21.02.2018

Minister of Labour and Social Protection, Maksim Topilin, has said that the state sponsored

‘Accessible Environment’ programme is to be prolonged and that the direction of the project will

be changed.

‘The “Accessible Environment” programme will be extended to 2025 and a government resolution

should be out within a few days.  In line with the reform of psychiatric hospitals, the programme will

be reformatted to focus mainly on rehabilitation and arrangements for disabled people to live,

accompanied, in familiar surroundings,’ Maksim Topilin said at a meeting of the government of the

Novosibirsk region.

The press office of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection reports that the Ministry will

continue to finance the ‘Accessible Environment’ programme in the regions. At the meeting,

cooperation with non-commercial organisations offering social services was also discussed.

According to Maksim Topilin, charities are developing an increasing number of programmes in fields

such as long-term care for elderly people.

‘This kind of development should be encouraged. Some say it is cheaper. In fact, it is more

expensive, but it is far more comfortable for our citizens,’ he said. ‘It cannot be done instantly. Right

now we are working on constructing it gradually, over a sensible period of at least five years or so. In

this time we hope to be able to provide the necessary resources to support it. We cannot close

everything down at once and move everybody. It has to be done in easy stages.’

The ‘Accessible Environment’ programme aims to protect and support vulnerable members of the

community, to create a social environment without barriers and improve quality of life for disabled

people. According to instructions originally issued by the Russian state, the programme should have

been active between 2011 and 2015 only. However, it was subsequently decided to extend it to

2020.

Source: https://www.asi.org.ru/news/2018/02/21/dostupnaya-sreda/