Speech of the Prime Minister of the CR, Mirek Topolánek at the gala night on the occasion of the International Day of Disabled People on December 8th
Dear ladies, dear gentlemen,
By coincidence I am already for the second time this week at an action that concerns disabled people. On Monday I had the honour to be present when the Sledge Hockey Association was admitted in the membership of the Czech Ice Hockey Association. And we met today on the occasion of the International Day of Disabled People, to award journalists, which are involved in these problems.
Nevertheless, I hope it is not only by coincidence. I hope that actions concerning disabled people will become natural and nobody would feel necessary to highlight that they concern disabled people. And we will be speaking only about a subject: sport, art, science, etc.
Our objective must not be anything else than complete integration of disabled people into the majority society. We have managed recently to get those people from ghettos, where they had been driven in by the totalitarian regime. However, a real success will be only after we cease to speak in our conversations and in media about disabled people, as well as we do not mention colour of anybody's skin.
They are just media, which bears full responsibility for the way, how disabled people and other minorities are spoken about in our society. Some of these publicists will be awarded today by the Government Committee for Disabled People. I congratulate them on this, of course.
Concurrently I believe that all those who are present here realize that we must to want more. We must want not only quality journalist works drawing our attention to problems of disabled people. We must also want more frequent participation of disabled people in common art and journalist production. We must want also larger representation of disabled people "on the other side", not among those who are described and who are subjects of decisions, but among those who describe and make decisions.
Thus I have fluently changed over from the responsibility of media to the responsibility of the government. I mean the government in the widest sense of the word, I mean all constitutional organs, the Parliament and also regional and municipal councils. The aid provided disabled people from public budgets must be a real aid for them, not for institutions that are to take care of them. And it is also necessary to better prepare and control regulations, which make easier integration of disabled people possible.
A personal example helps better than number of excellent decrees. Fortunately, disabled people are already present at places, where decisions are taken; at the Office of the Government, at the Senate and in other places. It will be no harm if there will be more places like these. I do not care for quotas, but for equal opportunities for all and for personal initiatives.
And thus I am at the last point of the triangle: the responsibility of disabled people themselves. Media have power to influence public opinion. The government has power to take decisions. Concrete individuals have power to demonstrate their free will. I intentionally did not use the term "disabled" individuals. I have seen many times how strong-mindedness overcomes physical handicaps – and to use the term "disabled" is not appropriate regarding these people.
I follow sportsmen, politicians, officials and other professions, who really refuse this term "disabled", with humility and respect. It is our joint duty to help them in this effort. At least, if we will not bind their hands and feet, if we will not allow them to get into degrading situations, in which they would not be able to help themselves. I do not mean only physical barriers, but also bureaucratic barriers, or barriers in our minds. Let us remove them!
Thank you for your attention.
