Public association “Republican Association of Wheelchair Users” (PA RAWU) is a public, non-governmental, non-commercial organization, founded in 1997 and uniting disabled people with malfunction of musculoskeletal system, residents of the Republic of Belarus, using wheelchair for movement and those requiring constant nursing. PA “RAWU” is registered by Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus (certificate of registry №00816 from 30.08.1999).
Nowadays Association is a unique organization in Belarus, uniting disabled people with the hardest disability group – the 1-st. The organization consists of 14 regional organizations with branch offices in Minsk, Vitebsk, Brest, Orsha, Mozyr, Borisov, Bobruysk, Polotsk, Pinsk, Lida, Mohilev, Kostiukovichi, Chotimsk, Choyniki. The membership of organization counts around 700 persons.
Main objectives:
- securing of civil rights and freedoms, lawful interests of wheelchair users and their families, elimination of all forms of discrimination;
- creating of equal opportunities for taking part in all spheres of social life for wheelchair users;
- propaganda of active, healthy and socially useful lifestyle among wheelchair users.
Activity:
The core sphere of PA “RAWU” activity is hosting of wheelchair users social rehabilitation events (conferences, meetings, seminars for wheelchair users, their families and families of specialists engaged in this sphere); monitoring, studying and analysis of wheelchair users’ difficulties; conducting of hiring campaigns for wheelchair users, holding of sports and fitness actions and competitions.
Association assists in reintegration of wheelchair users into civil society by all possible and available means:
- Cooperation with public authorities on all levels (PA “RAWU’s” chairman enters into the composition of Republican interdepartmental council of disabled people problems by Council of Ministers), as well as co-working with non-governmental organizations in Belarus and international organizations.
- Arrangement of events aimed at elimination of social stereotypes dealing with relations to wheelchair user ( video clip of social advertisement on channels ORT, RTR, NTV; posting of printed information in mass media; creating of web site of Association, visual manuals in public transport; participating in outdoor festivals and concerts, organization of supermarathon on chair tandems router Kurhan Slavy–Brest (435 km);
- Creating of digital data base “All about wheelchair users in the Republic of Belarus” with the purpose of systematization, information analysis and development of perspective wheelchair users rehabilitation programs;
- “Republican Association of Wheelchair Users” together with organizations from Sweden, Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine arranges active rehabilitation seminars for wheelchair users, using methodology of non-governmental organization REKRYTERINGSGRUPPEN for active rehabilitation (Sweden). The main goal of active rehabilitation seminars appears in integration of wheelchair users into society by means of teaching to skills and methods for unassisted overcoming of all the obstacles of unadapted infrastructure while using a wheelchair of active type. The effectiveness of such a methodology is eligible to instruction that is being leaded by instructors – wheelchair users.
This methodology involve a course of theoretical preparation for prophylaxis of specific medical problems of people with spinal cord defects, also recommendation on arranging wheelchair user’s lifestyle and solving some problems of intimate and domestic character. Since 1997 there has been 8 seminars arranged, where 150 wheelchair users from all regions of the Republic of Belarus took part.
- advisory groups of “First contact” in rehabilitation centers for patients with spinal cord defects, acting permanently and giving qualified consultations to patients in acute posttraumatic period and to their nurses concerning questions of everyday and social adaptation, juridical and psychological support.
- arranging of the overseas health improvement programs for disabled children in cooperation with public organizations and charitable foundations
- informational support of wheelchair users concerning questions of social rehabilitation (medical, professional).
- obtaining and distribution of humanitarian aid.
PA “RAWU” has created the Internet-resource, where the maps of Byelorussian road services’ availability and the map of Mozyr city availability for wheelchair users are placed. In particular one can freely download illustrated reference book “Available environment for disabled people”, which in plain language shows ways of creating of unfettered environment for disabled people, considering byelorussian building specifications.
