FIMITIC

The Federation „Byelorussian Society of the Handicapped“ - BSH -  already approached in 2002 the Ministry for Work and Social Protection of the Republic Belarus with the proposal to support the EU Council Decision to declare 2003 as the Year of People with Disabilities in Belarus. BSH fixed the whole complex of measures with focus on the following problems:

1. Juridical aspects of the mutual exchange of federal and societal organizations of disabled people;
2. Living conditions of persons with disabilities in rural areas;
3. Social rehabilitation of disabled people in different procedures;
4. Questions of accessible building.

Frequent consultations were held in the Ministry of Work and Social Protection, the Ministry for Finance as well as with representatives of other societal organizations of people with disabilities. As a result a common programme was elaborated for the realization of the measures regarding the European Year of People with Disabilities in Belarus.

This programme met the approval at the meeting of the intergovernmental National Council dealing with the problems of people with disabilities and a representative working group was formed under leadership of the Vice Prime Minister. But, regrettably, all those plans remained a project only, because we did not receive the promised financial support for this programme. However, in order to not being excluded from the international disability movement BSH prepared and realized several measures in 2003, whose aim was to raise the public awareness regarding the problems of the handicapped and invalids as follows:

1. BSH organized and realized a press conference dealing with the questions of cooperation and social partnership between the state and the disability organizations inviting representatives of the Ministries of Work and Social Protection, for Public Health,  Education as well as mass media.

2. BSH was part of the following international expositions:

• Smolensk, Russia. The BSH regional organization of Witebsk, Gomel and Mogiles took part in the festival of Art and the exhibitions of disabled people from Russia and Belarus.
• Warsaw, Poland. Exhibition „Child and Dog“. Group of children of the Inva Studio (National Center for organizing leisure time of the handicapped “Invacentre”)
• European University of Philosophy, Minsk. Common Exhibition of works of the artists from Serbia and the Invastudio (Minsk)

National Exhibitions:

• Minsk. Exhibition hall „Riga“. Personal exhibition of the Artist W. Tanjukewitsch.
• Minsk. Invacentre. Personal exhibition of I. Sinko
• Mogilew. Local heritage museum. Exhibition „The world of my enthusiasms“

Itemized Exhibitions took place in the towns and Rayoncentres of the Republic of Belarus during the whole year.

3. Gala Concerts entitled „Look at me as at somebody equal“ took place in all regional  capitals of the Republic of Belarus and there was a final ceremony of the art contest between the members of the BSH town association of Minsk and a Gala Concert of the winners and the festival guests.

4. The presentation of the theatre of disabled people „Solo“ was given. The public of the towns Minsk, Witebsk, Luninez was shown the performance “Temple of Loneliness” which was accepted favorably by the public and which lead to the discussion of the item “Did the Society improve towards people with disability?” in the national TV Programme “Selection”. On the occasion of an interactive questioning the majority answered “No”. This is the sad result of the above mentioned and only written support of the Year of People with Disabilities 2003 in the Republic of Belarus.

During the events we always repeated the necessity of the support of the idea of the European Year of People with Disabilities 2003.

Ludmila Kalmykowa

Vice President

Federal Board

Responsible for organizational and social work

“Byelorussian Society of Disabled People”

- BSH -