Galust Sahakyan, a deputy leader of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) and the leader of the RPA parliamentary group, gave a staggering answer during a conversation with www.aravot.am today to our question why they didn’t adapt the National Assembly building for the people with disabilities. The matter is that the RPA promised as early as before the previous parliamentary election that they would eliminate reasons for inequality in our country, make education and work accessible for vulnerable groups of the society, ensure accessibility for disabled people etc. However, a few days ago, we noticed in the National Assembly how hard it was for Arman Musheghyan, the head of the World Without Obstacles NGO, to climb the stairs of the National Assembly in a wheelchair, because elevators were narrow and the wheelchair couldn’t get into it. In response to our question what they did for disabled people and why they didn’t fulfill their pre-election promises, Galust Sahakyan said, “No one can deny that very serious work has been done in that field.” We asked him to give examples what exactly had been done, “I can give many examples, but it is natural that there are still things to do. It is a constant activity.”
In response to our observation that disabled people in our country didn’t see particular changes, the country didn’t become accessible, for example, buses with Wi Fi were brought, but they were not adapted for people with disabilities, Galust Sahakyan said, “A few years ago, disabled people couldn’t even leave their homes. Now it is rather interesting. Firstly, the problem with their wheelchairs has been solved. First of all, they can appear on the international arena to a certain extent. That is why I say that much work has been done. With regard to the National Assembly that you say, there is no problem of adaptation, because one can easily enter in a wheelchair and get into the elevator.” When we informed Mr. Sahakyan that elevators of the National Assembly were narrow, a wheelchair couldn’t get into them, he responded, “So you propose that we change the elevators? I don’t remember any disabled person to come to the National Assembly during all these years – only one or two disabled people have come. They also come during hearings. You can talk much about why there aren’t any in shops and hospitals.” In response to our question whether it wasn’t worth to spend money even on one or two people, even on Arman Musheghyan, since no one was ensured against disability nowadays, certainly, God forbid, but he and other MPs could have a disability, Mr. Sahakyan said that there were non-disabled people too, they had to meet the requirements of the non-disabled too, “The problem is the following – we know and feel it quite well. It is an issue of means and the means are not enough, neither can we solve it quickly.” We hinted that it didn’t require much money, one could at least install wheelchair ramps, Galust Sahakyan replied, “We have to change the elevator, where should we install the wheelchair ramp? How can one install a wheelchair along that kind of a staircase? One won’t be able to climb it.”
Naira Zohrabyan, the Secretary of the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) Parliamentary Group
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The Prosperous Armenia Party made concrete promises before the previous parliamentary election that they would deal with the problems of disabled people with professional education, training and employment. However, when we inquired in a few companies that belong to Gagik Tsarukyan, the leader of the PAP – Multi Rest House, Multi City House, which is a part of Multi Concern – there were no people with disabilities working there at all. In response to our question what the PAP did now to implement the pre-election promise, Naira Zohrabyan said, “We have put forward projects. Besides, thanks to the efforts of the Gagik Tsarukyan Foundation wheelchair ramps have been installed in public spaces. Those have already been done.”
As for adapting the National Assembly building, Ms. Zohrabyan said, “I don’t think that they will give permission to the Gagik Tsarukyan Foundation to install wheelchair ramps in the National Assembly building. If they give, we will install them with great pleasure. We are ready to continue our program. However, you know what, one cannot solve the problem of people with disabilities by that. The most serious problem still is their integration into the society. Our parliamentary group economic team is working on at least 2-3 legislative proposals now, in order to make tax deductions for organizations that employ exclusively disabled people. Our parliamentary group is working on at least 2-3 projects and we will put them forward in the short run. As for another very important problem, installing wheelchair ramps, in order that disabled people leave their homes and are not alienated from the society, the foundation has solved that problem in many places.”
