Program of the Technical and Scientific Congress of the 11th World Blindness Summit
The following program presents the scheduled sessions for the Technical-Scientific Congress of the World Blindness Summit, which will take place in São Paulo on September 2 and 3, 2025.
In the coming days, more information will be released regarding other activities such as the youth and women’s forums, the opening ceremony, activities of the World Blindness Summit – Connection that will occur on September 4 and 5, the presentation of academic research in poster format, and the list of exhibitors at the technology fair, among other attractions.
Please note that all session details, including speakers and times, are subject to change.
We encourage participants to check for updates regularly and to remain flexible, as adjustments may be made to ensure a smooth and successful event.
This program covers only the Technical and Scientific Congress of the World Blindness Summit;
the schedule for the WBU General Assembly, which will take place on September 4 and 5, is contained in a separate program.
September 1, 2025 Program
WOMEN’S FORUM – 13:00 – 17:00
Location: Helen Keller Auditorium
YOUTH FORUM – 13:00 – 17:00.
Location: Louis Braille Auditorium
OPENING CEREMONY – 18:00 – 20:00.
Panel with government authorities and organizers of the 11th World Blindness Summit.
Presentation by the company Meta
Cultural presentation
Location: Dorina Nowill Auditorium
September 2, 2025 Program
PLENARY SESSION 1: 09:00 – 10:30
Session Number: P1
Location: Dorina Nowill Auditorium
Session Title: 200 Years of the Braille System: From the Slate to the Display
Session Moderator: Yaw Ofori Debra
Speakers:
- Gertrude Oforiwa Fefoame, Ghana; Martine Abel-Williamson, New Zealand – Launch of a braille literacy campaign – More braille, more empowerment.
- Regina Fátima Caldeira de Oliveira, Brazil – BRAILLE, YES, because reading is essential!
- Frances Gentle, Australia – Braille in the Digital Age: Integration between Tactile Literacy, Artificial Intelligence and Assistive Technologies
- Márcia Noronha de Mello, Brazil – The Braille System and the Advancement of Technologies as a Tool for Inclusion
Cultural presentation: 10:30
PLENARY SESSION 2: 11:00 – 12:30
Session Number: P2
Location: Dorina Nowill Auditorium
Session Title: Humanitarian Emergencies – Ensuring No One is Left Behind
Session Moderator: Diane Bergeron
Speakers:
- Susana Sumelzo – Secretary of State for Ibero-America, the Caribbean and Spanish in the World
- Diana Stentoft, Denmark
- Praveena Sukhraj-Ely, South Africa – Humanitarian Emergencies and Environmental Disasters: The Impact of Climate Change on Persons with Visual Impairments and their Inclusion in Climate Action, Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies.
- Olesia Perepechenko, Ukraine
- Katherine Holland, United States
CONCURRENT SESSIONS – GROUP A: 14:30 – 16:00
Session Number: 1A
Location: Louis Braille Auditorium
Session Title: Advocacy and Disability – Turning Global Commitments into Realities
Session Moderator: Tytti Matsinen
Speakers:
- Susan Laventure, United States – Capacity Building for Advocacy: Policy Training for Teachers and Parents in the Caribbean.
- María Soledad Gelvez, Argentina – Building Advocacy and Alliances: An Opportunity to Strengthen the Representativeness and Advocacy of People with Disabilities in Times of Crisis.
- Nantanoot Suwannawut, Kanit Pamanee, and Ekkamol Phaetthayanan, Thailand – ASEAN Community of Blind People Forum (ACBF): a mechanism to localize global advocacy for the rights of persons with disabilities.
- Beyan Kota, Liberia
Session Number: 2A
Location: Adilson Ventura Auditorium
Session Title: Cultural Accessibility as a Right for All
Session Moderator: Sarah Barreto Marques Ribeiro
Speakers:
- Ednilson Sacramento, Brazil – The Cultural Experience of the Person with Visual Impairment through Accessibility Resources.
- João Batista Maia Da Silva, Brazil – The Look Beyond Sight: The Inclusive Lens at the Paralympics.
