In Yerevan, persons with disabilities demand to create barrier-free environment

On October 12, the capital of Armenia hosted the rally entitled "Yerevan and My City", which was initiated by the public organization "Bridge of Hope" and which was attended by about 50 persons with disabilities.

According to Naira Melkonyan, the coordinator of the action, the event was dedicated to the problem of accessibility of the city for people with disabilities and aimed to draw attention of City Mayoralty to the problem on the eve of the City Day "Yerevan-Erebuni". "On the eve of the holiday, we want to remind everyone that Yerevan is a city for all people, including people with disabilities," Naira Melkonyan has emphasized.

From Republic Square, the participants of the rally marched in procession to the City Mayoralty, where they filed their letter of appeal, addressed to Mayor Taron Margaryan. Officials from the Mayoralty agreed to hear claims of people with disabilities and invited them to go up to the building; however, the people with disabilities were not able to enter the Mayoralty building because of the lack of ramps. After a long wait, the participants of the rally handed in their letter of appeal to a staff member of the City Mayoralty.

Atrak A., one of the participants of the protest action, has reported on how difficult it is for people with disabilities to live in the conditions that exist in Armenia. "Today, people with disabilities are locked in their houses, since there are no conditions for their use of vehicles. Some people with disabilities can afford to use services of taxis, and others, who cannot afford that, do not leave their homes," he has stressed.

Piruza C., another participant of the protest action, noted the more global problems of people with disabilities. "At present, in Armenia, there are about 180,000 people with disabilities and only 7-8 percent of them have a job. When I go to get a job, I am denied because of my disability. This is very painful," she said.