Speaking at a conference in Moscow to implement an awareness programme for the Paralympic Games, Chernyshenko said: "What we do to raise social awareness of this issue and to encourage young people to promote Paralympic values is one of the most important elements within this programme.

"During the preparation for the 2014 Games in Sochi, we are not only drawing attention to the Paralympic theme, but also attempting to shift society's perceptions of people living with disabilities in our country as a whole.

"Our main task is to change the attitude of Russian society to the group of more than 13 million Russians who currently live with disabilities.

"The Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi will provide a unique opportunity to learn lessons from the world experience to achieve the further integration of people with disabilities into Russian society."

The conference - titled "National Program to raise awareness of the Russian Federation citizens on the Paralympic Games and Paralympic values 2011-2014: Issues and Challenges" - was organised in conjunction with the Russian International Olympic University.

Chernyshenko and the vice-president of the Russian Paralympic Committee, Anatoly Tsarik, were the main speakers.

Representatives from Russian state authorities and associations for people living with a disability, together with Sochi 2014 Olympic partners and ambassadors - including the Beijing 2008 Paralympic 100 metres breaststroke champion Olesya Vladykina (pictured) and six-time Paralympic skiing champion Sergey Shilov - all took part in the event.

Participants discussed the stages and tools needed to raise awareness within Russian society of the Paralympic Games and Paralympic values, as well as the cooperation to create a barrier-free environment in the city of Sochi and then to transfer the learnings and experiences to other regions of Russia.

The results of video interviews with the residents of Sochi were also presented.

The interviews were conducted by Sochi 2014 volunteers and by participants of the multimedia project, "Sochi Reporter", within the framework of the "Sochi without barriers" plan.

The owners of city restaurants, cafes, museums and other public facilities also took part in the survey.

The results showed that the participants had a limited level of awareness of the Paralympic themes and ethics of communication with people living with disabilities.

However, the majority of respondents admitted the need for a barrier-free environment to be created in Sochi through the introduction of special equipment for people with disabilities in public areas around the city.

The conference has become the first in a series of similar events scheduled to be held by the end of 2010.

It is anticipated that their outcomes will lead to a detailed plan being formulated for a comprehensive programme to increase public awareness of the Russian Federation on the Paralympic Games and Paralympic values, scheduled to start in February 2011.