USAID’s Central Asia Media Program enables disability rights activist Zhaslan Suleimenov to raise awareness and to improve accessibility of public spaces in Kazakhstan’s capital.

Nur-Sultan is Kazakhstan’s second biggest city, with a population of over one million.

 Since becoming the country’s capital in 1998, the city has undergone a massive transformation, becoming famous worldwide for its futuristic architecture and ambitious urban development projects. However, Nur-Sultan’s public buildings, facilities and transportation services remain highly inaccessible for over 25,000 disabled residents, hindering their ability to live independently and putting them at risk of injury.

 To raise public awareness on this issue, disability rights activist Zhaslan Suleimenov launched the Equal Access project with a $6,000 grant awarded by USAID’s Central Asia Media Program in June 2019. With this support, he was able to purchase some basic camera equipment and hire an assistant to help him document his daily routine navigating Nur-Sultan’s public transport and accessing public buildings. He then shared photos and videos of his challenges with followers on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Zhaslan then filed complaints about inaccessibility of public services with local authorities, posting their formal responses on his social media networks.

In just two months of the project’s launch, Zhaslan’s Facebook and Instagram followers doubled. Zhaslan’s content was picked up by other media outlets including RFE-RL’s Current Time Asia, a daily online news program (68,338 views on Facebook and YouTube), as well as Channel One Eurasia, an affiliate of the main Russian TV broadcaster (107,906 views on YouTube plus TV audience).

Authorities reacted swiftly to two of his complaints about an inadequate ramp in the Mayor’s administration building and a faulty elevator in one of the main public service centers in Nur-Sultan, where the activist had an accident. Nur-Sultan’s Labor, Social Security, and Migration Committee fined the city government and mandated construction of a new ramp meeting international standards, which has since begun. In the meantime, local law enforcement authorities filed a criminal case against the public service center with the faulty elevator. Upheld by the prosecution authorities and covered by the media, the case will ensure that disability access rights are taken seriously in both the public sector and wider society.

“With the help of my new camera and editing kit, my video and audio quality has improved, and I am pleased with the way the equipment helps me make a difference. I want to inspire those who are neglected and who face discrimination in finding their voice on social media to drive change,” says Zhaslan Suleimenov, Disability Activist.

Zhaslan’s efforts show how even a relatively small grant can help local development actors bring about lasting change in their communities.

The USAID Central Asia Media Program aims to develop a more balanced information environment in Central Asia to increase openness among youth and adults with differing ideas, opinions and perspectives and, in turn, increase their engagement in civic participation. The program seeks to address challenges within the media landscape by strengthening journalistic professionalism, increasing media coverage in local languages, improving media literacy of the population to become critical consumers of information, advocating for an improved legal-regulatory environment for media, and improving financial sustainability of media outlets.