“A father of two children, one of them having a rare disease, signed up for our recent public phone-in. His wife had to quit her job to devote all her time to the child. The man said Belarusian hospitals are reluctant to deal with the adaptation of his child to normal life and are perhaps unfamiliar with how to do it. Instead, he said, they just keep “over-medicalizing the child with sedatives.”
The more I listened to him, the more I admired this man, because despite all the obstacles – and there are many of them – he still fights for proper treatment for his child. I understand him well because I have spent much of my life providing my and Siarhei's children with everything they need so that they don't feel disabled.
Over the past two years, I've gotten to know many Belarusians who joined protest rallies of people with disabilities in 2020. They are wonderful and talented people. I remember meeting Aliaksandr Audzievich, an activist who has been using a wheelchair for years and founder of Inclusive Barista coffee houses which help people ignored by the old Belarusian system socialize.
Such people and stories have taught me a lesson: we must learn to see and hear each other and notice both the issues we face and issues that other people experience. We must not belittle the problems of others, even if we can't feel them ourselves.
Healthy, truly people-centered governments remember that they get their paychecks from all citizens and are sensitive to everyone. I am convinced that Belarus can have such a government. Because I see Belarusians taking care of each other and helping other people instead of just passing by. And, perhaps, our mission now is not to preserve the sense of mutual care and solidarity that Belarusians have despite the regime’s attempts to destroy it.”
