President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has underlined the importance of changing the public attitude to persons with disabilities and the approaches to the protection and implementation of their rights.
“I do not want the word ‘invalid’ to be used in Ukraine anymore. I want the attitude to be the same as in the EU countries,” the head of state said at the meeting with disabled persons.
According to the president, he means ensuring the access of disabled persons to the public places, educational and healthcare facilities, jobs and providing them with opportunities equal to those of other citizens. Petro Poroshenko said that there are some institutions, which are trying to make the life easier for people with disabilities and to “demonstrate the attitude, which they deserve”.
The president said he believes that resolution of the problems of disabled persons would be among the priorities of the new government. He expressed willingness to comprehensively facilitate that. “I am willing to effectively support the work of the civil society in this context,” the president said.
The head of state reminded that almost 3 million disabled persons in Ukraine still felt excluded from full social life and were waiting for those steps.
Poroshenko has drawn special attention to the anti-terrorist operation participants, who have become disabled because of wounds. There are 206 such warriors at the moment. On behalf of the people of Ukraine, the president expressed gratitude to all heroes “for the power of spirit and patriotism”.
The president said about the necessity to tackle the problems of the anti-terrorist operation participants, particularly granting the war participant status to them, and ordered the new government to immediately do this.
Poroshenko also noted that the state is involved in the prosthetics of the
anti-terrorist operation
participants and negotiated with the international partners over the provision of medical assistance and the rehabilitation of such warriors abroad.
