People with disabilities in Belarus: struggling with barriers

Belarus is the only country in Europe that hasn’t acceded to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and people with disabilities remain marginalised, writes Ryhor Astapenia.

In May, Belarusan disability rights activists held a "Week of Accessibility." According to the organisers, without the creation of an accessible infrastructure for disabled people no one can talk about equality in Belarusan society. 

 A significant portion of people with disabilities rarely leave their apartments and have no opportunity to study or work. Disabled people have to deal with both physical and regulatory barriers. The main blame for this lies with the state authorities and a society that still retains the stereotypes about the people with disabilities.

However, people with disabilities themselves take matters into their own hands and fight for their rights more and more often. Today they require the solidarity of Belarusans and the international community to achieve the accession of Belarus to the UN Convention.

At Home, out of Work

More than 512,000 people with disabilities live in Belarus. Among them, 20,000 use wheelchairs. Moreover, the annual incidence of disability increases by 50,000. Every twentieth Belarusan is disabled, but the society seems not to notice this problem. The lack of adequate infrastructure leads to such situations that people with disabilities rarely go out of their flats. According to the estimates of wheelchair users, 9 of 10 persons cannot leave their houses independently.

Belarus slowly creates the necessary conditions for the disabled in the form of ramps or low-floor buses. However, the majority of public and private institutions remain inaccessible to wheelchair users. A few years ago, the coordinator of the Office for the rights of people with disabilities Siarhei Drazdouski, while visiting the theatre in Minsk, told the guard that the theatre remains inaccessible to the people with disabilities even after the renovation. In response, the guards of the theatre kicked him out of the theatre.

In addition to the lack of infrastructure for movement, disabled persons in Belarus have problems due to limited access to education and work. The state has created enough secondary schools for the disabled. People with disabilities can study in specialised classes, special schools and even boarding schools, but often their infrastructure remains inappropriate. Also there is no one high school in the country prepared for teaching people with various types of disabilities. 

Only 14% of Belarusan disabled people of working age have a job. While the majority of disabled people are working on low-qualified and low-wage jobs. Also, companies often officially hire disabled people to work, but do not actually provide it.

This happens due to the fact that the Belarusan authorities have introduced tax incentives for enterprises in which 50% of workers are disabled. Thus, the firms use disabled people for their own purposes. Meanwhile, the skills of the people with disabilities get worse.

What makes things worse

Belarus does not seem like a unique country that has a problem with discrimination against the disabled. Even developed countries are often unable to provide equal opportunities for the people with disabilities. However, the situation of the people with disabilities in Belarus remains different for several reasons.

Belarusan authorities still have not introduced the anti-discrimination legislation and some laws violate the rights of the disabled. On the one hand, people with significant disabilities cannot adapt children. On the other hand, the same people have no right to pass the border without waiting in line. If disabled Belarusans live in nursing homes for pensioners and disabled people they have no guarantee of the possibility to leave them or to use their own money freely.

The authorities take half measures. For example, Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ) began to produce low-floor buses, but often the people with disabilities cannot get into them. Curbs remain unprepared for the disabled, and the drivers are not allowed to go out and help a disabled person to get into the bus. Local authorities build ramps, but they often do not meet the standards.

Poverty also stays a significant factor. The state lacks money to provide appropriate conditions for the disabled persons at universities or health centres. Social payments remain very small. For example, wheelchair users in Belarus monthly receive about € 100.

Despite the fact that the Belarusan society remains concerned about the state of the disabled people in Belarus, it retains significant stereotypes.

According to the Independent Institute of Socio-Economic and Political Studies only every third Belarusan supports the idea that his child will learn in the same class with disabled children. Only a quarter of Belarusans think that the state should create conditions so that people with disabilities could work equally with everyone. Others believe that the state should increase benefits and social payments for disabled people so that they did not have to earn their living or that the state should create specialised enterprises for employment of people with disabilities.

Will disabled people win the authorities

Belarus has not acceded to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, though it has complied with all the formal requirements. Siarhei Drazdouski, coordinator of the "Office of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities" said that today "we need only the political will and the raised hand of one deputy who would put the question of accession to the Convention on the agenda." The authorities refrain from acceding for one reason. The Convention binds the state, making it fulfil its obligations under the Disability Rights.

Western aid has a great importance for the Belarusan people with disabilities. For example, the U.S. Agency for International Development promotes inclusive education for people with disabilities. The main purpose of U.S. aid is to create the necessary infrastructure - ramps and doors, adapted to the needs of the people with disabilities. Also as part of this program, experts develop a joint study program for the healthy children and the children with disabilities.

However, disabled persons are creating a hope themselves. The people with disabilities unite in the organisations, hold their actions or create their own special maps, where they mark places that are accessible for the people with disabilities. Self-organisation remains the only way to fight for their rights. During the "Week of Accessibility" disability rights activists held many public lectures and free law consultations to help people with disabilities to achieve their rights.

The disability rights movement remains an important part of the civil society in Belarus. The West should help it not only financially, but also facilitate and encourage Belarus's accession to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

BelarusDigest