March 25, 2023
Stories
Accessible work places in Mongolia are the exception, not the rule. Oyuntugs lives with vision impairment and she wants to use her knowledge and lived experience to change the way we work. With the support of Caritas Czech Republic, Oyuntugs is designing a website that shares accurate information in Mongolian about accessibility and the rights of people with disabilities for the first time in Mongolia.
Overcoming stigma and sharing vital information
Oyuntugs is a certified rehabilitation counsellor and a Fulbright alumni, who also lives with vision impairment. She sees a future where people have equal opportunity to work, where universal design and the work place converge.
It can be so simple, just a couple of stairs in the front of an office building can be an insurmountable barrier to someone who uses a wheel chair to help them gain the independence they know they are capable of.
Oyuntugs believes in her community; that if business owners have access to information on how to make their environment more inclusive, then they will. She also thinks that if people living with disabilities had more information about their legal rights, they could access more of the services they are entitled to.
That is why Oyuntugs decided to share vital information on her website. This approach is simple, it is a one-stop platform for basic information about a variety of common disabilities and how workplaces can accommodate them. This kind of information is not available in Mongolian, let alone in simple language that can be understood without a medical background.
It is important to raise more awareness about lives of people with disabilities in Mongolia. This on its own would be an important project for the community, the director of the first inclusive primary school in Mongolia reported that many parents believe that some disabilities like autism are contagious because there is little information available to disrupt the stigma. Another common belief is that mental illness is something special that only certain types of people suffer from. On Oyuntugs’s website, along with that essential information, there is an easy-to-follow list of accommodation options and the kind of work that is suited to each category.
Oyuntugs B. with our Caritas Czech Republic team
Empowering people with disabilities
Through her website, Oyuntugs also aims to empower people living with a disability in Mongolia. There is a legal guide which explains the legal rights of people with disabilities into language that is easily understood.
People can find real examples how to understand bank legislations and access their entitlements. For example, the bank officers often do not know that saving interest income is one of the income tax exemptions for people with disabilities. The website also contains information on how people living with a disability should react to an employer that refuses to make required accommodations, steps that are needed before legal action, how to write communications letters, and how to arrange job interviews with people with autism.
This is what makes Oyuntugs’ idea groundbreaking, providing the information employers need to comply with inclusivity legislation and giving people with disabilities the tools to use the law to advocate for their rights.
Oyuntugs' website has the potential to change how Mongolian workplaces include people living with disabilities meaningfully, but the website still needs 4 million MNT in funding. With the support from a crowd funding event hosted by Caritas Czech Republic in Mongolia, Oyuntugs has already raised 6.5 million MNT. The additional funding will pay for the website development, server fees, and creating the last 80% of the content. Oyuntugs, while working full time, has been volunteering her time to make the first 20% of the content as proof of concept. If this cause has meaning to you, please consider donating to create this platform for change. Donations can be sent to a 2105129267 USD account [Golomt bank, IBAN: MN88 0015 0021 0512 9267] and service donations are also welcome. If you want to reach out to her, write to h.oyuntugs@gmail.com.
When asked what her vision is for this website, Oyuntugs was clear. This can give people living with a disability hope. Hope to employees, friends, and family, because disability impacts our entire community. We have no reason not to act now.
About project: The Caritas Czech Republic, Center for Citizenship Education, and Mongolian Youth Council implement the “All for YOUth, YOUth for All” project with the financial support of the European Union. The objective of the project is to strengthen the capacities of youth NGOs, create a network of youth cooperation, increase youth participation in governance, decision-making, and public policy implementation, and strengthen civil society through advocacy and research on youth issues. The project is implemented in Ulaanbaatar, Khentii, Selenge, Dornogovi and Bayankhongor provinces.
