Bucharest, April 2nd 2014. The draft law regarding the rights of children with disabilities was submitted in the Romanian Parliament. With 29 initiators from all the political parties in the Parliament the bill motioned by The Centre for the Rights of Children with Disabilities (CEDCD) together with the Coalition “One Voice for Disability” was introduced to the Permanent Bureau of the Deputies Chamber and forwarded to the Senate on Friday, March 31st 2014.

 

The goal of this law is to diminish the number of socially assisted persons through investment in interventionist therapy and inclusive education. 

 

The added value of the project is given by the fact that it’s deeply rooted in the thorough research and knowledge about the actual needs of disabled children, as well as its success in systematization and embedment of the fundamental clauses from the specific international legislation to which Romania adhered. 

 

Basically, this project introduces a reform of the disabled child protection system, reform oriented towards developing specialized services in order to increase the degree of autonomy of all disabled children. The primary subjects approached by the bill are:

 

The definition and classification of the disability categories according to the international regulations.

 

The regulation of the methods used to determine the disability condition/degree for children.

 

The regulation of the Disability Certificate

 

The regulation of the early intervention services.

 

The regulation of the access to education for the children with disabilities.

 

Other aspects and regulations regarding: the accessibility of the physical and informational environment, the actual access to justice, antidiscrimination measures, health and rehabilitation, monitoring etc.

 

“Up to now the road has been paved with difficult obstacles. It took a huge effort of coagulation of all parents of children with disabilities, a great deal of work and willpower to achieve what we achieved today. We are extremely happy that our voice has been finally heard by the Romanian legislative. I wish to thank Mrs. Liliana MINCA, President of the Equal Chances Committee of The Deputy Chamber and to the 29 initiators that had the courage and strength to take steps towards improving dramatically the lives of thousands of children with disabilities. We are aware that a series of stages of the legislative process will follow, but we remain hopeful that the members of parliament will approach our requests openly and thoroughly, while understanding that our primary wish is that they, the children with disabilities, to not perpetuate the chain of socially assisted persons”, declares Madalina TURZA, CEDCD president.