The crisis cell for people with disabilities in the face of the COVID19 pandemic, which includes representatives of the LUPD, the Friends of the Disabled Association, the Youth Association for the Blind, the Darb Al-Wafaa Association for the Socially Disabled, Mousawat, the National Association for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Lebanese Association for Self-Advocacy, the Forum for Persons with Disabilities and the Wheelchair Forum Zahle, held a meeting online, at the end of which it considered that “the epidemic crisis ravaging the world.”
According to a statement from the meeting, they “referred to the reports of the World Health Organization and the International Disability Alliance, which indicate that people with disabilities are among the most threatened social groups by this deadly epidemic,” explaining that “this cell was formed and studied the situation of people with disabilities, and criticized in a statement the lack of support and prevention plans developed because they do not take into account the special conditions of people with disabilities in terms of providing preventive support and the required equipment, to support their abilities to withstand and confront the epidemic.”
He pointed out that “the cell asked the concerned ministries, especially the Ministries of Health and Social Affairs, urgently and quickly, to launch relief programs for people with disabilities who are in home quarantine and unable to pursue their requests and needs in the relevant centers and programs. It also expressed its concern about the complaints received by the Disability Rights Monitor that indicate that persons with disabilities are being neglected in the financial aid campaign, and that the vast majority of them do not benefit from the financial aid offered, and this is accompanied by the continued suspension of the program to secure aids for persons with disabilities for more than a year. The cell pointed out to the Ministry of Interior that the main means of transportation for persons with disabilities is their own vehicles, and therefore they must be allowed to use their own means of transportation regardless of the vehicle number. It also drew the attention of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers to the need to have a representative of persons with disabilities within the active crisis cell in the prime ministry to ensure that the voices of this segment of citizens are heard.”
The statement concluded by noting that “the meeting looks forward to the concerned authorities to deal quickly and positively with these demands.”
