The Government Committee for People with Disabilities is a permanent coordinating initiative, and advisory body of the Government of the Czech Republic on the issue of supporting citizens with disabilities. It was established by Resolution No. 151 of the Government of Czech Republic dated 8 May 1991. The committee deals with problems that no one ministry can resolve independently. Its mission is to help create equal opportunities in every area of society for citizens with disabilities. People with disabilities themselves participate in its work through their representatives on the Committee.
The Government Committee has collaborated on the preparation of strategic documents and measures since it was founded. In 2004 the Government of the Czech Republic adopted the Medium-Term Concept of a State Policy for Citizens with Disabilities, the goals and tasks of which formed the basis for the development of the National Plan for the Support and Integration of Citizens with Disabilities for 2006-2009, adopted in 2005. The next plan was the National Plan for Creating Equal Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities for 2010-2014, adopted in 2010, which was updated annually. The plan currently in effect, the National Plan of Support for Equal Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities for 2015-2020, was adopted with the introduction of Government Resolution No. 385 dated 25 May 2015, and its content and structure are based, like the previous plan, on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The Committee helps to disseminate information on disabilities among the general public, and one way it does this is by announcing the VVOZP Awards. These are the ‘Government Committee for Persons with Disabilities’ awards for the best works in print, radio, or television journalism devoted to the subject of disability. The competition has been held every year since 1994.
The Secretariat of the Government Committee for Persons with Disabilities administers the National Development Programme of Mobility for All, the purpose of which is to support the implementation of comprehensive barrier-free or disabled-accessible routes in cities, towns, and villages. Such measures involve removing the barriers to accessibility in buildings occupied by state and public institutions and making transport accessible.
The Secretariat of the Government Committee for Persons with Disabilities also administers the grant programme of Support for the Public Benefit Activities of Disability Associations.
To support the cultural activities of citizens with disabilities and seniors in the Czech Republic, every year the MC provides grants for a variety of different activities, such as art-therapy programmes, the artistic work of people with disabilities and artists with disabilities, and projects that facilitate easier access to culture by eliminating information barriers.
Support in the labour market is generally the concern of the National Fund to Support the Employment of People with Disabilities, which was created in 2007.
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