(KZN.RU, December 7, by Taisiya Basharkina) The implementation of the Accessible Environment program in Kazan should be supervised by disability organizations as early as the design stage. Kazan Mayor Ilsur Metshin made this proposal to representatives of disability organizations.
The issues of cooperation between the city administration and the disability organizations, as well as the implementation of the Accessible Environment program, were discussed at a City Hall meeting. This year, 234.5 million rubles were allocated to Accessible Environment.
"For many people with disabilities, accessible environment is a matter of the quality of life. In this respect, Russian cities, including Kazan, are at least fifty years behind their European counterparts. However, the first steps have been taken. It is important that this work has begun. We hope that within a few years rather than decades, Kazan will be disability accessible, and people with disabilities will be able to move around comfortably, and all the facilities will be available to them," said the mayor.