According to the Agency of Medical and Social Expertise of RA, at the beginning of this year 210 000 disabled people were registered in Armenia, while at the moment the number is below 200 000, Panorama reports. Where did those 10 000 people disappear, the head of the “Unison” NGO Armen Alaverdyan asked today at a meeting with journalists. Answering his own question, he said that the rules of obtaining the third degree of disability have been restricted.
“Meanwhile, the lives of thousands of people depend on their status of disability. This is extremely concerning. About 15% of the World population has some degree of disability. That number is 6% in Armenia. We do not have hotels, guest houses and recreation areas accommodated to the people with disabilities outside Yerevan”, Alaverdyan said.
He reminded that people with disabilities receive state wheelchairs once in three years. Often those standardized devices do not correspond to the demands of a particular person. According to Alaverdyan, it turns out that many people, as well as himself, cannot use the state devices.
The question of education and employment of people with disabilities is also a serious problem. “There are many programs just passing us by”, the head of the “Unison” NGO said.
