Offensive against the blind

For over two years Petro Omelchuk, the head of the Republican Sound Recording and Printing House of the Ukrainian Association for the Blind, has been beating down the doors of City Hall, trying to prove his company’s legal right to the premises located at 4 provulok Shevchenka. The only printing house in Ukraine that publishes newspapers, magazines, books, and other kinds of literature for the blind has been located here since 1971.

“Our printing house has been issuing periodicals since 1934 - the newspaper Promin, the magazines Shkoliar and Zaklyk, as well as various genres of literature for the visually handicapped. In 1965 a sound recording studio was created. After it joined up with the printing house, a publishing group was created. Since then we have been recording books on tape,” Omelchuk explained.

The history of the premises now housing the Sound Recording House traces its roots to the Soviet era. At first the associated companies of the Ukrainian Association for the Blind occupied three stories of the building that was constructed with their own funds on Kudriavska Street. But after a decision was passed by a board of Ukraine’s Ministry of Social Security, the rest of the building was transferred to the association.

“In fact, our enterprises changed premises with the ministry. Before we moved in, the Ukrainian Association for the Blind had spent more than 100,000 rubles to repair the premises. Our legal right to the building located at 4 provulok Shevchenka is proved by many documents, in particular the land deed. But the city state administration is delaying issuing the ownership license: they say we lack all the necessary papers,” Omelchuk explained.

Last year the Republican Sound Recording and Printing House appealed to the Administrative Court to gain the right to their premises. Justice ruled in favor of the visually handicapped and ordered the municipal government to issue a license for the right of ownership to the sound recording house. However, justice has failed to triumph, because for some reason the court’s ruling was overturned by the Court of Appeal.

“I don’t know whether they will evict us. We remain in a suspended state at the moment. In January we submitted all the necessary documents to Anatolii Holubchenko, the deputy head of the Kyiv City State Administration, but haven’t received any reply from him yet. I think the reason why we are being refused the license is formal. If they wanted to help, they could have done so already,” Omelchuk explained.

This Kyiv professional is very familiar with the problems of blind people. He lost his sight more than 30 years ago after an accident at his workplace. So he understands the needs of the visually handicapped better than anyone.

“They can’t watch television, go to a shop by themselves, or go fishing. Communication is the main thing for blind people. At one time, a company that employed handicapped people shut down, but the former employees continued to go to work just to be together. So our activities are a kind of window on the world for blind people.”

Today 40 permanent staffers and around 10 announcers, some of whom are partially disabled, work at the Republican Sound Recording and Printing House. The other employees may be considered enthusiasts because the monthly wages at the company are between 700 and 800 hryvnias. According to Omelchuk, every year the sound recording studio and publishing house releases more than 30 books for the blind and records nearly 200 books on tape. Braille books and books on tape are distributed to various libraries in cities across Ukraine. The new books are eagerly awaited by 60,000 people, the total number of visually handicapped people in the country.

Besides real estate problems, the employees of the Sound Recording House also have financial problems, because the state does not give any money for recording books. In order to publish books on tape, the company has to look for internal reserves. Asked about sponsors, Omelchuk said there are none.

“Unfortunately, many people don’t understand the needs of disabled people. For example, in the 1930s the US Congress voted against a bill concerning blind people. Afterwards, President Roosevelt invited the congressmen to carry out an experiment by blindfolding themselves with kerchiefs. After trying to work like this for 15 minutes, the lawmakers voted unanimously in favor of the law that they had rejected earlier. I think it would not be remiss if our state officials performed the same experiment from time to time,” Omelchuk suggested.

Responding to The Day’s question of why the Kyiv government is delaying issuing the license for ownership of the Republican Sound Recording and Printing House, Holubchenko promised to bring this question to Mayor Leonid Chernovetsky’s attention. He did not say when this would happen. However, MP Volodymyr Bondarenko believes that the fate of the Republican Sound Recording and Printing House will not be decided any time soon because the question is not about documentation, but the fact that the company is located in the very heart of the capital, on the Maidan Nezalezhnosti.