UNDP and the Ministry of Labor have implemented a pilot project to create a model apartment adapted for people with disabilities
November 30, 2021, Kyzylorda. Within the framework of a joint project of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan, a pilot project was implemented based on the Rehabilitation Center of the Kyzylorda region to create a model apartment accessible to persons with disabilities.
The project is aimed at social rehabilitation and improving the quality of life of people with disabilities.
«Adaptation of social facilities for people with disabilities is an important part of the work to create a barrier-free environment. We are working both on the creation of infrastructure and on standards for the rehabilitation of persons with disabilities. This project is another example of successful cooperation between the Ministry and UNDP in this area», said Ruslan Sakeev, Vice Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Today, there are 695,000 people with disabilities in Kazakhstan, among whom 15,000 people use a wheelchair to move.
With the support of UNDP, the premises of the Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities of the Kyzylorda region were reconstructed into a two-room apartment consisting of an entrance hall, a hall, a bedroom, a kitchen, and a toilet room. The model apartment is fully adapted for the free movement of a person with a disability in a wheelchair and is equipped with household appliances, special furniture, and fixtures. For example, there are no thresholds in the apartment, the doorways are wider than standard, the bathroom is equipped with handrails, all furniture and appliances are lowered to the level of the wheelchair user. The apartment also has special cutlery and tools for lifting objects from the floor.
«UNDP calls for the full implementation of the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, including the creation of conditions for independent living and full participation of a person with a disability in all aspects of life», said the UNDP Permanent Representative in Kazakhstan Yakup Berish at the opening of the apartment.
Within the framework of the joint project, it is also planned to develop a methodology for social adaptation and rehabilitation of people with disabilities, which will subsequently be introduced into the practice of rehabilitation centers in the country.
The opening of a model apartment based on a rehabilitation center is timed to coincide with the International Day of People with Disabilities, which is celebrated annually on December 3.