SOOO «Disabled — spinal» implements important projects to support people with disabilities

On September 25, 2015, at the UN General Session, UN member states, including the Republic of Belarus, approved the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals. One of the most important Sustainable Development Goals is Goal 10 «Reducing inequality within and between countries». SDG 10 tasks, among others, ensure equality of opportunity and encourage the active participation of all people in social, economic and political life, regardless of age, disability, religion or other status.

SOOO «Disabled – Spinal» is the first organization in Belarus that unites paralyzed people in wheelchairs, which operates in the Gomel region and has been implementing projects and initiatives to support people with disabilities and their integration into society since 1997. The chairman of the organization, Gennady Grigorievich Zolotarev, shared the main stages in the formation of the organization and important projects that are now being implemented by the SOOO «Disabled – Spinal».

– Gennady Grigorievich, how the idea of creating the organization came?

– In May 1994, I was injured and fully immersed myself in the problems faced by people who find themselves in such a difficult life situation. With a certain frequency, I spent more than 2 years in hospitals and was able to assess the level of medical, social, psychological, physical, labor rehabilitation and adaptation to society of such a category of people and the conditions of a barrier-free environment created for them at that time. Usually, within 4 months, a person was assigned, as a rule, the first group of disability, a pension, technical means of social rehabilitation. And then the person and his relatives were left alone with the problems that had arisen.

Communicating with the same «friends in misfortune» we came to the conclusion that it is necessary to unite and act together. For example, on March 4, 1997, the SOOO «Disabled – Spinal» was registered by the decision of the Justice Department of the Gomel Regional Executive Committee.

– Have the goals and objectives of the organization changed over the past 25 years?

– The statutory goals and objectives for rehabilitation, creating a barrier-free environment, protecting the rights and interests of people with disabilities always remain the main ones. The priorities of the activity changed in different periods.

It is worldwide recognized that the shortest way of human rehabilitation and adaptation is through physical culture and sports. In the early period of its formation, the main public association focused on the introduction of a healthy lifestyle and the development of invassport among wheelchair users.

In 1998 we created our own club «Overcoming». Formed teams of wheelchair athletes in athletics, table tennis, wheelchair basketball, powerlifting, swimming participate in official competitions, various tournaments and sports days both domestically and abroad.

Since 2017, we have been working on the issues of socialization of people with disabilities, the introduction of a healthy lifestyle and the development of invasport together with the GOCOR for Paralympic and Deflympic Sports and the branch of the «Center for Inclusive Culture». These institutions were the first in the country to be established. Every person with a disability after an injury, ideally, should go through their own path of medical, social, psychological, physical, labor rehabilitation and socialization into society already in new living conditions. In 2000, we were one of the first founders of the UE «Prometey – INVO», where new jobs were created for young disabled people who have no work experience and received social pensions. Also, the regional fund «Center for active rehabilitation, social protection of disabled people of the musculoskeletal system, development of disabled sports» was created. Its main goal is to attract investments for solving statutory tasks.

Today we see our participation in solving the problems of people with disabilities as a link between a specific person and his environment or target group with relevant structures. The system of measures for the provision of rehabilitation and habilitation services for people with spinal injuries was created as a result of many years of painstaking joint, partner work with health care institutions, social protection, with the support of the Gomel Regional Executive Committee, within the framework of state programs in the Gomel Region.

In the Department of Neurosurgery №2 of the Gomel Regional Clinical Hospital, spinal surgeries are performed and medical rehabilitation is carried out in the postoperative period, then the person is sent to the Republican Clinical Hospital of Medical Rehabilitation in Aksakovschina. Early and late medical rehabilitation is carried out in the Gomel regional hospital for disabled veterans of the Patriotic War. The instructors of the SOOO “Disabled — Spinal” provide social and habilitation services within the framework of the state social order and we are very good at implementing this task together with the local authorities. In the sanatorium «Pridneprovsky» conditions have been created for the spa treatment of such people. And this work will continue.

– What attention is paid by the association to the problem of the accessible environment?

– This is a very important problem not only for wheelchair users, but also for other people with limited mobility. Any person should be able to freely, without outside help, leave the house, move independently in space and receive the necessary services on an equal basis with other people.

In order to receive a socially significant object after reconstruction, major repairs or new construction that fully complies with the conditions of a barrier-free environment, the customer needs to develop a technical task taking into account the barrier-free environment. Designers design estimates in accordance with building codes. And builders should not allow any deviations or violations. And here the participation of those for whom this is being done is very important. That is, the TK and design and estimate documentation of such objects must be coordinated with public associations of people with disabilities who have trained experts. Our organization participates in the examination of documents and monitoring of objects of a barrier-free environment. And this interaction needs to be strengthened to achieve the best result.

– How is the partnership with local authorities established?

– We understood from the very beginning that it was impossible to solve the tasks that we set for the organization independently, without the participation and support of the state. Therefore, all our work was aimed at creating and strengthening partnerships with the authorities and its state structures.

Interdepartmental councils on the problems of people with disabilities (regional, city, district) are a very good legal field for interaction with government agencies. I, as the chairman of the association, am a member of the architectural and urban planning council of Gomel. The organization participates in the implementation of the regional set of measures of the State Program «Social Protection» for 2021-2025.

The understanding of the need to unite their efforts and create a dialogue platform for joint discussion and solution of common problems came after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the signing and ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by the country, and the reflection of these documents in state programs to address the problems of people with disability to public associations of disabled people in the region.

On November 15, 2019, the largest public associations of disabled people in the region signed an Agreement on joint activities within the Council of Public Associations of Disabled People of the Gomel Region «Accessible Environment — Inclusive Belarus». Today the council includes 10 legal entities. Six strategic directions have been identified for joint work, which are common and important for all participants.

SOOO «Disabled — spinal» actively participate in conferences and seminars at the international and regional levels, spreading their experience and establishing new partnerships. The results of our work and long-term plans were presented at the Regional Forum for Sustainable Development of the Gomel Region, which was held on October 15, 2021 in Gomel with the support of the National Coordinator for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, the Gomel Regional Executive Committee and the United Nations Development Program.

The activities of our organization make an important contribution to the achievement of SDG 10 by the Republic of Belarus, ensuring the creation of conditions for the inclusion of people with disabilities in the active life of society.