Regional Society of Disabled People: Perspektiva
Perspektiva is a Russian Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) of disabled persons, founded in March of 1997, after serving for nearly three years as representative office of the World Institute on Disability. Together with long-time activists of the Russian disability movement, the WID/Moscow staff established Perspektiva. Perspektiva believes the success of its activities is due above all to its personal and professional understanding of disability issues as today more than 60% of its team of 18 full time and part time staff have a disability.
Perspektiva aims to promote independence and an improved quality of life for disabled people in the Russian community by supporting grassroots disability organizations in Russia, working for equal rights and an improved quality of life for people with disabilities, assisting disabled people to acquire new skills and knowledge in living independently and in becoming fully participating members of society, and changing misconceptions and negative attitudes about disabled people by breaking down physical and psychological barriers through public awareness and education.
Perspektiva has been awarded funding by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), TACIS, the Open Society Institute (Soros Foundation), Disabled Peoples' International (DPI),the Dutch Embassy, the British Department for International Development, the British Human Rights Fund and the Ford Foundation to strengthen the organizational capacity of disability organizations, change misconceptions and negative attitudes in the community about disabled people, empower disabled youth to become active members of the community, promote accessibility for disabled persons, and promote youth community service amongst disabled and non-disabled youths.
Since 1996, Perspektiva has continuously published widely recognized quarterly newsletters. With a distribution of nearly 1,500, the newsletter reaches disability organizations in more than 50 regions of Russia, as well as NGOs and media to keep them advised of project activities and facilitate information exchange between Russia's disability organizations. Perspektiva has also developed, printed and disseminated 11 guides, directories and brochures on such topics as "the Independent Living Movement, Philosophy and Centers", "Disability Awareness Training", "Disability Etiquette and Terminology" and "Advocacy Training," "Youth Community Service: Creating a City Accessible for All."
Perspektiva has set up a web-site and the first Russian disability list-serv, which currently has over 150 subscribers. Perspektiva continues to maintain, develop and up-date these resources, supplementing them with information about disability issues and services in Russia, the US and Europe. They have established a resource library of materials and films on disability issues in Russia, the US and Great Britain. They are currently planning to hold the first international disability film festival in Moscow in September 2002.
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