ONCE
Organización Nacional de Ciegos Españoles
FormationDecember 13, 1938; 87 years ago (1938-12-13)
LocationMadrid, Spain
Region served
Spain
Websitewww.once.es

The Spanish National Organization of the Blind (Organización Nacional de Ciegos Españoles), commonly known as ONCE ([ˈonθe]), is a Spanish public-law corporation whose principal purpose is to promote the personal autonomy and full social inclusion of people who are blind or have severe visual impairment.[1] It provides specialised social services in areas including education, rehabilitation, employment, accessible technology, culture, leisure and sport.[2]

ONCE was established on 13 December 1938 through the unification of a number of organisations of blind people that had developed in different parts of Spain during the 1930s. Its founding legislation authorised the organisation to operate the cupón, a lottery ticket whose proceeds became the principal means of financing its social activities.[3]

Under Spanish law, ONCE is a public-law corporation of a social character (Corporación de Derecho Público de carácter social), with its own legal personality and organisational autonomy. It performs delegated public functions throughout Spain under state supervision and is recognised as a singular social-economy organisation.[4] Since a 2026 amendment to the Social Economy Act, it is also expressly recognised as a singular entity of Spain's Third Sector of Social Action collaborating with the General State Administration.[5]

ONCE is part of the Grupo Social ONCE, together with the ONCE Foundation and ILUNION. While ONCE itself primarily provides specialised services for blind people and people with severe visual impairment, Fundación ONCE extends the organisation's activities to people with all types of disabilities, particularly through employment, training, universal accessibility and support for disability organisations.[6][7]

History

During the 1930s, associations of blind people in several regions of Spain, particularly Andalusia, Catalonia and the Levant, operated small lotteries as a means of providing their members with an income. These organisations were brought together in 1938 to create the Organización Nacional de Ciegos Españoles. The decree establishing ONCE was issued on 13 December 1938, and the first draw of its cupón pro-ciegos took place on 8 May 1939.[8]

During its early decades the organisation was subject to extensive state control, including government appointment of its senior leadership. The organisation later developed a system in which its governing bodies are elected by its members.[9]

In 1988 ONCE created Fundación ONCE para la Cooperación e Inclusión Social de Personas con Discapacidad. The foundation was conceived as a mechanism through which the solidarity and resources generated by ONCE could also support people with disabilities other than visual impairment.[10]

In 2014 the business activities previously operated through ONCE and Fundación ONCE companies were brought together under the ILUNION brand.[11] Since 2018, ONCE, Fundación ONCE and ILUNION have operated collectively under the identity Grupo Social ONCE.[12]

ONCE is not a private foundation. Spanish legislation defines it as a public-law corporation of a social character with its own legal personality and full capacity for self-government. Its social objectives are the personal autonomy and full integration of blind people and people with severe visual impairment, and it carries out delegated functions of the public administrations throughout Spain under state supervision.[13]

The organisation is governed by a General Council elected by its members. Seventeen territorial councils, corresponding to Spain's autonomous communities, provide territorial representation. The Directorate-General is responsible for the direct management of services for members and for ONCE's gaming activities.[14]

Social services

ONCE provides specialised services for people who are blind or have severe visual impairment. These include support for personal autonomy and rehabilitation, inclusive education, employment services, Braille and accessible reading, assistive and digital technologies, cultural and leisure activities, sport and psychological and social support.[15]

Access to ONCE membership is subject to defined criteria relating to blindness or severe visual impairment. Members can receive individualised support according to their functional and social needs.[16]

ONCE also operates accessible cultural and information services, including its digital library for blind and visually impaired readers.[17]

Deafblindness

ONCE provides specialised support to members who are deafblind. In 2007 it established the ONCE Foundation for the Care of People with Deafblindness (Fundación ONCE para la Atención de Personas con Sordoceguera, FOAPS), a non-profit foundation created to address needs specific to deafblindness, particularly communication support, education, rehabilitation and employment.[18]