- Jung-Suk (Js) Ryu, Canada – Beyond Access: Art as an Advocacy Movement.
Session Number: 3A
Location: Helen Keller Auditorium
Session Title: Maximizing the Inclusion of People with Low Vision
Session Moderator: Professor Dr. Elisabete Gaspareto
Speakers:
- Lindalva Carvalho De Morais, Brazil – Epidemiology of Visual Impairment and Prevention Actions
- Eliana Cunha, Brazil – Low Vision: Different Perspectives.
- Karina Eiko Yamashita, Brazil – Vision Loss in the First Years of Life: Impact on Visual Development and Typical Development Disorders.
- Mariana Lopes Da Silva, Brazil – Inclusion under the Gaze: The Schooling of Low Vision
Session Number: 4A
Location: Dorina Nowill Auditorium
Session Title: Employment for All – Innovation and Diversity in the Global Labor Market (Multiregional Challenges for Labor Inclusion)
Session Moderator: Jorge Luis Cala Ledesma
Speakers:
- Praveena Sukhraj-Ely, South Africa – Employability of Persons with Visual Impairment: “Strategies to Expand Employment Opportunities, Equity and Inclusion”
- Stefan Tromel, Switzerland – Current trends in the employment of people with disabilities.
- Hans Jørgen Wiberg, Denmark – Increasing employment rates of blind people through public-private partnerships – an ongoing case study.
- Pilar Carbajo, Spain – Access to employment in the public sector: principles and challenges in administrative practice.
CONCURRENT SESSIONS – GROUP B: 16:30 – 18:00
Session Number: 1B
Location: Louis Braille Auditorium
Session Title: Blindness and Low Vision, Intersectionality and Diversity
Session Moderator: Danielle Aparecida Magela de Freitas Silva
Speakers:
- Ugwuaneke Calister Chinyere, Nigeria – Gender Equity and Inclusion.
- Walleria Suri, Brazil – The Gender Identity of People with Disabilities.
- Jarbas C. C. M. Trindade, Brazil – Necropolitics and Ableism: Necrobodies between Racialization and Disability.
- Akhil S. Paul, India – Visual Impairment, Intersectionality and Diversity.
Session Number: 2B
Location: Adilson Ventura Auditorium
Session Title: Designing Cities for All
Session Moderator: Thomas Bryan
Speakers:
- Merve Sezgin, Germany – The Right to Be Alerted: The Advocacy of Organizations of Blind and Low Vision Persons in UN Regulations on Vehicle Safety – A Global Perspective.
- Cristal Del Rocío Gutiérrez López, Mexico. What Does It Take to Build an Accessible City?
- Octavio Nicolás Carreño Morán, Brazil – Zero Fare and Urban Mobility: People with Disabilities and the Fundamental Right to Transportation.
- Pierre Marragou and Karine Garnier, France
Session Number: 3B
Location: Helen Keller Auditorium
Session Title: Health and Visual Impairment
Session Moderator: Cinthia Pereira Freitas
Speakers:
- Lucas Gil Nadolskis, Brazil, and Dr. Michael Beyeler, United States – The vision of a blind scientist: trajectory, challenges and the future of visual prostheses.
- Maria Aparecida Onuki Haddad, Brazil – Technological Advances in the Ophthalmological Approach for Vision Preservation or Visual Recovery
- Marcos Wilson, Brazil – Visual Function and Visual Functionality
- Rodrigo Hideharo Sato, Brazil – Visual Impairment and Aging
- Manjula Rath, India – Human Rights and the Dignity of the Elderly Person with Visual Impairment: What is the Role of the Family, Society and the State?
Session Number: 4B
Location: Dorina Nowill Auditorium
Session Title: Practical Inclusion in the World of Work: Successful Experiences and Paths for Change.
Session Moderator: Marcelo Panico
Speakers:
- Tuan Rushdi, Sri Lanka – From Training to Transformation: A Practice-Based Employability Model for People with Disabilities.
- Chiranjeevi Paudel, Nepal – Inclusive Innovation: Empowering People with Visual Impairments Through Entrepreneurship and Technology in Nepal.
