The Senate at a plenary meeting on Friday passed the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, which will replace the 2008 Social protection of disabled people in the Republic of Uzbekistan Law. The document will take effect after being signed by the President.
The Bill defines the accessibility of facilities and services, the involvement of persons with disabilities into the active life, respect for the developing abilities of children with disabilities and their right to preserve their individuality, as the basic principles of ensuring the rights of persons with disabilities.
The document enshrines the rights of persons with disabilities to privacy, family and family environment, citizenship and free movement, and housing.
Local authorities are obliged to create conditions for the unimpeded access of persons with disabilities, including those using wheelchairs and guide dogs, to all social infrastructure facilities (residential premises, public and industrial buildings, structures and facilities, healthcare and sports facilities, cultural - entertainment and other institutions).
The accessibility of vehicles and road infrastructure for persons with disabilities shall be ensured by organizations (regardless of the organizational and legal form) that provide transport services to the population, with the participation of public associations of persons with disabilities. Hotel owners are required to equip at least one room from the total rooms, accessible for persons with disabilities using a wheelchair.
The document also prescribes the procedure for recognizing a citizen as a person with a disability. In particular, it was established that the examination is carried out no later than 10 days from the date of the adoption of medical documents by medical and social expert commissions.
The Bill stipulates that the financing of an individual rehabilitation program for a person with a disability shall be borne by the state budget and sources not prohibited by law. Expenditure obligations to provide persons with disabilities with prosthetic and orthopedic products and technical means of rehabilitation, including their manufacture and repair, shall also be financed by the state.
A separate chapter of the Bill is devoted to the protection of the health of persons with disabilities and social assistance to them. It is stipulated that qualified medical care for persons with disabilities is provided free of charge. In addition, persons with disabilities have the right to free health rehabilitation facilities and resorts free of charge, as well as medicines, medical supplies and specialized medical food products for children with disabilities.
The Bill establishes the right of persons with disabilities to education in institutions of all levels and throughout their life in order to fully develop their abilities and participate in the life of society and the state.
The document prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in relation to all forms of labor relations, including the conditions of hiring, hiring, carrying out labor activities, keeping a job, promoting career (work), as well as ensuring safe working conditions.
Since 2009, Uzbekistan has been working on the issue of ratifying the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. By presidential decree of December 1, 2017, preparations for the ratification of the convention were resumed.