ONCE and FOAPS also work with other national organisations specialising in deafblindness, including the Federation of Associations of Deafblind People of Spain (FASOCIDE) and the Spanish Association of Families of Deafblind Persons (APASCIDE). The three organisations have collaborated on awareness, communication and accessibility initiatives, including the introduction of the red-and-white cane for deafblind people in Spain.[19][20]

Grupo Social ONCE

The broader activities associated with ONCE are organised through Grupo Social ONCE, which comprises ONCE, Fundación ONCE and ILUNION.[21]

Fundación ONCE

Fundación ONCE was established in 1988 to extend cooperation and solidarity to people with disabilities beyond visual impairment. Its principal areas of activity are employment and training, universal accessibility and support for disability organisations and their families.[22]

The main source of Fundación ONCE's funding is a proportion of the gross revenues generated by ONCE's gaming products. The foundation states that approximately two-thirds of its budget is devoted to employment and training and the remainder principally to universal accessibility.[23]

Fundación ONCE works closely with the Spanish Committee of Representatives of Persons with Disabilities (Comité Español de Representantes de Personas con Discapacidad, CERMI), the umbrella platform representing major Spanish disability organisations. CERMI is represented on Fundación ONCE's Board of Trustees, while Fundación ONCE also participates in CERMI's governing bodies.[24][25]

ILUNION

ILUNION is the business arm of Grupo Social ONCE. It was created as a unified brand in 2014 by bringing together the business activities of ONCE and Fundación ONCE. Its companies operate in several commercial and service sectors while pursuing a social-enterprise model centred on employment for people with disabilities.[26]

The Cupón and gaming activities

ONCE's traditional fundraising product is the Cupón, a lottery ticket whose origins go back to the local lotteries organised by associations of blind people before the creation of ONCE. The organisation's founding legislation authorised ONCE to operate its own lottery as a means of financing its social objectives.[27]

ONCE now operates several authorised gaming products in addition to the traditional Cupón. Under Spanish legislation, these gaming authorisations form part of the financial model through which ONCE supports its social purposes.[28]

Lottery tickets are sold through authorised vendors, kiosks and online channels. Ticket selling has historically also constituted an important source of employment for blind and visually impaired people and, increasingly, for people with other disabilities.

International activity

ONCE and the wider Grupo Social ONCE maintain an extensive international presence through cooperation programmes, participation in international disability organisations and partnerships with European and Ibero-American institutions.

Latin America

A major component of ONCE's international activity is the ONCE Foundation for Latin America (Fundación ONCE para la Solidaridad con las Personas Ciegas de América Latina, FOAL), created in 1998 at the initiative of ONCE. FOAL promotes the educational, social and employment inclusion of blind and visually impaired people in Latin America through international development cooperation.[29]

FOAL operates in 19 Latin American countries, including all Spanish-speaking countries in the region and Brazil. Its programmes cover inclusive education, employment, rehabilitation, accessibility, institutional strengthening, technology, culture and sport.[30]

Through FOAL and its international relations activities, ONCE has developed partnerships with organisations including the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB), the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI) and the Ibero-American Social Security Organisation (OISS), as well as regional organisations representing blind and visually impaired people.[31]

FOAL also works closely with the Latin American Blind Union and the Latin American regional branch of the International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI), together with public institutions and civil-society organisations across the region.[32]

European and international organisations

ONCE and Fundación ONCE participate in a number of European and international organisations concerned with disability rights, accessibility, rehabilitation and social inclusion.

Fundación ONCE is an associate member of the European Disability Forum (EDF) and a full member of the European Platform for Rehabilitation (EPR). It also participates in the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT) and the European Institute for Design and Disability (EIDD).[33]

Fundación ONCE is also a member of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), contributing to international work on digital accessibility standards. Since 2018, it has held special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).[34]

ONCE is the Spanish national member of the European Blind Union (EBU), while Grupo Social ONCE is listed as Spain's national member of the World Blind Union (WBU). ONCE has also held senior positions within both organisations.[35][36]

Sport and sponsorship

From 1989 to 2003, ONCE sponsored the professional ONCE cycling team, which became one of Spain's leading road cycling teams.

ONCE and Fundación ONCE have also been involved in the development and promotion of disability sport and the Paralympic movement in Spain.

