The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, plans to bring national legislation on the rights of disabled persons in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was ratified by the Ukrainian parliament on December 16, 2009.
Some 278 out of 382 MPs registered in parliament's session hall on Tuesday supported at first reading a bill on amendments to some legislative acts on the rights of disabled people.
According to the draft law, the laws of Ukraine on the basis of the social protection of disabled people in Ukraine are amended with new definitions, and the terms "disability" and "disabled person" are defined under new wording on the basis of a social rather than a medical model of disability.
The bill establishes that educational institutions render educational services to disabled persons at an equal level to other persons, through ensuring proper staff and technical provisions.
The document foresees that the state promotes the development of sign language. In particular, the draft law defines sign language as a natural language of persons with hearing disorders.
In addition, according to the bill, the state government agencies and local government agencies must ensure the training of employees of the social protection of the public, law enforcement agencies, fire safety agencies, rescue services, and health care establishments so that they can obtain the required skills in sign language.
