Officials seeking improvements to ease employment for the disabled

It would be much easier for the disabled persons to get employed if there was a proper legislative framework, stated Social Protection Ministry officials at a meeting of the Government Council for Disabled Persons on Tuesday, June 10. The meeting centered on the implementation of the National Program for the rehabilitation and social integration of the disabled persons covering the period 2007-2009, with special attention being paid to the draft Strategy on Social Inclusion covering the period 2008-2010. The Strategy aims to modify the terminology used when referring to the persons with disabilities, with a view to removing discriminatory formulations. It also suggests changing the methodology of assigning disability degrees, and offering assistance services for these persons, Social Protection Deputy Minister Lucia Gavrilita told Info-Prim Neo. According to her, it is also planned to change the mechanism of allotting social benefits, which will be fixed depending on the degree of the loss of work capacity. No disability pensions will be paid. The persons whose capacity to work is higher than 60 percent, that is third-degree invalids, will be deemed fit for work and will be engaged in the labor market. Second-degree invalids will be assigned a work capacity of 30 percent. The members of the Government Council also think it is necessary to invent stimuli for employers so as to encourage them to employ disabled persons. Lucia Gavrilita has said that the Strategy on Social Inclusion will incorporate the rehabilitation program and will be soon submitted to the Parliament for consideration. The costs of the strategy have been estimated at 1 million lei, while the investments for its implementation at 10 million lei. The Ministry hopes to get the money from foreign donors. In 2007, the number of disabled persons was 170,000, by some 28,000 more than in 2002.