Awards and recognition

ONCE has received a number of national and international distinctions for its work in social inclusion, disability rights and accessible education.

  • In 2013, ONCE received the Prince of Asturias Award for Concord. The jury cited its work over more than 75 years in improving the dignity and quality of life of people with disabilities in Spain and described the organisation as an example for international initiatives.[37]
  • In 2026, ONCE received a UK–Spain British Council Award, presented by the British Council in recognition of its contribution to educational inclusion and the international mobility of young people with disabilities.[38]


Other entities belonging to Grupo Social ONCE have also received international recognition. Fundación ONCE and its associated initiatives have received awards for employment, accessibility and technological innovation, including recognition from the World Tourism Organization, the Zero Project and the International Association for Universal Design. ILUNION Hotels received the EFQM Global Award – 7 Diamonds in 2025.[39]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Ley 5/2011, de 29 de marzo, de Economía Social". Boletín Oficial del Estado. Government of Spain. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  2. ^ "Servicios Sociales". ONCE. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  3. ^ "Historia de la ONCE". ONCE. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  4. ^ "Ley 5/2011, de 29 de marzo, de Economía Social". Boletín Oficial del Estado. Government of Spain. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  5. ^ "Ley 5/2011, de 29 de marzo, de Economía Social". Boletín Oficial del Estado. Government of Spain. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  6. ^ "Fundación ONCE". ONCE. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  7. ^ "Mission and Values". Fundación ONCE. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  8. ^ "Historia de la ONCE". ONCE. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  9. ^ "Marco normativo y jurídico de la ONCE". ONCE. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  10. ^ "Presentación". Fundación ONCE. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  11. ^ "La ONCE y su Fundación presentan ILUNION, la nueva marca que unifica todas sus empresas". Fundación ONCE. 18 November 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  12. ^ "Así es el Grupo Social ONCE". ONCE. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  13. ^ "Ley 5/2011, de 29 de marzo, de Economía Social". Boletín Oficial del Estado. Government of Spain. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  14. ^ "Así es el Grupo Social ONCE". ONCE. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  15. ^ "Servicios Sociales". ONCE. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  16. ^ "Cómo podemos ayudarte". ONCE. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  17. ^ "Servicios Sociales". ONCE. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  18. ^ "Orden TAS/3205/2007, de 8 de octubre, por la que se clasifica la Fundación ONCE para la Atención de Personas con Sordoceguera". Boletín Oficial del Estado. Government of Spain. 3 November 2007. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  19. ^ "Se presenta en España el bastón rojo-blanco que identifica a las personas con sordoceguera". Servimedia. 13 May 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  20. ^ "'Crónicas' se adentra en la forma de vida de las personas con sordoceguera". RTVE. 15 October 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  21. ^ "Así es el Grupo Social ONCE". ONCE. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  22. ^ "Mission and Values". Fundación ONCE. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  23. ^ "Support projects and applications". Fundación ONCE. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  24. ^ "Presentación". Fundación ONCE. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  25. ^ "Directorio". Fundación ONCE. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  26. ^ "La ONCE y su Fundación presentan ILUNION, la nueva marca que unifica todas sus empresas". Fundación ONCE. 18 November 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  27. ^ "Historia de la ONCE". ONCE. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  28. ^ "Ley 5/2011, de 29 de marzo, de Economía Social". Boletín Oficial del Estado. Government of Spain. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  29. ^ "About FOAL". FOAL. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  30. ^ "Sobre FOAL". FOAL. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  31. ^ "Solidaridad de la ONCE en Latinoamérica". ONCE. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  32. ^ "Our allies". FOAL. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  33. ^ "International Area". Fundación ONCE. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  34. ^ "Área Internacional". Fundación ONCE. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  35. ^ "Members". European Blind Union. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  36. ^ "Grupo Social ONCE". World Blind Union. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  37. ^ "Spanish Organization for the Blind (ONCE) – Prince of Asturias Award for Concord 2013". Princess of Asturias Foundation. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  38. ^ "El British Council distingue a ocho referentes de la cooperación entre Reino Unido y España". British Council. 19 February 2026. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  39. ^ ...