INTERVIEW: Zvonko Savreski, President of the “Polio Plus-Postpolio Group for Support”

Handicapped people had greater rights 10 years ago

“About ten years ago, within the totalitarian system, we enjoyed more rights than we do now in the development democracy. Our rights have been permanently eroding for the last couple of years. With “Vulkan” and our future activities we want to stop that erosion of rights” - says Mr. Zvonko Savreski.
Marijana Ivanova

“Polio plus-postpolio group for support” is a civic association, which in the past year or two made a small revolution in the attitude and the approach towards handicapped people and their rights. In the year 2000 they marked the Handicapped Day by placing wheel chairs in front of some public buildings where people moving in wheel chairs could not approach before. Immediately, there was a positive reaction after which some of those buildings put or built ramps. At the end of 2001 Polio plus began publishing the “Vulkan” magazine. Concerning “Vulkan”, futher plans for this association and the eroded rights of the handicapped, we talked to the “Polio plus” president, Mr. Zvonko Savreski.

C.V. –“ What was the motivation for creating a magazine such as “Vulkan”?
Z.S. –“The basic aim of “Polio plus-postpolio group for support” was to work strategically on the realization of handicapped people’s rights in the Republic of Macedonia. And as our strategic goals we assessed the following: getting benefits, greater rights in the field of education, employment as well as raising the public awareness, mentality fight, fight against prejudices, etc. We have chosen to wok on a strategic field and not to provide social help, food, orthopedic aids, etc. that one usually spends a lot on and the result is none. The “Vulkan” magazine encompasses all the levels we have chosen to work on - the written word is the strongest weapon for fight against prejudices and the implanted mentality. It also leads us to the world of media on different levels where we can realize closer cooperation with the other media. Preparing a newspaper such as ours is a hard and expensive job, however, we think it is very important to animate, motivate and focus the handicapped. This magazine is a useful weapon for the handicapped people.

C.V. – "Vulkan" is not a magazine aimed at one particular group of people, but?
Z.S. – Through the universal texts in “Vulkan” we want to present the handicapped people’s problems to those who seemingly don’t see them. We have a page with the Braille alphabet but it is not aimed to the blind but to those who are able to see. It is our trick page and when people touch the page and the alphabet we want them to ask themselves how the world of darkness looks like, to feel the darkness on that white page. Also the texts, such as the one about president Roosevelt, who moved in a wheel chair and no one in the world knew that fact, should provoke similar questions or feelings. Another example is the text about David and Goliath that should convey the message that weakness can sometimes be very strong. The text with the seemingly funny comic should demonstrate that the handicapped posses a strong spirit, that they too make jokes and do not cry over their destiny. It is a strong spirit and that is exactly what we wanted to convey, in a simple manner, without being pathetic.

C.V. –“With this magazine you brought something new in the information space in Macedonia. Can we sense its future position on the media market?
Z.S. –“I do not think it will be easy for the “Vulkan” but is it easy for the handicapped ? It is not easy to fight with the beast called refusal. I know that it will be hard, but there are some bright examples, too, such as one woman-pensioner who subscribed to our magazine. It is still early to speak and we are prepared to have 1500 out of the 2000 circulation brought back to us. However, that is one thing the “Vulkan” will have to fight.

C.V. –“Polio plus” introduced a new approach in the fight for the rights of the handicapped people. How do you see the position of this category of citizens in Macedonia?
Z.S. –“In Sparta, the Council of Old People had made a decision to throw away the children who would not be able to become soldiers (hoplites). Today the situation is more or less the same – we discard those who are handicapped in some way. We can make an analogy with some cruelties in the history. The fight for the handicapped rights, which has been practiced until now, has given poor results. I think that we, as a “Polio plus” have introduced some new methods in that fight, we raised the awareness among the public. When it is talked about the handicap, it is usually done in a pathetic way – or people think it is something that comes and then goes – however, the problem is not well understood.

C.V. –“You were lucky to have a great and humane person, Mrs. Kristina Dickinson, join and completely devote herself to your work, but has it brought to you some big practical experiences”?
Z.S. –“Mrs. Dickinson has taught us to think differently. In an occasion she approached to us and asked how she could help and we told her that she had to become a member and pay a fee. She did all that and paid a year’s fee. However, she has been of help to us in many other more important ways. She has raised the organizational capacity, helped in its affirmation and the contacts with the donors.

C.V. –“What are the future “Polio plus” plans”?
Z.S. -“To finish to a great extent what we have started. We are preparing a new media-legal campaign called “Let us be honest”. The aim is to alert the public about the erosion of the handicapped rights and to find ways for getting new rights, in accordance with the western European standards and democracy. When I say erosion, I want to warn and remind that 10 years ago within the totalitarian system, we enjoyed more rights than now in the development democracy. We have a good legal team and we want to get results with this campaign and not just create some “noise”. I will give some concrete examples. A handicapped person should be able to buy a tax-free car, as it was 4 years ago. Or buy an orthopedic aid or shoes without participation. Those are the rights that eroded. We used to have free bus-tickets, we were not paying the pay-toll, etc. We will fight that erosion and we will try to get new and greater rights using legal methods, through the institutions of the system.