Government Implementation of the Standard Rules
As Seen By Member Organizations of
Inclusion International - ILSMH

Cyprus

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© Dimitris Michailakis 1997

Cyprus Parents Association for Mentally Disabled Persons, Cyprus
Compare with the following Country Report(s): the Cypriot Government, ILSMH (Christos Steliou Ioannou Foundations)

General policy

The officially recognized disability policy in Cyprus is expressed in law. According to the Government, disability policy is expressed in guidelines adopted by the government and in guidelines adopted by a national disability council. The emphasis in this policy - in descending scale - is on individual support, prevention, accessibility measures, rehabilitation and anti-discrimination law.

Since the adoption of the Rules the government has not done anything to convey the message of full participation. According to the Government, the following actions have been taken: relevant celebration during the International Day of Disabled; press conferences by the Ministry of Labour and social Insurance; use of mass media; seminars.

Legislation

The rights of persons with disabilities are protected by a combination of special legislation and general legislation. The judicial mechanism adopted to protect the rights of persons with disabilities is due process (legal remedy through courts), the non-judicial bodies including an Ombudsman. According to the Government, non-judicial mechanisms also include a governmental body (administrative) and committees for the protection of the right of people with mental handicap.

General legislation applies to persons with different disabilities with respect to: employment, the right to marriage, the right to parenthood/family, political rights, access to court-of-law, the right to privacy and property rights. According to the Government, political rights and property rights are not guaranteed by law. The following benefits are guaranteed by law to persons with disabilities: health and medical care, training, rehabilitation and counselling and financial security.

No new legislation concerning disability has been enacted since the adoption of the Rules.

Accessibility

There are rules to ensure accessibility of the built environment which require that public places, the outdoor environment, housing are made accessible. According to the Government, there are no rules requiring that housing is made accessible. Accessibility in the built environment is observed by local authorities. The Government states that accessibility is also observed by a national authority. The following measures have been promoted to facilitate accessibility in the built environment: marking parking areas, installing automatic doors, improving accessibility in housing. According to the Government, access to public places is also ensured. There are no special transport arrangements for persons with disabilities. According to the Government, there is special transport available for medical treatment and education. The most difficult obstacles, when planning to build accessible environments are attitudinal factors. According to the Government, also economic/budgetary factors, lack of co-operation from other organizations/institutions and lack of enforcement mechanism are important obstacles. There is no disability awareness component in the training of planners, architects and construction engineers. According to the Government, however, there is such a component.

There are no government measures to encourage media and other forms of public information to make their services accessible for persons with disabilities. According to the Government, such measures exist. For instance, financing of sign language for the news bulletins in TV stations. The following services are provided in order to facilitate information and communication between persons with disabilities and other persons: literature in Braille/tape, news magazines on tape/Braille. According to the Government, even sign language interpretation for major events is also provided.

Organizations of persons with disabilities

There is a national umbrella organization where all organizations of disabled persons are represented. There are no legal provisions mandating the representatives of persons with disabilities to participate in policy-making or to work with governmental institutions. Disability organizations are sometimes consulted when laws and regulations with a disability aspect are being prepared. According to the Government, organizations of disabled people are always consulted when laws and regulations with a disability aspect are being prepared. Consultations with the organizations take place at the national level. According to the Government consultations take place also at the regional and local levels. Persons with disabilities participate to a very limited extent in government, judiciary authorities and political parties but to some extent in legislatures and NGOs. The role of disabled persons organizations is to advocate rights and improved services, mobilize persons with disabilities, identify needs and priorities, participate in the planning, implementation and evaluation of services and measures concerning the lives of persons with disabilities, contribute to public awareness, provide services and promote/organize income generating activities.

Co-ordination of work

The national co-ordinating committee is reporting to the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. The committee includes representatives of the Ministries of Finance, Health and Social Affairs, Education, Culture, Planning, from organizations of persons with disabilities, other NGOs and from the private sector. The government expects the national co-ordinating committee to participate in policy development, but not to perform other tasks. The establishment of the co-ordinating committee has had the following effects: improved co-ordination of measures/programmes, improved legislation, improved integration of responsibility, a better dialogue in the disability field, more accurate planning and improved promotion of public awareness.

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Contents of the ILSMH Report | Compare with the following Country Report(s): the Cypriot Government, ILSMH (Christos Steliou Ioannou Foundations)