4-5 October 2012 in preparing for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Sochi there was held an International educational forum "Strategy of building barrier-free cities and business decisions for accessible environment". It was initiated by the Organizing Committee "Sochi 2014" and the Russian International Olympic University (RIOU) with the auspices of the All-Russian society of the disabled, Sochi Administration and the Russo-British Chamber of Commerce. The participants focused on the up-to-date questions of creating barrier-free environment and universal design which would encourage the long-term mechanisms of self-integration of people with disabilities into the society and would be an essential condition of realizing their main rights.
The forum was attended by more than two hundred representatives of forty Russian regions. Among delegates there were executives and specialists of social, architectural and transport divisions, representatives of regional and municipal authorities, sports venues, manufacturers of special facilities, representatives of the media and public organizations. Leading experts in accessibility problems from Great Britain, Germany, Spain, Greece and Russia shared their experience and knowledge with the audience. They gave the outlook of international standards and the most successful practice in the sphere of accessibility, the models of investment projects in creating barrier-free environment, new technologies and mechanisms for comfortable life of people with disabilities.
The forum in Sochi has become a new impulse for putting the universal design into practice in Russian regions. The olympic venues under construction in the Imeretin Valley and the South federal center of sport training "South-Sport" can be considered as a good example of creating barrier-free environment in sports venues and hospitality objects, where the up-to-date conditions for training and rehabilitation of Russian paralympic athletes are fully provided.
Opening the forum Professor Lev Belousov (RIOU CEO) said: "Paralympic Games and barrier-free environment is an important part of the university activities in the area of developing educational programmes and fundamental research. The Russian International Olympic University is gradually becoming a platform for the dialogue between experts from different countries who have experience in building accessible environment. Today it is very important to accept this knowledge, to adapt it to Russian realities and transmit it to all Russian regions".
The international forum is a large event among educational activities of the OCOG "Sochi 2014" and RIOU in creating accessible environment, developing and promoting paralympic sport. It opens the number of events arranged by the OCOG "Sochi 2014" to coincide with celebrating 500 days up to the Paralympic Games in Sochi.
The resolution taken by participants of the forum focuses on the necessity of creating here in Russia the conditions for building the inclusive society which would be based on forming barrier-free environment, changing attitude to the disabled and training well qualified staff, in particular "RIOU is recommended to continue their educational work in the area of creating accessible environment all over the country".
As reference:
Today in Russia there are more than 13 million people with disabilities, the considerable part of whom are at active working age and ready to effectively participate in forming national welfare. Barrier-free environment will enable them to move indoor and outdoor, to use any transport, to attend different organizations, places to work and study, to go in for sport.
According to Sochi administration, today there are more than 32 thousand people with disabilities in the city.
In Sochi in preparing for the Games 2014, the model of accessible city is being formed, which is to become a standard for the whole country.
