In
addition to the Human Rights Defender's publication, entitled "The results
of the study into the incident at Aquatek", the Ombudsman's staff informs
that the phrase "not a discriminatory treatment of persons with
disabilities" that caused misunderstanding by the people, was removed from
the fourth paragraph of the text, noting that the Human Rights Defender
attaches importance to a methodology of information transmission that will not
create misunderstanding regarding sensitive topics.
The
Defender attaches great importance to the exclusion of any discriminatory
treatment towards persons with disabilities and the proper realization of the
rights of persons with disabilities on an equal basis, which has been
repeatedly recorded both in the annual reports of the Human Rights Defender and
in the reports regarding the above-mentioned case.
The
principle of accessibility, aims to ensure equal opportunities for the
realization of the rights of persons with disabilities and exclude
discrimination.
As a
general and fundamental principle of the convention, the accessibility
principle derives from the accessibility of the physical environment for
persons with disabilities, all types of services provided to the public,
guaranteeing their effective and equal access and respect for the dignity of
persons with disabilities. Denial of access is discrimination.
The
Defender emphasizes once again that the state should take appropriate steps to
enable persons with disabilities to live independently and participate fully in
all spheres of life. For this purpose, the state should implement appropriate
structures, such issues have been repeatedly presented by the Human Rights
Defender. Moreover, the incident was an impetus for the Defender to appeal to
the competent authorities to raise the issue once again and to take immediate
steps in this regard.
Simultaneously,
it is imperative to underline that the adherence to the aforementioned
standards is equally applies to both governmental and private entities.
As
for the wording "not discriminatory treatment of persons with
disabilities" used in the previous statement, we consider it necessary to
record that it was used not to consider accessibility issues in general outside
of the principle of prohibition of discrimination, but to point out the attitude
of the company's employees towards specific persons, taking into account the
circumstances of this incident and the various publications disseminated in
relation to this matter.
We extend our
gratitude to all partners who brought attention to the misinterpretation.
Հայերեն