In response to our observation that Gagik Tsarukyan had a set of private companies, why he didn’t employ at least a few people with disabilities there, Naira Zohrabyan said, “Frankly speaking, I am not engaged in the foundation activities. I cannot answer whether disabled people work or not. However, if there are people who belong to this or that class of disability, but they are able to work, I don’t think that there will be any negative attitude toward them in Tsarukyan’s company, in any enterprise belonging to Multi Group. It is ruled out.”
Hovhannes Sahakyan, an RPA MP
As opposed to Galust Sahakyan, Hovhannes Sahakyan, an RPA MP, said in response to our question why they didn’t ensure accessibility for people with disabilities, “It is a really very important problem. I myself being born and living in a disaster area – Spitak – see that wheelchair ramps are a rather serious problem for disabled people and not only in Spitak, but also across the country. We know that in civilized countries even means of public transportation are adapted, in order that they can integrate as a full member of the society. Thank you for prompting us. We will deal with that.” In response to our observation that our country had joined international conventions long ago and such problems should have been solved long ago, Hovhannes Sahakyan, said, “I agree, but it is quite a serious problem both financially and organizationally. With regard to building wheelchair ramps in the National Assembly, we can organize that, I don’t see any problem, but the problem is with state institutions, residential houses across the country. We will try to take certain steps.”
Margarit Yesayan, a Member of the RPA Parliamentary Group
Margarit Yesayan is the deputy chairman of the National Assembly standing committee on human rights protection and public affairs. In response to our question in regard to ensuring accessibility, she said, “The solution is very simple, one should just invest technical means or a certain construction process should be started, in order that people in wheelchairs are also able to enter the National Assembly and move there easily. We know that this building is a very old one built in Soviet times. I for one consider it as a serious problem and if there is such an initiative – and I know that the Heritage Party has such an initiative – I personally, as the deputy chairman of the commission, will join that initiative with pleasure.”
Armen Asatryan, the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs
“How many times have you been in the National Assembly building, Mr. Minister,” in response to this question of www.aravot.am after a discussion on the budget implementation in the National Assembly, the Minister said, “Many times, why are you asking?” We asked the Minister to pay attention and count before leaving how many stairs he climbed or perhaps, he used the elevator in that building to reach Room 334 of the National Assembly. In response to our question whether he had ever noticed that this building was not adapted for the disabled person, the Minister said, “Frankly speaking, no. I think yes, we have to begin with state institutions. We should adapt government buildings. You might know that the strategy adopted recently, which mentions a list of measures to be taken by the government, provides for solving this problem too.” The Minister promised to raise that issue in the short run and solve it. Let us mention that the National Assembly ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as early as on May 17, 2010, which entered into force on October 22, 2010. According to Article 9 of the Convention, “To enable persons with disabilities to live independently and participate fully in all aspects of life, States Parties shall take appropriate measures to ensure to persons with disabilities access, on an equal basis with others, to the physical environment, to transportation, and to other facilities and services open or provided to the public.” The Convention explicitly mentions that this applies to the accessibility of buildings, roads, transportation and other indoor and outdoor facilities, including schools, housing, medical facilities and workplaces. Besides, Article 14.1 of the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia also forbids discrimination on the basis of disability or other kinds of social factors. According to Article 10, Section F of the Urban Development Act of the Republic of Armenia, the government must ensure accessibility of residential, public, production buildings and constructions and must meet the requirements of the law regarding the use of transport infrastructure without any obstacles, which are not implemented in our country either. N 392-Ն Decision of the Government on Approving the Procedure of Ensuring Accessibility of the Social, Transport and Engineering Infrastructure for Disabled People and Sedentary Groups of the Society dated March 31, 2006, also stipulates that our government must make accessible buildings and bus stops for people with disabilities, in order to ensure their movement without obstacles.
Hripsime JEBEJYAN
P.S. – www.aravot.am was informed that today Hovik Abrahamyan, the Speaker of the National Assembly, had instructed the staff to solve the problem, in order that people with disabilities were able to easily move in the National Assembly from now on.
