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The Dutch Patients’ Federation advised her to first seek affiliation with an existing association. This turned out to be the Dutch Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (NVBS). On October 3, 1998, an initial meeting was held in Utrecht with 17 fellow patients. During this meeting, the participants shared their experiences, and it was decided to establish the Contact Group for People with an Eye Prosthesis (MMOP).
“Laat de Leeuw”
Tonnie continues: “We organized our first National Contact Day and put together a newsletter. It consisted of four black-and-white pages—quite different from today’s 28-page magazine. We announced the first National Contact Day with a press release.” And that’s how Tonnie ended up appearing on Paul de Leeuw’s show “Laat de Leeuw.” This led many people with ocular prostheses to sign up as members.
It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep the organization running with only volunteers. We weren’t getting enough support from the NVBS. Moreover, as sighted people with only one eye, we were a bit of an odd one out. That’s why we decided in 2010 to establish our own independent association: OOG in OOG.
Top Lawyers
No sooner said than done! Yet Tonnie clearly remembers that wasn’t quite the case. “At first, we weren’t granted a subsidy because we were said to be too similar to the existing patient associations for people with vision impairments. Fortunately, we found two top lawyers who helped us file an appeal. After a lengthy process, the grant was ultimately approved. It was simply obvious that our patient association meets a real need.”
is still growing. And it continues to do so. “We’re still growing, bucking the trend. Many patient organizations are struggling with a decline in membership, but we continue to grow. “Of course, we’re also the patient organization for children born without eyes or with only one eye. And in 2024, the Retinoblastoma Association of the Netherlands joined us as well. We’re continuing to build. We have big ambitions for the near future.”
Learn more about the OOG in OOG Association