The notion of disability as a social rather than a strictly medical problem has been promoted in recent decades. The focus is on the concept of social inclusion of these people as persons with disabilities. This new approach requires a comprehensive reformulation of most of the policies and programs aimed at the integration of people with disabilities. Mincho Koralski has been chairman of the Agency for People with Disabilities in Bulgaria for 10 years. He told Radio Bulgaria more about the current situation:

"I want to thank Radio Bulgaria for your interest in the Agency for People with Disabilities and the issues that are important to be discussed, as the number of people with disabilities in Bulgaria is around 1 000 000. Some 250,000 of them are actually people of working age. This means that many of us are affected and have a family member or a friend with disabilities. I would say a number of changes have taken place during the past 10 years. In 2012, Bulgaria ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which requires a complete change in policy and the transition from so-called medical model to a social model aimed at the active involvement of these people in the social and economic life of the country. Bulgaria has actually managed to take top places among European countries when some indicators are concerned. We have created an integrated information system to collect statistical information for all people with disabilities in Bulgaria. At the same time, a long-term strategy for employment, integration and social inclusion of these people has been developed," Mr. Koralski says.

He paid special attention to the need of training and qualification. According to him, the policy for people with disabilities should encompass children at an early age. The separation of children in kindergartens, at school, at the university and in life in general is the basis of the stigma that leads to the fact that we cannot accept different people. When speaking about the inclusion of these people in the labour market we should pay attention to the removal of architectural and other obstacles in urban environments that hamper the free movement of people with disabilities. This is called universal design in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Bulgaria is the first country in Europe that organized a European Fair for specialized cooperatives and enterprises for people with disabilities. The fourth edition of this important event is going to take place this year.

"One of the best programs of the Agency for People with Disabilities is encouraging these people to start their own business,” Mincho Koralski says. The success rate of this program is 95%. It allows one to launch a business with some € 10,000 provided by the Agency. There are cases when these micro-enterprises become small and medium-sized enterprises later, providing employment to more people with disabilities. Last year, 34 projects received nearly € 300,000 of financing, and the candidates were 110. Since March the Agency for People with Disabilities has launched employment programs totalling 1.85 mln. euros, Mincho Koralski says. He himself has been reliant on a wheelchair for more than 10 years now. We asked him if he had noticed a change in the attitudes of society towards people with disabilities.

"Often when I try to present a new idea of the agency or of organizations of people with disabilities, I explain that these people have already adapted to the current situation. Unfortunately, each year some 30-35 thousand Bulgarians join the group of people with disabilities. So these projects are beneficial for all of us because no one knows their fate. It would be good to stop for a while, look around and think about what we want to achieve in order not to find ourselves in an unfamiliar and hostile environment if misfortune strikes. In fact, the policy for people with disabilities is a actually directed to all of us and the faster we understand it, the faster we would reach solidarity in our society as stated in the Constitution,” says in conclusion the Chairman of the Agency for People with Disabilities Mincho Koralski.

English: Alexander Markov