Olga Poloshovets, Founder of the inclusive social and cultural center for people with visual disability, Minsk
Olga started losing her eyesight, when she was seven. After giving birth to her second child, she became completely blind.
She has now been involved in social entrepreneurship for the past 6 years. Olga realized how important it is for people with disabilities to receive support. Due to their visual disability, people, who have incredible potential, could not find a job, because potential employers are afraid to hire them, she says.
Her latest project, “Aurora Grand”, is the youngest social entrepreneurship project. It has a division called the “Centre for Creative Solutions for the Visually Impaired”. Olga’s team consists of 11 people with visual disabilities. Today there are 18 “In the dark” experience tours and programmes in their center.
A huge amount of people have attended these events: among the participants there are social workers, cultural professionals, educators, employees of the hotel and travel industry. During the course, people learn from Olga and her team‘s first-hand experience: how to live in the dark and interact with a blind person. The center fosters empathy towards blind people and by visiting the center people will never pass by a blind person, which makes them more tolerant.
