Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- A four-day training of trainers entitled “Social Aspects of Disabilities” for over 20 NGO representatives from the Tashkent city and the Tashkent, Fergana, Jizzakh, Samarqand, Kashkadarya, Navoi, Surkandarya and Bukhara regions was held by UNDP at the “Rovshan” hotel. The aim of the training was to make trainers from among activists representing non-state non-commercial organisations of persons with disabilities of Uzbekistan´s capital and regions.

The need for such a training is conditioned by the fact that disabilities are still perceived both by society and specialists as a medical issue, not a social one. Certain changes have already taken place in this direction, which is testified to by the fact that the coordinating role in the resolution of disability issues in the Republic of Uzbekistan is attributed to the Ministry of Labour and the Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and not the Ministry of Health. However, as was pointed out by the organisers of the training, the medical approach to understanding disabilities still prevails.

In the course of the training, participants dealt with such issues as the rights and needs of persons with disabilities, stereotypes with regard to persons with disabilities, conceptions and models of disability, ethical issues of communication with persons with disabilities, and acquired skills required for successfully conducting trainings on understanding disabilities. It is planned that the participants of the training would, in the future, work as trainers on these issues in their respective organisations, and would conduct trainings on the understanding of disabilities for employees of other organisations working for persons with disabilities.

As was stated by the project manager Yana Chicherina, it is the very activities of NGOs working for persons with disabilities that are of particular importance for the shaping of the public opinion. The motto “Nothing should be done about us without us” must become a reality, and raising the NGO potential in this domain is among the project´s tasks.

The event was organised in the framework of the ACCESS project (“Accessibility, Civic Consciousness, Employment and Social Support for Persons with Disabilities”) jointly implemented by UNDP and the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection. The project aims at an improvement of social integration and employment opportunities for persons with disabilities, through raising public awareness, improving the coordination of activities and potential of State and non-State organisations, promoting an accessible living environment, and developing the social support system for persons with disabilities as well as their employment.