belarus executive summary - US Department of State

BELARUS 47
Wheelchair Users estimated that more than 90 percent of persons with physical
disabilities were unable to leave their places of residence without assistance and
their places of residence were not accommodated for wheelchair users. While
authorities claimed that 30 percent of the country’s total infrastructure was
accessible, disability rights organizations disputed this figure.
A government prohibition against workdays longer than seven hours for persons
with disabilities reportedly made companies reluctant to hire them. Local NGOs
reported that 80 percent of persons with disabilities were unemployed. Authorities
provided minimal welfare benefits for persons with disabilities, and calculations of
pensions did not take disability status into account. Members of the country’s
Paralympics teams received half the salaries and prize money of athletes without
disabilities.
The country’s lack of independent living opportunities left many persons with
disabilities no choice but to live in state-run institutions. Approximately 70 such
institutions existed across the country. Disability rights organizations reported that
the quality of care in these facilities was low, and instances of mistreatment and
abuse were reported. Persons with physical disabilities and persons with mental
disabilities frequently were mixed within facilities and not provided specialized
care. Public transportation was free to persons with disabilities, but neither the
subway in Minsk nor the bus system was wheelchair accessible. According to
government statistics, two percent of the country’s public transportation network
was accessible.
Disability rights organizations reported difficulty organizing advocacy activities,
given impediments to freedom of assembly, censorship of materials, and the
government’s unwillingness to register assistance projects. For example, an
independent group advocating for rights of persons with disabilities reported that
the Belarus State University rejected an application from a visually impaired
woman to enroll into a legal program despite high test scores. They cited a lack of
specialized equipment to accommodate her disability. She was subsequently
accepted after intervention by human rights advocates.
In November a wheelchair user was unable to file a complaint to a Minsk district
court because the court was located in an old building without ramps. Advocates
also noted that persons with disabilities, especially visually and hearing impaired,
lacked the ability to address violations of their rights easily and completely as
courts often failed to provide special equipment and sign language translation.
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011
United States Department of State • Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor