Ms. Lyazzat Kaltayeva of Kazakhstan is the chair of the Central Asian Disability Forum and chair of the Association of Women with Disabilities “Shyrak”. Through “Shyrak”, she has built a network of women with disabilities, entitled, “Central-Asian Network of Leaders and Organizations of Women with Disabilities.”
Ms. Kaltayeva is also a member of the National Council on disability and of the National Commission for Women’s Affairs, Family and Demographic Policy under the President of Kazakhstan, as well as advisor of the Minister of Health and Social Development of Kazakhstan.
Ms. Kaltayeva has been instrumental in establishing, managing and developing the movement of women with disabilities in Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries. In 2007, she was in charge of initiating and conducting the first sociological research on the situation of women with disabilities in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
Ms. Kaltayeva has also played an active role in organizing wide informational and advocacy campaigns on awareness and tolerance towards women with disabilities. One of the campaign events was the “One Day Press Conferences” held in 14 regions of Kazakhstan, for which she produced campaign materials and handbooks.