair, let her feel the back of the chair, and it was enough to sit down. For other colleagues, it was a real showcase of how it should be done properly.
• As the seminar was organized at the Social rehabilitation and cognition Center “Dvēseles veldzes dārzs” in Ziemupe, participants in the seminar had the opportunity to get into the day-to-day surroundings of people with visual disabilities and people in a wheelchair. As they split into pairs, each got an eyepatch, but one hand was given the white cane, so the blind accompanies the blind. The task was to navigate the territory by following the guideline system and to explore the sights in the area – in the stand “Dievs radīja” to recognize the objects there and the walk trough the park to enjoy the smells of the flourishing flowers and to recognize the herbs growing in the high beds based on touch, smell and taste. As part of that task, drivers realized how difficult it was and fearful to move somewhere, especially in a foreign location if you can't see anything.
• Likewise, participants were able to sit in a wheelchair and try to move around with it. It didn't have much trouble on a paved walkway, but there was no way to move on the grass. “Very tough, wheels go around, you sink in and you can't go forward or backward,” admitted one seminar participant. The experience showed the importance of a tailored environment for people in wheelchairs and building an appropriate road surface that would be easy to navigate. It should be noted that this experience is only a small insight, as the ability of people in a wheelchair to move independently in a wheelchair is very different.

At the end of the seminar, Māris asked participants, “What personally worked most for you from this day's seminar, or what caught your attention?”

Participants' experience from the seminar:

“The walk created the best understanding of how blind people navigate.”
“Texts, articles and conditions are already the basis, but the practical thing, to feel it on yourself, it really changes your perspective”.
“Until you get into the puddle yourself, you won't know what it's like to be wet”.
“Every situation needs to commence calmly and to not be afraid to ask if you need help and also ask how you can best help, because one will know better than to guess what is needed.”

We believe the knowledge and experience gained from the seminar will help bus drivers in their future day-to-day work helping people with disabilities.

Seminars on the topic “Apmācība jautājums par invaliditāti” are organised within the framework of the social project “Palīdzēsim cits citam iedrošinot un praktiski atbalstot” (No. 26/2.8.5) funded by the Liepāja society for the blind.

Financed by the City of Liepāja municipality
Social inclusion Project of non-governmental organisations
“Palīdzēsim cits citam iedrošinot un praktiski atbalstot”
Nr.26/2.8.5.