- Cristal Vargas, Mexico – Ágora Program of the Once Foundation for Solidarity with Blind and Low Vision People in Latin America
September 3, 2025 Program
CONCURRENT SESSIONS – GROUP C: 09:00 – 10:30
Session Number: 1C
Location: Louis Braille Auditorium
Session Title: Nothing About Us Without Us – Active Participation of People with Disabilities
Session Moderator: Moisés Bauer Luiz
Speakers:
- Emma Bennison Mba Gaicd, Australia – Why Should Blind and Low Vision People Lead Their Organizations?
- Helena Rita Pereira, Brazil – Our Predecessors of “Nothing About Us Without Us”.
- Hector Miguel Ulloa Asencio, Chile – Let’s Work to Leave No One Behind.
- Edivaldo Da Silva Ramos, Brazil – Social Participation, a Path to Citizenship: The Person with Visual Impairment in the Context of Social Control.
Session Number: 2C
Location: Adilson Ventura Auditorium
Session Title: Beyond Barriers – Technology and Innovation
Session Moderator: Robert Christian Mortimer
Speakers:
- Jacklyn Doig-Keys, United States – Ray Ban Meta and our work with and for the community of blind and low vision people
- Thibaut De Martimprey And Stéphane Gaillard, France – The Louis Braille Campus: An Innovation Center for Blind and Low Vision People.
- Bernardo Barlach, Brazil – How to Use Google’s Assistive Technologies in Daily Life
- Albert Argo, United States – MADE for us! The past, present and future impact of artificial intelligence on the global community of blind and visually impaired people.
- Jorge Enrique Muñoz Morales, Colombia – Artificial Intelligence and Screen Readers: An Innovative Complement.
Session Number: 3C
Location: Helen Keller Auditorium
Session Title: Orientation and Mobility – Paths to Autonomy and Independence
Session Moderator: Silvia Andreoci
Speakers:
- Artur Mendonça, Brazil – Overview of Orientation and Mobility Today.
- Eduardo José Drezza, Brazil – Orientation and Mobility for Children: When to Start?
Session Number: 4C
Location: Dorina Nowill Auditorium
Session Title: Transforming Systems – Opening Doors in Education
Session Moderator: Frances Gentle
Speakers:
- Aqib Rehman, India – The Right to Inclusive Education in Light of Article 24 of the CRPD: An Autoethnographic Analysis of Higher Education in India.
- Ana Lucia Pascali Rago, Brazil – Perkins Model Programs Approach – Experiences in Brazil.
- Silvana Lucena Dos Santos Drago, Brazil – School for All: From Intention to Intentionality – Management, Challenges and Possibilities in the Construction of an Inclusive School
- Vimal Dengla, India – Digital literacy and inclusion through Amazon Alexa devices for learning and education.
Cultural presentation: 10:30.
Location: Main Hall.
CONCURRENT SESSIONS – GROUP D: 11:00 – 12:30
Session Number: 1D
Location: Louis Braille Auditorium
Session Title: Diverse Realities – Blindness and Low Vision Associated with Other Disabilities
Session Moderator: Charles Mossop
Speakers:
- Joyce Guerra, Brazil – Intersections Between ADHD and Visual Impairment – Practical Alternatives
- Delia Góngora, Argentina – Postgraduate Studies in Teaching Students with Deaf-Blindness: Intersectoral Experience as a Starting Point to Combat Inequality.
- Cecília Vasconcellos, Brazil – Autism Spectrum Disorder and Visual Impairment
- Dr. Maria Aparecida Cormedi, Brazil – Visual Impairment Beyond the Eyes: Cortical and Cerebral Alterations and Rare Syndromes, from Evaluation to Intervention.
Session Number: 2D
Location: Adilson Ventura Auditorium
Session Title: Audio Description – Bringing the Visual World to Life Through Words
Session Moderator: Dr. Francisco Lima
Speakers:
- Felipe Vieira Monteiro, Brazil – Audio Description for Musical Events.
- Lívia Maria Villela De Mello Motta, Brazil – 20 Years of Audio Description in Brazil – Advances and Achievements
- Joel Snyder, PhD, USA – Audio Description, a Global Phenomenon.
