On 12 October, Mrs Andra Levite met with Gunta Anča, Chair of the Latvian Umbrella Body for Disability organisations ‘Sustento’.
First Lady shared her impressions of the meeting with the Executive Director of the ‘International Disability Alliance’ in New York during the working visit to the UN General Assembly. The work of ‘Sustento’ at the national and international was specifically emphasised during the meeting.
Meeting also focused on education and employment opportunities, and accessible environments for people with special needs. Representative of ‘Sustento’ told Mrs Levite that employment is the biggest challenge because it prevents people with special needs from independent living and financial freedom. ‘Attitude of the labour market towards employment of people with special needs will shift quicker only when government departments, public bodies and private companies will have the critical mass to initiate change,’ First Lady said.
Ms Anča used the meeting to present current projects of Sustento and also tell Mrs Levite about the support for people with special needs from Ukraine provided by the NGO. It is vital to involve people with disabilities in shaping of national policy for this target group, and organisations representing disabled should take part in such common efforts, Gunta Anča said in conclusion of the meeting.
