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ONCE AGAIN ABOUT THE DISABLED

As it is known, over half a million of the disabled live in Belarus at the moment. It means that every twentieth fellow countrymen of ours has these or those problems which limit his/her physical, psychological or intellectual abilities to some extent. This is quite a large number and it is, of course, impossible not to notice it. Hence the social problem of disability should be known to society. As the data of Table 1 show, three out of five adult Belarusians have first-hand knowledge of the problem. Table 1. Distribution of answers to the question: “Are there people with any kind of disability among your relatives, friends or acquaintances (including children)?”*

Variant of answer

%

Yes, there are, including:

56.3

I have disability myself

7.0

– I have a child (children) with disability

1.0

– there are people with disabilities among close relatives (parents, wife, husband, brothers, sisters)

18.3

– there are people with disabilities among distant relatives, friends, acquaintances

30.0

No

41.8

DA/NA

1.9

* It was possible to give more than one answer that is why the values are given relative to 100%

Over 11% of respondents mentioned presence of disabled people among the employees of their enterprises or organizations (Table 2), which also confirms the problem’s topicality.

Table 2. Distribution of answers to the question: “Are there people with disabilities among the employees of your enterprise (organization)? If yes, are there a lot of them?”

Variant of answer

%

Yes, there are, but not many

9.4

Yes, there are, quite a lot

1.7

No, there are no such people

30.3

I do not know

29.3

I do not work at the moment

27.5

DA/NA

1.8

It might seem that such a considerable number of the disabled and the topicality of their problems should have aroused in public opinion if not a desire to ensure all possible assistance and support then at least awakened common sympathy for these people. However, we regret to ascertain that such a feeling is not peculiar to many Belarusians. The data of Table 3, in particular, show that only every third respondent treats positively co-education of children with and without disabilities. When the matter concerns co-education of the disabled with the children of a certain respondent, then the negative attitude becomes considerably stronger: already almost half (45%) would not want it (Table 4).

Table 3. Distribution of answers to the question: “Do you think co-education of disabled children and children without disabilities is useful or harmful for each group of children?”, %

Variant of answer

More likely useful

More likely harmful

It is equally useful and harmful

DA/NA

For children without disabilities

34.1

19.6

32.5

13.8

For disabled children

36.2

17.2

33.9

12.7

Table 4. Distribution of answers to the question: “Would you personally prefer your child (all other conditions being equal) to study in a class with co-education (where disabled children study together with ordinary children) or in a class without co-education?

Variant of answer

%

I would prefer a class without co-education

45.0

I would prefer a class with co-education

31.5

DA/NA

23.5

The data of Table 5 show that every third Belarusian worries about the need for creating special working conditions for the disabled as it might demand additional efforts. There is a little bit fewer of those who are worried by the problems of psychological discomfort in communication with their colleagues-the-disabled. And almost every fifth respondent is sure that a disabled person will not be able to exercise his/her functions implying, of course, that there is no use hiring him/her.

Table 5. Distribution of answers to the question: “Imagine that a disabled person gets a job at your enterprise (organization), and you have to work directly with him/her. What would you personally worry about in this situation?” (more than one answer is possible)

Variant of answer

%

Additional efforts would be required to ensure special working conditions for this person

34.8

Psychological discomfort in communication

30.1

I think the person will not be able to exercise his/her functions

19.3

Other

3.5

DA

15.6

Quite a lot of our fellow citizens (41.5%) think that the disabled should not work and earn their living at all and that the state should secure social payments and benefits (Table 6). Also almost every third respondent (31.5%) would prefer if specialized enterprises were created for employment of the disabled. Both these typical delusions completely ignore the disabled as individuals, to put it mildly. Unfortunately, three out of four Belarusians think so!

It is clear that in order to develop the right attitude to the disabled long and laborious work with the population is required. The authorities should work together with the public, and mass media should ensure publicity to the process and spread widely its best achievements. Unfortunately, as we have written before, mass media stand aloof from this painful problem in the opinion of the population.

Table 6. Distribution of answers to the question: “What is more correct, in your opinion?”

Variant of answer

%

To increase benefits and social payments for disabled people so that they did not have to earn their living

41.5

To create specialized enterprises for employment of people with disabilities

31.5

To create conditions so that people with disabilities could work equally with everyone

23.4

DA/NA

3.6

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Table 7. Distribution of answers to the question: “Have you heard about the existence of such a document as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities”?

Variant of answer

%

Yes

30.1

No

65.3

DA/NA

4.6

As for the authorities, their “work” with the disabled is conspicuously characterized by such facts as imposition of administrative sanctions on a one-armed invalid for “clapping his hands” (http://naviny.by/rubrics/society/2011/08/10/ic_news_116_374144/) or bashing up a disabled person who was resting near the National library building by undercover men (http://naviny.by/rubrics/society/2011/07/06/ic_media_photo_116_4866/), etc. And the fact that Belarus still has not joined the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities speaks for itself. By the way, perhaps due to the fact almost two thirds of Belarusians have not heard about the Convention (Table 7).