At the beginning of the month (December 3), we celebrated the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. On this occasion, a special event was held in Burgas, dedicated to improving the mechanisms for the evacuation of people with disabilities during emergencies. Do we have adequate evacuation measures, do we have an adequate safety environment… Psychologist Ivan Karagyozov, director of the Center for Psychological Research, spoke to FAKTI.
- Mr. Karagyozov, what is it like to be a person with disabilities in Bulgaria. What challenges are these people faced with?
- The short answer to your question is - enormous. The specifics require us to outline that the main challenge is the environment, which is still inaccessible to people with various disabilities. Next is job realization, which is at a very low level among the group of people with disabilities. In general, the challenges are complex and each of them reflects on people's lives. However, here I want to emphasize that the failures of people with disabilities affect the entire society. If we realize this indisputable fact, a real and genuine change for the better will begin. In this sense, there is a need for creation that leads to well-being... but for the entire society. In short, understanding the other, the person with a disability, will help us to be better.
- We have the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, and you organize various initiatives every year. This year you emphasized the mechanisms for evacuating people with disabilities during emergencies. And what is the conclusion? How adequate are we for the rapid evacuation of people with disabilities?
- Unfortunately, I can note that we - as a society, are not prepared to act in such situations. When we talk about people with disabilities, it's even worse. This is the main motive for this year's initiative, with which we celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Look, we live in times of cataclysms, this requires preparation. The group of people with disabilities is disadvantaged in this regard, because at least our housing is not designed for people with disabilities... It's just our heritage. The good news is that this can change.
- When we talk about people with disabilities, how much have we created an inclusive and safe environment for them?
- We haven't. Attempts are being made, but this is very sporadic and does not bring the necessary effect and result. Working piecemeal or for a specific type of disability sometimes makes another type of disability difficult. This means that we need a comprehensive approach that meets the needs of everyone - regardless of disability or not.
- You work very closely with the internationally recognized organization “Access“ Israel. How far ahead are they and what do we learn from them?
- From the point of view of their location and the constant tension there, they have experience. I want to note that they are also one of the first to start large-scale support for people with disabilities when the military operations in Ukraine started. In this regard, they have extensive experience, have learned from their mistakes and have ironed out their weaknesses. However, this does not mean that they are perfect. They also have weak points that they are still developing. Here I want to say that my ambition is for Bulgaria to make efforts and work in this direction, because we have the opportunity to implement a good “product“ for evacuation, for example.
- When we talk about people with disabilities, let's make a small difference. Children with disabilities are one thing, adults are another. How does the state take care of people with disabilities, both young and old…
- I want to clarify something so that we can get on the right track. There is no need for care, there is a need to provide conditions for children, young people, and adults with disabilities. However, the reality is different. In essence, our state policy is conservative, not active. This means that care is provided according to set criteria. If we want to have provided conditions, it is necessary to make the so-called individual assessment. That is, the need of a person in a wheelchair is to have a ramp, an accessible environment, etc. The blind person needs the same, but also an assistant guide - a dog, for example, in many cases. In both cases, there is a need for an adapted workplace. So in this line of thought, returning to your question, I want to touch on the topic of children, because this is a very key issue. The inclusion of children with disabilities in public processes is a positive step, but uncertain. It does not bring the necessary dividends for children and for the parents of children with disabilities. This is because, first of all, it is necessary to work purposefully to change public attitudes. Second, there is a need to work with specialists in the educational and social system who are in contact with children and parents. When we have these conditions, I could say that there are conditions for integration and support for children, but we are far, very far away.
- In recent years, it has increasingly been seen how the street infrastructure is adapting to the lives of people with disabilities, but what else needs to be done…
- Infrastructure is not just for people with disabilities. It is for everyone, for mothers with strollers, for the elderly, for children who ride bicycles, etc. The answer to your question is that we need a complex approach, and with the participation of the people themselves. What do I mean? In Bulgaria, as I emphasized, there is a conservative approach. There are laws that are good, but they are being worked on piecemeal. For example, we have a sidewalk that slopes down on one side of the street, and a curb on the other side. An adapted toilet is provided, and two steps in front of it. There are many examples. That is, when something is done, it needs to be looked at on a large scale and in a complex way. This is the only right direction. Otherwise, next year we will be talking about infrastructure again.
- At the “Center for Psychological Research“ you have set yourself the ambitious task of increasing the focus of our society on creating a safe, accessible and effective environment for all who encounter physical or sensory barriers. Normal people, institutions, people with needs. Is there normal communication between these groups in Bulgaria, or is there more to be desired?
- There is communication, but there is no interaction. This is where the big problem lies. I can boldly tell the Bulgarian, not only people with disabilities, everyone wants it, but without regard to the needs of the other. We have forgotten mutual aid, we do not want to be well and kind in any sense. I have the bad feeling that we like to have an “enemy”. This is an incorrect, wrong approach that does not lead to anything good, which we are also witnesses to. After all, there is a way out - mutual concessions, compromises and a goal. We live in times of timelessness, precisely because there is no goal. The human, the humane has been forgotten, but believe me, this will not last forever.
- Does society perceive people with disabilities adequately, or are there still many prejudices…
- Prejudices are gradually decreasing, but they have not completely disappeared. There is still a feeling that people with disabilities are second-hand, especially in the context of employment. I can assure you, and on the basis of various serious studies, that a person with a disability is a good worker. But it is not only that. I want to tell you a story about a good boy in a wheelchair who has a girlfriend. Upon meeting the girl's father, the father asks him: “Look at you, what can you offer my daughter“. This relationship was terminated, but the father did not know that this boy has his own business and is extremely social and communicative with solid contacts. So without words… about the existence of prejudices.
To end on a good note, I want to wish everyone good health and a magical Christmas. Last but not least, I am extremely grateful to you for the support provided, which is the essence of change. Be healthy, give hope!