LOST IN THE TRANSLATION most goes as a commentary headline for the information leaked to the National Disability Network’s March 2010 site:
“Bulgaria has been awarded for its contribution to the disability area. Golden Book 2010 Award Ceremony for Corporate Social Responsibility in Disability Field, rights and implementation.
The World Organization for the Global Movement of People with Disabilities, headquartered in New York, honors Mincho Koralsky, Executive Director of the People with Disabilities Agency for Active Disability Policy.”
Any self-respecting journalist – even in a small-scale provincial newspaper – would be ashamed first of the spelling in the sentence above and then of its contents. A little smarter one would ask how and why a head of a state agency receives a CSR award. The most intelligent would scour the Internet to find the site of the World Organization for the Global Movement of People with Disabilities, based in New York. Realizing that such a thing does not exist they will fast get to the point that again Bulgarian charlatans are speculating on some American connection and harming people with disabilities in Bulgaria, maintaining the status quo of isolation, miserable aid and dependence … Which gives money and power.
How is it possible for the country with the most criticism for institutionalized children with disabilities to receive disability contributions? How can a CSR award be bestowed on politicians (Chairman of the National Assembly, chairman of a committee in the National Assembly, etc.) and senior officials (chairman of the Agency for People with Disabilities)?
It is not known whether the World Disability Movement – if there is any, though without a website on the Internet – is aware that the environment in Bulgaria is physically inaccessible to people with disabilities, modern technical aids and medical devices are at the level of Last century, there was no personal assistance, and participation in community life was reduced to charity events around Christmas, Easter, and June 1st (for children). It is unlikely that people in the World Movement know that those who nominate Bulgarian politicians and officials for their contributions to … it is not clear exactly what – they have questionable representation of people with disabilities in Bulgaria and receive direct subsidies by law.
We would not undertake to expose the Pharisee nature of dubious human rights defenders of people with disabilities, but silence is also extremely inappropriate when politicians are rewarded for doing nothing. So how will they benefit the people, especially the disabled, if they still receive the “high” recognition of some World Movement? We asked the hosts of the ceremony – the Center for Psychological Research – how the nominees for the prestigious award were nominated, who voted for them, what the criteria were, etc. We did not receive an answer. So, we decided to turn to the ambassadors who attended the ceremony – they cannot help but know what they are involved in as officials of their national governments, what they support. We look forward to their comments as well. If we ever succeed in localizing the Worldwide Disability Movement to the World Wide Web, we will inform them of the ugly segregation policies in Bulgaria in order to rethink the established award and the way it is awarded in Bulgaria.
And those who are honored are strongly encouraged to return their awards as undeserved and to endeavor to change policies so that people with disabilities in Bulgaria really enjoy equality.