There are three large areas where the persons with disabilities in the Republic of Moldova face difficulties. These are: the access to infrastructure, the labor market and the education sector, Vitalie Mester, executive director of the Center for Legal Assistance for Persons with Disabilities, stated in a news conference at IPN.

According to Vitalie Mester, many institutions, both public and private, are inaccessible to persons with visual and locomotor disabilities. The situation is similar as regards the access to public transport. “We speak about the access to physical infrastructure and about the mobility of persons. The mobility, independence and autonomy of the person ultimately lead to the respecting of human dignity,” he stated.

The access to information is another area that is rather inaccessible to persons with disabilities. Vitalie Mester said the persons with visual and hearing impairments are significantly limited in this right. “The websites of ministries are inaccessible to persons with disabilities and the information transmitted to the general public by the mass media is also not fully accessible to persons with hearing and visual impairments,” he said.

He also said that another right that is not respected is the access to the labor market. “We refer to the accessibility of the workplace, the attitude of employers and the state policies to ensure and facilitate the disabled persons’ access to the labor market,” noted the Center’s executive director.

The right to education is also limited in the case of persons with disabilities. According to Vitalie Mester, the teachers are not ready to cope with the needs of the persons with disabilities and a lot is yet to be done to ensure the access to education for children with disabilities.