In the last decade the number of handicapped increased by 600,000
The Government Day in parliament on February 11 was dedicated to the problems of the physically challenged and preceded a rather emotional overture. A group of people with special needs, looking into the eyes of every people’s deputy climbing out of his car, asked them to “take a notice of their hungry eyes and shabby clothes” before discussing the issue on agenda.
However, in the words of Minister for Labor and Social Policy Mykhailo Papiyev, the position of Ukrainian people with special needs is to be improved this year. First, this year was proclaimed in Europe the Year of Handicapped Persons. Second, for the first time in the years of independence in January and February of 2003, budget items regarding handicapped people were financed 100 percent. This indicates that the needs of the handicapped are treated as priorities not only on paper. Compared to the previous year, when this sphere was underfinanced by 43%, this is a true success. In the words of the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Pensioners, Veterans, and Handicapped Valery Sushkevych, it’s a shame that the parliament made an attempt to pass a law liquidating tax privileges for enterprises where physically challenged people work. Lack of financing for the programs, which caused errors in paying social aid, made the Committee recommend to acknowledge the Cabinet’s work in this direction insufficient.
The minister concentrated on the positive. For example, both Ukrainian officials and the handicapped themselves finally renounced the irresponsible approach. Programs are aimed at increasing the activity of the people with special needs. At present, 330,000 handicapped persons are working. Taking into consideration that there are 2,500,000 handicapped persons in Ukraine (in the last decade their number increased by 600,000), this is far too little. However, the level of job placement among this category was 1.8 times higher than the one among fully capable people. According to the law, enterprises are to hire more than 4% of their total workforce from among handicapped employees, which answers the requirements of the European Social Charter. Otherwise, enterprises’ directors are threatened with a penalty in the form of additional tax. This money is transferred to the Fund for Social Protection of the Handicapped, which, in Mr. Papiyev’s words, distributes them for creating jobs for people with special needs and support for rehabilitation centers. Incidentally, the latter don’t receive any money from the budget, while UAH 130,000,000, obtained by the Fund in 2002, helped 129 rehabilitation centers to survive. Members of the government believe that this “tax” is quite fair. Why shouldn’t enterprises of, say, coal and mining industries responsible for 250,000 persons becoming handicapped give money for a decent living for their ex-employees?
One of the sore issues for people with diseases of locomotion system are architecture “obstacles.” This issue was almost ignored. Minister Sushkevych only recalled that the newly constructed Kyiv underground malls do not meet the needs of the physically challenged. Though the law On Social Protection of the Handicapped envisages that all new buildings (both residential and public) must be equipped with regard of people with special needs, most of them lack ramps between the first floor and the ground level. Architects claim that “civilized” buildings exist only in a couple of Kyiv rayons, while others don’t fit into the concept of an independent life for the handicapped. All plans to adjust the existing architectural objects are ignored by city administration, M. A. in architecture Liudmyla Barmashyna told The Day . Or, at best, they promise that in a short while city authorities will not only correct their mistakes but flood the capital with special telephone booths for the handicapped and sound traffic lights for the blind.
