In March, the Women's History Month, USAID/Mongolia will be featuring women beneficiaries of our projects, noting their achievements, how their lives have changed, and how they have been an integral part of our work. Meet Chuluundolgor, Head of the National Association of Wheelchair Users.
Chuluundolgor is an ambitious upcoming young woman, born in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia during the socialist period. She has a master’s degree and manages a powerful NGO. But what really separates Chuluundolgor from everyone else is that she has one special feature that sets her off of any other women of her age: she is disabled. She has a disability. But that does not stop her from dreaming big and fiercely going after her dreams.
Chuluundolgor got into a car accident when she was younger. Days, months and years of going to doctors did not help her stand on her two feet. She knew she was confined to a wheelchair for life. For couple of years she sat at home not knowing what to do. A young woman in a wheelchair in an environment that is not very inclusive…. She was in deep depression. But her wild spirit did not let her sit at home for long. In her wheelchair, she sat out to find a job.
Fortunately, one of the major banks in Ulaanbaatar City accepted her to work as a teller. But the next shock was right around the corner. Although the bank offered her to work as a teller, it forgot that she needed special accommodation to work. Since the bank did not have the infrastructure in place for her to work, she was let go in the end.
That incident made Chuluundolgor realize that inclusive environment is number one priority for the people with disabilities, and she set out to fight for it. She also realized that she needs the knowledge and skills to be able to fight for her dreams. Chuluundolgor got accepted into a university and graduated with a master’s degree.
Soon after graduation, Chuluundolgor joined an NGO called the Mongolian National Association of Wheelchair Users. This was a place where people with the same heart for the cause gathered together. The Association did not have an office in the beginning; they used to gather in the street to discuss their course of work. Today, the National Association of Wheelchair Users is a powerful NGO that works to change the law to ensure inclusive environment for people with disabilities. Nowadays, Chuluundolgor herself is part of the working group of the Ministry of Population Development and Social Security and Advisor to the Minister on disability issues.
Nowadays, she concentrates more on policy level.
Recently, Chuluundolgor’s organization successful completed a short-term project on educating voters with disabilities in the wake of the parliamentarian elections held in summer of 2012. The project was part of the bigger project called Fostering an Inclusive Environment for the Local Disabled – 2, funded by USAID. USAID provided the grant and technical assistance to the Mongolian National Association of Wheelchair Users to implement the voter education component. As a result of Chuluundolgor’s hard work and commitment, the new Law on Elections was amended to include four provisions that directly address needs of voters with disabilities. Also, observers with disabilities were able to monitor the election process for the very first time in June 2012.
Mongolia is not the best place for the people with disabilities, but slowly and surely, it is becoming a better place thanks to bright, courageous, big dreamers like Chuluundolgor.
