Siarhei Drazdouski: I wish we found out what each of us means by problems of accessibility

The chosen accessibility symbol is subject to further public discussion and harmonization.

Such opinion in the talk with the EuroBelarus Information Service shared Siarhei Drazdouski, the coordinator of the Office on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Summing up the results of the Accessibility week held in Minsk he described the event as successful. “About three hundred people took part in the event through discussing problems, watching movies and online-lectures”, - told Siarhei Drazdouski.

However, the coordinator of the Office on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities stated that our society is not ready for active participation in these events. Nevertheless, the representatives of at least two professional groups were active participants of the Accessibility Week. “First, these are advertising agents, who acted both s partakers and as expert group in the contest “Creation of Accessibility symbol”; and, secondly, lawyers, who, I hope, can make legal aid more available as well as set the high standard of social responsibility”, - Siarhei Drazdouski noted.

Systematization of cooperation with the legal community still remains an urgent problem. “We will seek to make legal aid a constant standard independent of campaigns”, - told the interlocutor of EuroBelarus.

Another thing that should be done is to bring accessibility symbol up for further discussion. “Now it’s right the time to discuss the essence and the contents of it. Accessibility is something that every member of society should agree upon. If you just announce the new accessibility symbol it won’t withstand the test of time”, - the coordinator of the Office on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities believes.

Siarhei Drazdouski recalled that certain accessibility symbols already exist now, “and what they are criticized for is that these signs separate rather than unite people”.

The question about how appropriate and effective the format of the event is for such subject area remains unresolved. “We are still in the process of analyzing what and how things were happening”, - Siarhei Drazdouski described the situation.

Finally, the event aroused the question of how to attract larger audience that still remains indifferent to the problem. “For now we only have basic opinions saying that formal means to promote information and interact with Mass Media are rather ineffective. Here we see the necessity to change the tone of our stories, to select messages for different public groups and, if possible, to find the understanding of every person, - assumes Siarhei Drazdouski. – We should make people perceive the connection between the life quality of the person with disabilities and accessibility, which is really very hard so far”.