Re: Disability statistics

In a message dated 12/16/01 2:49:52 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
lucy-ples@mtu-net.ru writes:


> Is it a flame?
> 
       It wasn't MEANT to be a flame. I just had a severe case of 
foot-in-mouth disease. What I meant:

             According to various publications (on this side of the Atlantic, 
anyhow) such as the Economist, Foreign Affairs, etc., Russia has a tremendous 
problem when it comes to the economy: Namely, the laws relating to business 
are incredibly weak or simply lack enforcement. We're talking things such as 
land reform, corporate governance, the tax code, etc.

             Those are things that have major effects on business...and 
severely hinder the survival of most businesses. Until the holes are patched 
there (whether or not they ARE holes is, admittedly, debateable in some cases 
(see what you said about investment, Vadim), investment and management (or at 
least training for EXISTING management to get them to work in the 
international business climate) won't happen. Until something changes to 
severely strengthen the business climate in Russia, most businesses appear 
likely to be worrying more about survival than anything else. Accessibility 
will come when businesses can survive without interference....or just plain 
make a profit.

             From what I'm seeing, also...Accessibility seems to be a 
decidedly Western concept. Rights for the disabled aren't even very firm (or 
recent) here. I don't know how well the concepts most of us know of as 
accessibility and the attitudes needed for it really translate into other 
cultures; Whether that culture is Asian, Arab, Russian, etc.

       John