United Nations' Principles for Older Persons viewed though the eyes of visually impaired seniors

In December 1991, the UN General Assembly adopted The United Nations' Principles for Older Persons, which were proclaimed again during the International Year of Older Persons in 1999. Governments were encouraged to incorporate these five principles of independence, participation, care, self-fulfillment and dignity into their national programs, whenever possible. The purpose of this paper is to present and re-examine these principles as they pertain to visually impaired persons and the services, which are rendered to them at the present time. Since these original statements are broad, they are difficult to assess and implement on a global level. By translating the principles into the language of the program of interest, in this case, visual impairment, their implementation and assessment become more manageable endeavours. It is our responsibility to translate rhetoric of international standards into action by strategically addressing the UN Principles within our profession. The researchers, the service providers, the clients and the community at large need to change their thinking to acting locally while thinking globally. This should inevitably result in the satisfaction of basic needs of people throughout the world who are affected by vision impairment. In conclusion, it is timely for our profession to examine these statements and to reflect on the degree to which we currently live up to the expectations of the UN. Moreover, we should recognize the degree to which we are still lacking in this regard and how we can meet this challenge.