The Mayor of Elche, Carlos González, accompanied by the Councillor for Social Rights, Mariano Valera, and the Councillor for Commerce, Felip Sànchez, attended the inauguration of the new headquarters of ONCE in the city, from which the organisation will improve its care for more than 400 blind or visually impaired people, offering higher quality services and intensifying the necessary support for inclusion.
The event was also attended by Miguel Carballeda, president of the ONCE Social Group, Daniel Botella Hurtado, director of the agency, and Estela Medina, director of ONCE in Alicante.
As the mayor highlighted in his speech, “today we are experiencing an important day for Elche, a very important day to advance inclusion and accessibility. The work that we carry out from the City Council hand in hand with ONCE to improve accessibility is work that is worthwhile and for which we will continue betting, because we are convinced that an even more accessible city is possible”.
According to González, “the work carried out by ONCE is an example for society, a model to follow that should inspire our daily work in favour of a more inclusive society.”
For his part, the president of the ONCE Social Group has highlighted the great acceptance by the people of Elche for this organisation and has pointed out that “our workers go out every day to work and share luck with the people of Elche, but not only do they sell games, our sentinels of illusion listen to people, something important because every time we have a serious problem of loneliness in our country, the population is getting older and many people have no one to talk to”.
During the inauguration, the attendees took a tour in which they were able to visit the different departments with which ONCE offers its Social Services to affiliated people, as well as an exhibition of technological and adapted material.
In this exhibition they have been able to see an accessible globe that, with a pointer that travels around the world, for children to learn braille; children’s stories in braille, relief and with different textures; braille alphabets; machines and computers for writing or receiving information in braille; and multiple adapted elements for daily life, such as clocks with voice, kitchen material or controls to activate traffic lights.
Classrooms for rehabilitation, accessibility and management of New Adapted Technologies and Typhlotechnology, are located in this new building that has ample space for carrying out activities, workshops, information sessions… all so that people affiliated with ONCE continue to enjoy the support of the Organization.
Currently, the ONCE Agency in Elche has 201 workers, of which 192 are sales agents; three administrative assistants; a social worker; two commercials, the director and the person who collaborates with her. From the Elche Agency, ONCE offers Social Services to 400 members, of which 14 are schoolchildren in different educational stages, who receive the support of the Organisation’s professionals, in collaboration with public services. In addition, it serves as a work base for other ONCE professionals in the Valencian Community.
