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Supported by the Delegation of the European Union in Croatia, in year 2011 CESI is implementing the project "Equal opportunities for women and girls with visual impairments".

According to the census of 2001, in Croatia there are 429.421 persons with disabilities, which makes 9.7% of the population, out of which 183.524, are women meaning that 8% of women in Croatia are persons with disabilities. Societal discrimination by gender is reinforced when complemented with personal characteristics such as ethnicity, age, disability. Women with disabilities are therefore faced with multiple discrimination as studies show that they often face marginalization, isolation, abuse and greater risk of poverty. Although in recent years some progress in the status of persons with disabilities has been achieved, they still face social prejudice and social exclusion. The answer to these problems can not be provided through humanitarian or charity work, which often only increases stereotyping and prejudice, but through the empowerment of persons with disabilities and awareness of society to the needs and interests of persons with disabilities. According to some conducted studies the majority of the public considers that the vision impairment is one of the worst forms of disability and women with visual impairment are certainly one of the most excluded and isolated social groups. As a result of a combination of social attitudes towards women and disability, women with visual impairment have a lower degree of independence, less access to education and labor market than men with disabilities and women in general.

The aim of the project "Equal opportunities for women and girls with visual impairment" is to encourage the empowerment and involvement of women with visual impairment in social processes and raising public awareness of issues affecting women with disabilities. We aspire to achieve this through the development of leadership skills and sensitization of women with impaired vision for gender issues and trough the changing of social attitudes and prejudices with a commitment to achieve equal opportunities for women with visual impairment.

In the last 7 years CESI have implemented an educational program for the development of leadership skills of women, "Women's Leadership" within which more than 150 women from non-governmental organizations, political parties and trade unions have been educated and empowered up to now and they have transferred their knowledge into their local communities through workshops for more than 1500 women through more than 100 local initiatives. Within this project, educational program "Women's Leadership" will be adjusted for work with women with visual impairments and a seminar for the development of leadership skills for 18 women will be conducted. Together with the women in their local communities these women will organize initiatives that will promote greater participation of women with visual impairment in social life.

CESI have also, for the last ten years, been implementing the empowerment activities of youth and education on life skills, sexuality and the prevention of violence in relationships within the program "Building Gender Awareness". Under this project 10 workshops for young people with visual impairments will also be conducted.

In order to inform on gender equality and violence prevention, CESI will adapt their web portals Libela.org and Sezamweb.net for people with visual impairments. CESI will also, through these portals, inform and sensitize the public to the interests and needs of people with visual impairments through the publication of thematic reports and articles.

For decision-makers to become sensitized for the introduction of a gender perspective into policies for persons with disabilities a gender analysis of current policies will be carried out and recommendations will be made for future policies to improve political understanding of the concepts of equal opportunities and multiple discrimination against women with disabilities.

In order to sensitize the public and to bring attention of the problem of multiple discrimination that persons with disabilities face a TV spot will be made that will promote equal opportunities for women and girls with visual impairments.

We believe that this project will contribute to the empowerment and involvement of women with visual impairments in social processes and will raise public and policy makers' awareness about the interests and needs of women with disabilities.