Towards Equality: Creation of the Disability Movement in Central Asia

Abstract

[Excerpt] This study focuses on a political approach to civic activism in the field of disability, which is a cross-cutting issue between NGO (non-governmental organisation) discourse in Development Studies and DPO (disabled people’s organisation) discourse in Disability Studies. Both academic disciplines theoretically started to focus on this political aspect as a driving force for sustainable and positive structural change by reflecting the hitherto failure of mere service provision that tries to fill the gaps in the deficiency of the structure. The political approach in this study refers to a rights-oriented approach that challenges the existing unequal power structure so that the ultimate goal of equality is fulfilled. This approach is elaborated through a project of the Finnish DPO, Kynnys ry, in Central Asian countries. In order to understand this organisational reality, its background context, namely the daily experiences of disabled people in Central Asia, is also investigated. The countries included in this study are the Former Soviet Union countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.