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The director of commercial structure “Hypermarket of services 124” Igor Striga doesn’t hide the fact that the main goal of his company is to earn money, but at the same time adds: “There are no slacks to people with disabilities during employment process and work”. More than 20 years ago he became a wheelchair-bound person himself and considers that by employing persons with special needs he is working for prospects. We will know from the first hands how they manage to be the best in their business having more than 70 percent of disabled employees.

Polotsk pupils are told about life of persons with disabilities. “People among People!” – is a series of information events held in Polotsk schools with the support of the Office for the rights of persons with disabilities (Belarus) and “School of leaders” (Poland) by two local NGOs – association of parents raising children with disabilities “Strumok” and sport club of young disabled “Prometei”. Initiators of the program Natalia Pronkina, Sergei Butko and Svetlana Maslovskaya told why there was a necessity in such meetings and how pupils understand information about persons with disabilities.

We continue to “Sign with heart” the Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. Several dozen of organizations and hundreds of concerned persons have signed the public Memorandum. The most active even get souvenirs from the Office on the rights of persons with disabilities. 100^th person who signed the Memorandum in social network got souvenirs with symbolic (there is a special sign for the participants in profile picture).

She knows about myths and stereotypes existing about persons with disabilities from the first hands, because 15 years ago she became disabled herself. Other problems appeared together with health problems: search of a new job, break-up with a close person, raising two kids alone. Many people would give up but Nadezhda Ivanovna says: “May be I’m a lucky person, and I just had no other choice as to continue to live and to work otherwise I wouldn’t be able even to get up in the morning.” Now she is the director of a private firm “Minsk factory of braking equipment” where more than a half of the staff are people with disabilities. 

In order people with disabilities could realize their right to labour In Poland there is a special profession – labour trainer. You shouldn’t think that this is an assistant. As a rule an assistant helps a person with disability not in his working place, for example helps to get home from work. Labour trainer accompanies, gives advices and guides in professional activity. He eases work of a person with disability: gives advices in a profession taking into account peculiarities of every concrete person, helps to organize a working place or even to find a job – to pick a good job advertisement, to prepare resume or to wear proper clothes for job interview. Labour trainer becomes a kind of a “life-saver” but he never does a job instead of his “colleague” but just directs him.

Moskovskiy district organization of NGO “Belarusian society of disabled” was the organizer of an art event for people with disabilities. The district branch of the organization has about 1500 members and about 30 of them are interested in expressing their talents. 

Monitoring of the accessibility of environment was presented in Minsk to public in the frames of Accessibility Week. It was held before the Hockey World Championship which took place in Minsk. The monitoring was held by volunteers with the help of specially created “Barrier-free environment monitoring tool”. Volunteers evaluated objects that could be used by potential participants of sporting events: railway station and airport, sport arenas, hotels and hostels, commercial units and other service providers.

- My son Ivan is 10 years old. He has such a type of autism that is called severe but at the same time he has a huge hidden potential. But in order for him to study special adapted to his demands conditions have to be created, special methods recognized all over the world should be used for socialization and teaching. It will give my son a possibility to show his talents and successfully adapt – Tatiana Golubovich the coordinator of parent initiative of the capital’s school № 5 starts her story. – Each such kid has a huge potential and they need assistance to unlock it.

In what cases is joint work a great way to integration? Why do we talk not only about people with disabilities when we are talking about accessibility? What services can NGO render? We are trying to find answers to these questions together with a representative of organization “APEIRONS” Ivars Balodis who together with his team came to Belarus to participate in Accessibility Week – 2014.

Чаму арганізацыі лічаць важным падпісаць Мемарандум аб далучэнні да Канвенцыі аб правах інвалідаў, разважаюць прадстаўнікі грамадскай супольнасці.