People all over Europe celebrate International day of protection of persons’ with disabilities rights. On this day in 1992 persons with disabilities from 17 countries held the first European day of fight for equal rights and against discrimination. Since then similar actions were held every year on May 5 on Europe Day. On this day round tables and wide public discussions of disability issues, demonstrations and actions aimed at attracting attention to the most topical issues for persons with disabilities are held.
On the initiative of ENIL this year’s May 5th is celebrated under the slogan “Stop Disability Cuts”. The main call by the network of organizations working in many European countries with persons with disabilities is the call to respect special needs of persons with different types of disabilities and the need to provide these people with such conditions of environment in which they can equally participate in all the spheres of life.
Office for the rights of persons with disabilities calls on this day to think of what is still a problem – equality of rights for people with and without disabilities. Persons with disabilities in our society are still excluded from many processes, not all the peculiarities of disability are recognized and respected as a part of human diversity. Office for the rights of persons with disabilities calls all who care to think of the fact that our country hasn’t yet signed the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities and this fact is the main negative symbol of the day. We call every person on May 5 to think what he or she could do to destroy the barriers and discrimination in the sphere of exercising the rights of persons with disabilities.
