The Pancyprian Organization of the Blind expresses indignation and anguish in relation to the bill on disability, which it characterizes as a "big fiasco", pointing out that "thousands of people with severe disabilities are left behind".
The Organization, in a statement, states that it wishes that the new legislation provides in practice for the implementation without discounts of the right of people with disabilities to independent living and timely and full participation, accessible information and inclusion in the community.
The announcement of the Pancyprian Organization of the Blind in detail:
The provisions of the new bill on disability that have seen the light of day are causing huge disappointment. It aims to maintain the benefits as they are, since none of the existing allowances, sponsorships and benefits for people with disabilities are increased, while existing legislation on benefits and services is abolished or downgraded.
The real needs of citizens with severe disabilities are not taken into account in the slightest, especially those who need increased intensive support, so that they are able to have equal opportunities with the rest of the citizens. The meagre benefits for disability remain frozen for long periods of time and a unique opportunity to adjust them accordingly is missed.
There is also a simple and formal reference in the new legislation to the integration of the provisions of a number of previous laws and regulations without their full incorporation and increase based on the real needs of people with disabilities. The reference to existing legislation is particularly problematic, as it contains inherent risks and creates contradictions and conflicts between the new bill and the previous Laws, Decrees, etc.
The provisions were prepared in secret and behind closed doors with completely undemocratic procedures, highlighting once again that our country is not a "normal democracy". They provide for discrimination, inequality, regression, human rights violations, degradation of the status quo and deprivation of the right of people with disabilities to live independently and to choose freely without discrimination.
People with disabilities do not ask for charity from the state but for the safeguarding of their Human Rights, as guaranteed by the relevant United Nations convention. With the proposed Bill, a floor of minimum human rights is created and these rights are levelled and symmetricalized, in such a way that this floor is full of holes through which citizens with disabilities are in free fall depending on the moods of the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare.
The state propagandizes that with the bill it is interested in citizens with disabilities, while in practice the wide discretion given to the Competent Authority is such that it will work to the detriment of these citizens and will contribute to a sharp increase in the gap in terms of expenses for people with severe disabilities and people without disabilities, leading them to exclusion and impoverishment.
The proposed bill also includes a huge plot of blackmailing dilemma!
It provides, in particular, that all people with disabilities will necessarily be included in the new legislation, while within three months of its implementation they will be able to request to return to the existing benefit regime, thus composing 2 categories of citizens with disabilities with different rights, therefore citizens with disabilities, of 2 speeds. People who will be transferred involuntarily to the new regime will not have a foothold in the old regime, even if many of the existing provisions are more favourable for people with disabilities than those in the new legislation, while people who will ask to remain in the old regime will not have a foothold in the new legislation, such as the new institution of the personal work assistant.
The request of the Pancyprian Organization of the Blind was and is that all people with disabilities benefit naturally and at least from the rights deriving from the previous regime as they will be increased in the future with any new legislation.
Most of the provisions of the new legislation set the age limit of 65 years at the time of submission of the application. The needs of a person with a disability certainly do not stop, nor can one say that they are different in citizens with disabilities over 65 years of age but they are still the same, they are even increased and increase with the aging of the body. The Government's intention to exclude groups of applicants with disabilities from the Personal Assistance and Home Care allowance in order to provide it to new beneficiaries, aged under 65 at the time of their application, who today may not be certified as people with severe disabilities, is an element of discrimination based on age or even the introduction of age racism and isolation of people at this age and their exclusion from disability policies that apply to the other teams.
As the bill is worded, the 65th year of age of a person with a disability will not be a birthday celebration but rather will resemble the funeral of his rights.
The new legislation maintains the Guaranteed Minimum Income Law and other legislations, binding thousands of citizens with disabilities with low incomes and citizens over the age of 65 to the anachronistic legislation that blatantly violates human rights and provides for strict socio-economic criteria.
Based on the provisions of the new legislation, various groups of beneficiaries will have no basis for benefits deriving from the status of beneficiaries of existing benefits, such as special tariffs on electricity, reduced fees on communications, free participation in educational programs, discounts on municipal taxes, on transport issues, etc.
The provision of the new legislation according to which the date of payment of benefits will be set as the date of evaluation of a person's request and not the date of registration of his request is also illegal. Such a wording does not exist in any country in Europe and aims to legitimize the omissions and weaknesses of the state and the deliberate delays of many months in the examination of applications of people with disabilities through no fault of their own, while their disability exists from the date of submission of the application or even earlier.
We believe that, as is the case in all democratic countries in Europe that respect the dignity and rights of their citizens, the monthly allowances to which they are entitled should be paid from the date of registration of their application.
The Pancyprian Organization of the Blind wishes that the new legislation provides for the practical implementation without discounts of the right of people with disabilities to independent living and timely and full participation, accessible information and inclusion in the community, without adopting policies of regression and anachronism dating back to the 1960s and 1970s and without introducing discrimination with the proposed Bill, policies of coercion in checks on personal choices and exclusion of thousands of citizens with disabilities from all areas of life.
