After meeting with people such as invalid of the first group of childhood Victor Mikhalchenkov, you start to look differently at the world and the people around you.
Often, being completely healthy and outwardly prosperous, many of us complain about life, low salaries, poor living conditions on. So even notes the complaints I heard from a man who almost all his life in a wheelchair, and in the past two years, needs a complete personal care.
Especially strongly shocked me the words spoken at the end of our conversation: "We do not expect that the state will solve all our problems, to the extent possible, we try to resolve them yourself. We have a ramp, everything in the house is fit for our lives. For me, I need constant care, the last two years did not eat on their own. On hand are only two fingers. Saves work: constantly someone needs my help, do everything possible in my power."
As a disabled person of the first group, since 2009 he works as an administrator at the site of the Central Board of Public Association "Belarusian Society of Persons with Disabilities". He is a member of Vitebsk organization of public association "Republican association of wheelchair users" freelancer Vaukavysk district public association "Union of the bereaved families, the deceased, disabled war - Memory"... The list of organizations and online media, with whom he is working, is quite impressive.
Administration sites, web-design, programming, testing software and sites, create presentations, edit images, and much, much more utilized independently without going beyond their own home. The Internet has become a tool for Victor, which allows not only to communicate with people all over the world, but to help as much as possible in need of his participation to people. Thanks to his efforts and initiative created several websites dedicated to different aspects of life Liozno.
It tells Victor, on one of these sites, liozno.info, given a lot of information about the graves of those killed in Liozno district during the war: "I've been doing that with the same as I, enthusiasts, helping to find the graves of soldiers buried . Now come the relatives of a soldier buried in an earthenware pot. All communication through the website. People know, come, share information. Only on my account, for example, found more than 150 soldiers whose relatives did not know their place of burial. If not for this site, they would have remained unknown, as well as the relatives come to the edge of Liozno commemorate their ancestors. In this regard, I have a wide field of activity. Through social networks have contact with the people living in the UK, Germany, chat me there and abroad and here. Only in skype I have more than two hundred people in the contacts."
Victor’s life is not confined to the Internet. On his electric chair, he leaves the house at Liozno can go to the bakery for bread, but because of the van, which is in the parents, and his sister, Irina, as invalid of the first group, have the opportunity to visit Vitebsk, Smolensk, Polotsk ... Also , riding, for example, in Vitebsk, Viktor finds the time and the fact that public attention to the violation of the rights of people with disabilities. Thus, in the Internet you can find videos, which it fixes careless drivers occupying the parking space reserved for disabled vehicles.
Yet, says Victor, "site, Internet takes all your free time - this is my main hobby. I also fond of technology, helping people, I advise on the purchase of chairs, lifts, ie the entire technique of rehabilitation."
On this occasion, Irina could not resist and told the story, which helps to better understand the brothers: "One girl from Bobruisk to spare gathered through social networks money to purchase wheelchairs. Well, that's just on the carriage, and the carriage was not. So Victor agreed with the company that sells wheelchair, she made the girl offer to remain still and delivery. Then employees of the company have changed, to leave the girl at least some money, and have agreed with the truckers. Director of the firm podvёz trucker wheelchair to the car, both of them turned out to bikers and friends on this basis. Then Victor svёl trucker with a girl who drove the carriage. And all this, of course, through the internet, social networks and telephony."
Both society and the state are good problems faced by people with disabilities, but the adoption of the necessary legislation is delayed. As explained Victor, "Belarus until today remains one of the few European countries that are not signatories to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Well at least that it was possible to push through a decision on compensation for the diapers. But no one knows what to make this decision by parliament needed enormous effort: for three or four years, certain people have written to the higher authorities their letters."
Irina again restrained and adds another fact of his brother made: "At a time when we have just begun to develop internet space, Victor wrote to all authorities, was set to some social tariff. Previously, in fact it was not: a social tariff for Internet, social tariffs for mobile communications. It just was not there. And then he suddenly appeared, but this would not have happened if someone had sent hundreds of letters with requests and suggestions. But he first started, he even Pyatkevich any answer he gave in 2004".
Due to its incredible capacity for work, optimism, desire to master new demands in helping those in need of his adult life Viktor Mihalchenkov managed to reach far beyond provincial Belarusian town, do as much as is absolutely healthy people fail to realize in my life.
S. Horki, Vitebsk Spring
