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The NA Deputies Narek Zeynalyan, Heriknaz Tigranyan, Lusine Badalyan, Arpine Davoyan, Hrachya Hakobyan, Arsen Mikhaylov, Koryun Mkrtchyan and Vanik Ohanyan together with the Government made a legislative initiative on the rights of persons with disabilities.

The Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Mesrop Arakelyan presented the amendments being designed with the legislative package.

The aim of the bill is the creation of equal opportunities and available conditions for participation of persons with disabilities in all spheres of public life, the elimination of discrimination, adequate to the need and the targeted service.

The key notions used in the law have been defined on the basis of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In particular, the notions of “disabilities,” “a person with disabilities” have been given the following definitions:

Disabilities: A phenomenon (situation) resulting from the interaction of people with health problems and environmental barriers (including attitude) that prevents a person to participate fully and effectively in public life on the equal bases with others.

Person with disabilities: A person as a result of the interaction of physical, psychic, mental and (or) emotional lasting problems and environmental barriers may have a restriction of full and effective participation in the public life on the equal basis with others.

The Minister has underlined that a person with disabilities is considered only a person with health damaging, persons with disabilities who is in need of social security.

The reforms of the assessment system of disabilities and the assessment system of functionality has also been invested into the bill.

Heriknaz Tigranyan presented the endorsement of the Head Committee. The latter has noted that the law has been in force since 1993 and even in terms of word stock and term does not correspond to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The Chair of the NA Standing Committee on Health and Social Affairs has noted that the bill proposes to completely change the logic of the disability assessment. It is proposed to invest the assessment system of functionality of the person of the World Health Organization. In the Committee Chair’s opinion, the presented assessment system will make zero the subjective approaches and the citizens’ voicing complaints.