On 18 October 2018, the Typhlological Museum opened an exhibition titled The Dark Shift.The topic of the exhibition is training and employment of the blind and the visually impaired. It shows how the blind have been trained for various jobs through history and presents original items that the blind made in training workshops. The museum also holds an old telephone exchange system which the blind used for working, and the public still usually associates these jobs with the blind. Organized care for the blind in Croatia began with the opening of the Institute for the Education of Blind Children in Zagreb in 1895; several years later, the first school for the training of blind and visually impaired youth opened in the facilities of the former Association of St. Vid. They were primarily trained in the classic crafts such as basket weaving and brush and broom making. After World War II, industrial development brought other jobs that the blind could do, so a growing number of the blind started working in factories while abandoning the standard professions. Among the new jobs, the most popular was working on home telephone exchange systems. Eventually, the structure of jobs has changed so now the blind and the visually impaired can be employed in various professions. Employment and work of the disabled is primarily a human right. The visually impaired are faced with extreme difficulties regarding employment. Even though prejudices have changed, they still exist to this day.
Nevenka Ćosić
Foto: R. Vukić