To protect the rights of people with disabilities means - to protect the rights and future of each person - Rati Ionatamishvili

Rati Ionatamishvili: On the International Day of People with Disabilities, I think it is awkward to talk about achievements and progress, but today we must emphasize the challenges and problems that people with disabilities face.

The global pandemic has significantly worsened the legal status of people with disabilities, including in Georgia, where the shortcomings of the disability medical model have become even more acute. A diagnosis-based (rather than need-based) approach has made it impossible to provide adequate services to people with disabilities and to create a level playing field; Increased risks of discrimination and unfair treatment. Therefore, since the new law has created legal guarantees of the legal paradigm, we must take more responsibility for the transition to the social model from 2021.

I expect the following important decisions to be made in the near future:

The government should adopt "National Accessibility Standards" based on the principles of "universal design";

Establish a national mechanism responsible for implementing the CRPD, which will have real leverage and guarantees for the management of the process;

The process of ratification of the Additional Protocol to the CRPD must be completed.

It is true that there is no magic button, that can help us solve all the problems with one click of the hand, but it is our obligation to consistently address all important issues by mobilizing specific resources and effective coordination at specific times, as well as by involving organizations of people with disabilities and people with disabilities.

We have no right to lose generations just because we do not live in an equal environment.

To protect the rights of people with disabilities means - to protect the rights and future of each person!