Public Defender considers that the anti-crisis plan does not address the needs of persons with disabilities
By Khatia Bzhalava
Thursday, May 7
According to the statement published by the Public Defender, Nino Lomjaria, the anti-crisis plan adopted by the government of Georgia includes many aspects in response to challenges that emerged amid the coronavirus pandemic, however, the needs of Persons with Disabilities are not properly considered.
As mentioned in the statement, only persons with severe disabilities will be able to receive social benefits, whereas persons with significant and moderate disabilities, as well as the children with Down syndrome and autism, who do not have the disability status due to the defective assessment model, are left without assistance.
Lomjaria finds such social policy towards persons with disabilities worrisome. In particular, receiving social benefits determined by the plan is based on the status established according to a medical model of disability assessment and according to the statement, the above casts doubt on the effectiveness of the plan, as the assistance should be based not on the medical degree of disability, but the real social needs of those people in the current situation.
The statement says that in times when various programs for disabled people are suspended nationwide, the services are partly received remotely, which most of the time is ineffective. The families are not able to satisfy the social needs of disabled persons and local municipalities do not implement effective measures, so Public Defender states it is obligatory for planned activities to be reviewed and amended.
Lomjaria demands: For the Government of Georgia to review the anti-crisis economic plan and consider support measures for persons with disabilities in accordance with their social needs; Municipalities to protect the groups of persons with disabilities while carrying out local anti-crisis measures as much as possible, taking into account their individual needs (hygienic products, medicines, etc.); The Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia to present a vision on how soon they will finish the reform of the disability status granting.
As the statement states, Public Defender continues to work on the mentioned issue and to monitor how effectively the needs of persons with disabilities are responded to.
