The Government Board for Persons with Disabilities is a permanent coordinating, initiative, and advisory body of the Government of the CR on the issue of supporting citizens with disabilities. It was established by Resolution No. 151 of the Government of CR dated 8 May 1991. The Board deals with problems that no one ministry can resolve independently. Its mission is to help create equal opportunities in every area of the life of society for citizens with disabilities. People with disabilities themselves participate in its work through their representatives on the Board.
The Government Board has since its foundation collaborated on the preparation of strategic documents and measures. In 2004 the Government of the CR 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. In 2015 the National Plan of Support for Equal Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities for 2015-2020 was adopted and in 2020 the National Plan of Support for Equal Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities for 2020-2025 was adopted (Government of the CR, 2020c).
The Board helps to disseminate information on disabilities among the general public, and one way it does this is by announcing the ‘Government Board for Persons with Disabilities’ awards for the best work of 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 Board 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 Board for Persons with Disabilities also administers the grant programme Support for the Public Benefit Activities of Disability Associations.
To support the cultural activities of disabled citizens and seniors in the CR, every year the MC provides grants for a variety of different activities, such as art-therapy programmes, the artistic work of disabled persons and artists for disabled persons, and projects that facilitate easier access to culture by eliminating information barriers or the development of targeted public library activities.
Support in the labour market is generally the concern of the National Fund to Support the Employment of Persons with Disabilities, which was created in 2007.
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