The Barriers Account

Main project of Foundation Charter 77. It has been operating for nineteen years already - indeed, it is the oldest continuous foundation project in the Czech Republic.
Throughout this entire period, the project has been funded by public fundraising, supported by tens of thousands of donors. The foundation entertains its universally known and transparent account No. 17111444/5500 at Raiffeisenbank. Over the years, this charity fundraiser has been able to maintain a stable base of about 40'000 donors. That said, the Barriers Account certainly does not rest on its laurels and is constantly on the lookout for new donors, by way of its time-tested direct-mail campaign. In this manner, we recruited a second circle of stable donors who have become used to the new account number. 

The Council of the Barriers Account upheld its time-tested ranging system for supporting the purchase of a broad range of rehab aids. Our contribution helps to bring down (or to wholly eradicate) the difference between the health insurance (or welfare) coverage and the actual price for the aids that handicapped people and their families who care for them need to buy. The level of technical sophistication of such aids is on the increase, which improves the quality of life of those who need them, but the prices have kept up with this development. We must respond to this situation, which is why the Council of the Barriers Account decides individually on a large number of those petitions, in which the petitioner asks for a contribution to purchase state-of-the-art rehab aids, such as to reflect the specific situation of the petitioner and his or her family. 

The category of rehabilitative and compensatory aids covers mechanical and electrical wheelchairs, special tricycles, rehab prams and collapsible prams, car seats, electric scooters, bicycles, special cycling vehicles, rehabilitations stools, hydraulic lifters (and lifting systems in general), therapeutic beds, TV magnifying glasses, as well as accessories to, and repairs of, all types of vehicles and wheelchairs. 

The Barriers Account is one of only a handful of foundations that financially supports the removal of architectural barriers. We funded several hundreds of them. We contributed to the refitting of sanitary facilities in apartments, the purchase of mobile platforms (staircase lifts or elevators) that remove barriers on the access ways to apartments and houses. We also supported a number of projects that removed access barriers to public buildings.

The academic year 2011/2012 is the twelveth year of existence of a project created by the Barriers Account to support severely handicapped students at secondary schools and collages. The scholarship is very popular among its target group. Students apply for scholarships in an open tender procedure. Under the current practice of the Council of the Barriers Account, scholarship holders with good academic performance are guaranteed funding for future school years. Thus, the number of new entries into the scholarship program basically balances the number of graduates whom they replace. The scholarship is financed from revenues from the auction shows organized by the Barriers Account. The artists know the project to which they contribute and enjoy the fact that the sale of their artwork paves the road to better education for young people, thus laying the foundation for a full-value life and not seldom a very successful career.