ASSISTANCE DOGS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN ALL AREAS AND MEANS OF TRANSPORT - PARLIAMENT HAS GUARANTEED THE RIGHT - Filenews 27/2 - by Theodora Nikolaou
The consolidation of the right for people with disabilities to have an assistance dog and to have access to all public and private spaces as well as to means of transport, was approved by the Parliament by unanimously voting in law on a relevant proposal submitted by MP Christos Senekis.
Essentially, the Plenary Session approved the amendment of the Law on Persons with Disabilities, so that persons with disabilities have the right of access together with an assistance dog to all public and private places and means of transport, provided that these persons have the relevant license to possess such a dog, which is granted under the provisions of the Dogs Law.
According to the rapporteur, these arrangements are considered necessary in order to safeguard the right of persons with disabilities to be accompanied by an assistance dog and consequently to achieve further alignment of the existing legislation governing the rights of persons with disabilities with the provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
In his statement before the Plenary, Mr. Senekis said that "the guide dog for some of our fellow human beings is not an option but a necessary means for daily mobility, accessibility and social participation. The assistance dog is not just another pet, but the extension of their independence, safety and dignity."
"We are introducing into the domestic legal order the universal consolidation of this right. That is, the unhindered access of people with disabilities accompanied by assistance dogs, to public and private spaces, public transport, restaurants, taxis and any other form of service and infrastructure so that the refusal to enter or serve a person with a disability due to the escort of an assistance dog constitutes discrimination and an illegal action that activates and carries the punitive penalties provided for by the Law on Persons with Disabilities", he said.
Furthermore, Mr. Senekis welcomed the submission of a relevant law proposal by MP Charalambos Theopemptou, which aims to create a comprehensive legislative framework that will govern everything related to assistance dogs.
