Bill for disabled conditions on hold in Turkey
ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News
Despite the popular criticism, Turkish Parliament delay the implentation of a new bill improving the conditions of public spaces for people with disabilities for three years. AA photo
Turkish Parliament has extended the implementation deadline for ameliorating public space conditions for people with disabilities for another three years, just days before the initial deadline ends.According to the drafted law, Turkish municipalities will prepare activities to increase service quality and solve problems for people with disabilities.
Training would be given to the technical employees of municipalities and the employees of the Interior Ministry in charge of making investigations on the issue of accessibility for people with disabilities.
The Disabled Law, which passed in July 2005 and was required to be fully implemented by July 2012 foresaw that people with disabilities would be able to file suits if they “could not get on a bus, could not enter a public institution, could not walk in a park” or if they “encounter a physical obstacle.”
Turkish Parliament has extended the July 2012 deadline to July 2015, daily Milliyet reported yesterday, adding that the reason behind the extension was so the necessary measures for implementation of the law could be taken in full.
Head of Disabled People Confederation Turhan İçli said the organization had not expected such an extension after Parliament’s decision.
“We didn’t expect this. This has nothing to do with rights or the law. The municipalities did not even take the simplest measures [for implementation ],” he said.
