Disability Leaders Focus On Coalition Building in Kazakstan

By Cara Galbraith & photo courtesy of Mobility International

The increase in disability rights groups and advocacy organizations in the countries of the former Soviet Union is evidence of the increasing role that the third sector is playing in the transition to a democratic civil society. These groups have begun to focus their attention on building coalitions to address common problems, such as legislative reform, equal access to education and transportation, health care and the right to equitable employment opportunities.

Five years ago, disability organizations and government offices serving people with disabilities met the concept of cross-disability coalition building unfavorably. This was largely due to the history of isolation that these groups shared. Previously, each disability organization worked in isolation from the non-disabled society as well as other disability organizations. For example, each country has a number of national organizations such as the Society of the Blind, Society of the Deaf and the Society of the Physically Disabled. These organizations have seldom worked together on addressing common issues of discrimination.

Significant improvements have been made within each organization. However, their accomplishments have been achieved through compromising the greater goals of equality and inclusion, through the establishment of segregated, disability-specific institutions, and from an astonishingly complex system of government benefits and tax regulations. The sense of segregation which exists between different disability groups effectively perpetuates the societal preconception that people with disabilities need to be segregated from the rest of society, with separate services and facilities, and restricted access to basic civil rights.

NGOs have recently focused on grassroots organizing and coalition building. As a result, disability organizations are strengthening their institutional capacity while increasing their ability to bring about effective change at the local and national levels. This has attracted the attention of international disability groups such as Mobility International USA and other international organizations that provide development assistance and training workshops to aid the development of NGOs and grassroots initiatives. People with disabilities throughout the FSU are identifying their needs and capitalizing on the availability of training opportunities and resources.

In October of 1996, Mobility International USA had the opportunity to meet with representatives from over 35 disability groups in Almaty, Kazakstan. During a two-day training we were able to share our experiences and discuss issues such as disability rights, community organizing, formation of disability legislation, education and employment. We also led independent seminars that explored the role of women with disabilities in their communities, as well as international educational opportunities for people with disabilities. Most importantly, we were able to listen to their stories, understand their frustrations and support them in their successes, while rejuvenating and inspiring them to work together as a united team. Together we were able to lay the foundation for creating a cross-disability coalition.

Throughout the training sessions, the participants identified and discussed areas of discrimination where limited access prohibits them from fully participating in their local communities. Initially, they addressed these issues as tasks that their specific organizations were independently going to solve, but as more and more people shared their concerns, they began to see the commonalities across all disability lines.

A common and recurring question during this seminar was, "even if we work together, we do not have the funds to make these changes-how do we get money?" Fundraising is a large concern in Central Asia. The group argued that it is important to balance good practices with some financial support.

With this in mind, we discussed how to incorporate volunteerism and cross-disability efforts into their organizational structure. Emphasis was placed on mobilizing people for group action to address large community issues. We focused on common themes that have been the backbone of other civil rights movements such as "separate is not equal" and concepts such as "solidarity" and "people power." The group agreed that greater personal involvement would increase their dedication to projects and foster skills development and greater self-esteem. Their ultimate hope was to cast off what they termed an "inability syndrome," which is pervasive in both the disability community and society as a whole.

Upon the conclusion of our training seminar, we felt troubled about leaving this remarkable group of people just as they were setting forth in new directions with enthusiasm, dreams and ambitions. Fortunately, Almaty's disability community has the assistance of the local Counterpart Consortium office, which arranged this training session, to provide long-term assistance and resources as well as NGO development training. Adding to our confidence that the participants and their organizations would forge ahead, the day before our departure from Kazakstan, members of the Society of the Deaf, Society of the Blind, Society of the Physically Disabled, Parents of Children with Learning Disabilities, Organization for People with Cerebral Palsy and a variety of other disability related organizations gathered together at Counterpart's office to create a cross-disability coalition representing the needs of all people with disabilities in Kazakstan.

Cara Galbraith was the NIS Grants Coordinator for Mobility International USA. Project funders include the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Information Agency and Mobility International USA. Mobility International USA, PO Box 10767, Eugene, OR 97440; phone: (541) 343-1284, fax: (541) 343-6812; e-mail: miusa@igc.apc.org