disabled people

Belarus delegation brings Russian flag to Paralympics: solidarity or calculation?

On 7 September 2016, Andrei Fomachkin from Belarus became famous for appearing with a Russian flag during the opening ceremonies of the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Upon his return to Minsk, the Russian media hailed Fomachkin, a bureaucrat...

27 May 2016

Invisible Minority: Surviving with Disability in Belarus

On 5 May 2016, Minsk hosted a rally of Belarusians on wheelchairs, who gathered to remind the society of continuing discrimination. Neither the state nor the public noticed this desperate cry in the desert, ignoring the needs of about 500,000...

12 January 2015

Gas Stations Switch to Belarusian, Independent Publisher Fined – Belarus Civil Society Digest

Network of gas stations switches service to Belarusian language thanks to MovaNanova. ODB publishes 2014 annual report. Belarus Research Council announces call for concept papers for policy-oriented original research. CSOs contribute to government discussion of 2030 Concept of...

4 July 2013

People with Disabilities in Belarus: Struggling with Barriers

In May, Belarusian disability rights activists held a "Week of Accessibility." According to the organisers, without the creation of an accessible infrastructure for disabled people it is not possible to talk about true equality in Belarusian society. Belarus remains the...

1 February 2013

Socially Oriented Mobile Applications – Digest of Belarusian Civil Society

Belarusian civil society and NGOs engaged in a whole plethora of activities - from developing socially-oriented mobile phone applications to preparing books on organic farming. Socially oriented mobile applications: Mobile company Velcom under its contest of applications for Android...

21 August 2012

Change.org Blocked in Belarus, New Civil Society Initiatives – Civil Society Digest

Two individuals arrested by the KGB in connection with the teddy bear stunt released in Belarus. Change.org - an international web site platform to sign petitions - blocked in Belarus. New initiatives for small small businesses, people with disabilities...

11 June 2012

Mark Chagall Exhibition in Minsk – Civil Society Digest

A Mark Chagall exhibition in the centre of Minsk last week became a shining example of civic-business cooperation. The statute of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania also returned to Minsk after being purchased at a Moscow antiques auction for $45,000. The funds...