"GETTING ON ONE'S FEET"

We do not see them and rarely think about them. Or, to be more precise, we do not want to see them and do not want to think about them, preferring to sympathize internally. And even sympathy is only sparked when we catch a glimpse of them. We know that they have a great many problems, but rarely talk about this, saying that they cannot be helped anyway. But they exist; they live among us, quietly and almost silently. They, too, want to enjoy life, work, love, rest, take a walk and be healthy - to live full lives. But they are unlikely to achieve this. We rarely see physically handicapped people (we call them invalids, although internationally this term is considered incorrect) moving around the city. They prefer to stay at home. Unfortunately, people in wheelchairs often have to resort to others' help if they decide to go out in Baku, not to mention the provinces. Very few of them will venture out without a helper, friend or relative. But there are many among the disabled who live alone. What are they supposed to do?

It is difficult to feel inferior and see your own city as a hostile and alien world in which people with illnesses or disabilities have to struggle to get on or off a bus, cross the street, or use pedestrian underpasses which are not equipped for them. And passers-by are not only hesitant to help, but even try to steer clear of disabled people, avoiding even casual or accidental contact.

Somewhere there...

Disability is not a crime or a disgrace but, in our society, physically handicapped people lead cloistered lives, because even descending from the second floor is a big problem for them. They are effectively under house arrest and the word "invalid" evokes logical associations: a disabled, miserable person with countless problems. And they are true. We marvel at the stories of compatriots who come back from, say, France, where the disabled regard themselves as normal members of society and are insulted when people offer them a seat in a bus. They will never accept this "favour" because they do not feel miserable and deprived - every facility is in place for them to work and develop professionally, move about independently and receive decent allowances. Disability in Europe is not an illness, but the circumstance of life to which you can reconcile yourself if the situation around you is healthy, if you can get your education in normal, not specialized, schools, and if no one commiserates, but everyone creates an environment for the disabled which coexists with the environment for healthy people. In addition, these two environments are not estranged from one another, but coexist in the same time and space. Yes, it is customary in Azerbaijan to get up from your seat and offer it to a disabled person on public transport - out of pity, or because this is the right thing to do. We are victims of the fallacy that by doing so we do our duty of charity toward these people. But literally a second later, we forget about them, their problems, their tiny disability allowances, their episodic expeditions to the streets and, as a result, their profound psychological traumas. This attitude is a vicious one. They often have nothing to live on, not to mention to pay for expensive prosthetics, crutches or wheelchairs. After all, even those disabled individuals who somehow manage to venture outside their homes cannot work - there is simply no work for them. They are short of money for food, clothes and expensive medicines. Oftentimes, their disability pension is their only source of income and they cannot count on anything else.

In August 2008, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev issued a decree on increasing social allowances, and now people in the first disability group are paid AZN 50, the second disability group - AZN 35, and the third disability group - AZN 30 a month. The average monthly salaries were also increased: to AZN 75, AZN 55.75, and AZN 34.07 respectively. The invalids themselves are thankful for this attention, but they complain that even the increased allowances cannot cover the needs of the disabled. It appears that yet another problem of the disabled in Azerbaijan is in receiving disability status. The Labour and Social Protection Ministry admits this. In an interview with the AP news agency, Minister Fizuli Alakbarov said that "assignment of disability grouping has become a business in our country. This is particularly common in southern districts."  Mr. Alakbarov noted that instances of disability due to mental disorders and nervous illnesses among individuals under 16 have become particularly frequent of late.

"Our inspection discovered that there were 39 mentally ill children in just one village. We need to put an end to this," the Minister said. In addition, the Minister is against according disabled status to the newly born.  In view of this situation, the Labour and Social Protection Ministry has developed new disability criteria, which have been approved by the Health Ministry and other departments. "The criteria currently in force and under which any person can qualify as a disabled person are far from perfect. We studied the experience of Russia and other countries during the preparation of the new criteria," the Minister said.  He added that the changes will take effect next year and it will become clear who qualifies as a disabled person. The process will be impartial. Let us note that, according to official statistics, the number of disabled people in Azerbaijan is about 440,000 (5% of the population), whereas the worldwide average is 6-8% of the population.

Do no harm...

Yelena Taranova, director of the Centre for Disability Problems, hopes that after the approval by President Ilham Aliyev, on 12 November 2008, of the law on our country's accession to the UN Convention 'On the Rights of the Disabled', the situation will change for the better.

"The fact is that the Labour and Social Protection Ministry admits that bribery is common during the registration of disability pensions, and this deters many disabled people from entering the registration process. It is difficult for these people to wait in queues." As for changes in the criteria of disability, application of the Russian system, which is far from perfect, would be undesirable, said Ms. Taranova.

"In Russia, the degree of disability is established not by the gravity of disability, but by the ability to work. The first group of disability entitles the person to quite a high total amount of allowances; better than for other groups. But the disabled in the first group lose the right to work. The second and third groups of disability provide for lower allowances and benefits, but people have the right to work. However, there is no guarantee that the disabled from these groups will find a job. This is why the Russian system of disability groupings is flawed," she said.

Ms. Taranova is also worried that the revision of the disability criteria might make it necessary for disabled people to visit the disability commission again. And this would create extra problems for them. "It is physically very difficult for them to go through the quite lengthy process of collecting documents and different medical records. Many government organizations' offices are on the second or third floors and are inaccessible for people in wheelchairs. As a result, many have never received the wheelchairs which Lotos and the Labour and Social Protection Ministry bought for them in 2007. Many people in wheelchairs were simply unable to collect the documents which they had to submit to the orthopaedic centre in order to receive a wheelchair. Many others, who cannot move independently, have relatives whom they could ask to collect the documents. But many people do not ask even relatives - they do not want to bother anyone. This raises the issue of employing social workers who could collect documents for the disabled and pensioners. The latter also find it difficult to go from one organization to another, because of their age," said Ms. Taranova.

This year, the theme of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities was "Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Dignity and Justice for All of Us." The UN web site reads: "The annual observance of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, 3 December, aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. It also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life. The theme of the Day is based on the goal of full and equal enjoyment of human rights and participation in society by persons with disabilities, established by the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons, adopted by General Assembly in 1982."

It must be said that we healthy people can make a huge difference. The disabled do not need pity, they need real help and a responsible attitude towards them. They need involvement in community affairs, not isolation. They need not only social benefits, but also the possibility to work and be useful members of society. Only in this way will they not feel deprived.

Today, in Azerbaijan, like elsewhere in the world, people with disabilities are seen through the prism of a medical approach to disability as a chronic disorder: they undergo treatment, rehabilitation, receive social benefits, special education and pensions. In other words, society tries to give a person with disabilities a more or less normal life with economic and educational freedom.

At the same time, the world has begun to adopt a social approach towards disability, which envisages the elimination of barriers on the way towards full participation for disabled persons in public life. The social model makes it possible not to stress the physical handicap of the disabled persons. They can work and lead active life styles. They are "getting back on their feet."  This not only changes the mindset and the attitude towards self of disabled people, but also changes the attitudes of society towards the problems of disability. And such societies are called healthy.