The NGO Role in Advocacy for the Human Rights of People with Disabilities in Bulgaria

The treatment of people with disabilities in Bulgaria fails to meet relevant international standards on equal access to opportunities and the right to an integrated life. There is a need for a radical change in societal attitudes with respect to people with disabilities, to enable them to become a driving force for social processes and contribute actively to the building of an open civil society. NGOs have a vital role to play in this process, and this paper highlights the main advocacy goals they have developed to promote the rights of people with disabilities.

This paper describes three projects targeting people with disabilities, which illustrate the different focuses of NGO advocacy in Bulgaria. The first one contributes to the improvement of the educational level of people with disabilities and helps them to find jobs. The second facilitates the vocational training of disabled pedagogues, whose work will include showing that people with disabilities can solve the problems of other people with disabilities. The third project empowers people with disabilities by creating a communication platform and providing possibilities for adapted information access.