- Mara Rubian Matteussi Garcia Kortelt And Luana Tillmann, Brazil – Cultural Street Parades: Perceptions Beyond the Application of Audio Description Guidelines
Session Number: 3D
Location: Helen Keller
Session Title: The Power of Sport – Celebrating the Paralympic Spirit
Session Moderator: Fernando Riaño
Speakers:
- Théo Liffaud, France – More Than a Game: Football for Blind and Low Vision People for Empowerment and Inclusion.
- Jorge Sidnei De Andrade, Brazil – Takkyu Volley as an Integrated Tool for Inclusion, Rehabilitation and Well-being
Session Number: 4D
Location: Dorina Nowill Auditorium
Session Title: From Access to Success – Supporting All Students
Session Moderator: Diana Stentoft
Speakers:
- Emily H. White, Phd, Australia – The Expertise of Braille Teachers and Users as Sources of Knowledge to Achieve Effective Braille Literacy.
- Mrs. Regina Zilevu, Ghana – Promoting Inclusive Education and Early Intervention for Students with Visual Impairments in Ghana: The Role of Alternative Access Modalities.
- Ntiranyibagira Daniel, Burundi – Inclusive Education and Early Intervention.
- Nepal Association of the Blind, Nepal – The education of blind and visually impaired children in Nepal: current situation, advocacy achievements and future directions.
CONCURRENT SESSIONS – GROUP E: 14:30 – 16:00
Session Number: 1E
Location: Louis Braille Auditorium
Session Title: All on the Same Page – Strategies to Implement and Enforce the Marrakesh Treaty
Session Moderator: Penny Hartin
Speakers:
- Pablo Lecuona, Argentina – Implementing the Marrakesh Treaty for Spanish Language Readers: The Practical Experience of the Tiflolibros Library and Online Exchange.
- Michele Woods and Mohammad Alhabbal – Making the Promise of the WIPO Marrakesh Treaty a Reality: Strategies to Support WIPO Member States to Join and Implement the Treaty.
- Richard Orme, United Kingdom
Session Number: 2E
Location: Adilson Ventura Auditorium
Session Title: Digital Access for All – Creating Inclusive Information Spaces
Session Moderator: Simone Freire
Speakers:
- Marc Workman, Canada – From Global Commitments to Local Change: Using the Global Digital Compact as an Advocacy Tool
- Flavio Correia, Brazil – Brazilian Digital Accessibility Standards – Success Cases for the World
- James Boreham, Australia – NVDA, a Global and Resilient Movement: Community-Driven Access for Digital Inclusion.
- Mariana Cristina Gonçalves Pinheiro, Brazil – Much More Than a Consumer Relationship, a Matter of Citizenship: The Civil Liability of Streaming Platforms in the Absence of Accessibility Resources
Session Number: 3E
Location: Helen Keller Auditorium
Session Title: Advancing Tactile Reading and Empowerment
Session Moderator: Santosh Kumar Rungta
Speakers:
- Anne Lancaster, United States – Building the Braille Road of the Future: The Monarch and the Braille Revolution.
- Dadi Abera Reta, Ethiopia – Braille Literacy.
Session Number: 4E
Location: Dorina Nowill Auditorium
Session Title: Growing without Limits – Blindness and Low Vision in Childhood and Adolescence
Session Moderator: Eliana Maria Ormelezi
Speakers:
- Beto Pereira and Artur De Mari, Brazil – The Participation and Protagonism of Blind and Low Vision Children and Adolescents in Organizations and in Instances of Social Participation.
- Marilda Moraes Garcia Bruno, Brazil – Early Intervention: A Time for Interaction and Communication.
PLENARY SESSION 3: 16:30 – 18:00
Session Number: P3
Location: Dorina Nowill Auditorium
Session Title: The Future of the Global Movement of Blind and Low Vision People
Session Moderator: Martine Abel-Williamson
Speakers:
- Gertrude Oforiwa Fefoame, Ghana
- Ana Peláez Narváez, Spain
- Rosario Galarza, Peru
- Hans Jørgen Wiberg, Denmark