The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs is working on a draft law on Disabled People, granting more benefits for the disabled while further specifying responsibilities of the State, families and society to create conditions for the disabled to enjoy these benefits.
The draft law requires enterprises to employ disabled people accounting for at least 2% of their workforce. Enterprises that fail to reach this ratio or operate in areas in which people with disabilities cannot participate would make contributions to an employment fund for disabled people.
Under the draft, people with disabilities would have equal rights like other members in the society and be entitled to state supports for their daily life, healthcare, functional rehabilitation, education, job training, use of public facilities and mass transit.
The State would buy health insurance for poor disabled people while those with serious disabilities would enjoy exemption from or reduction of medical treatment expenses at healthcare establishments. The State would also create conditions or provide supports for disabled people to participate in community- or family-based functional rehabilitation programs.
In order to create more educational opportunities for the disabled, the draft law stipulates that they would be given priority in school enrolment and, at the same time, entitled to exemption from or reduction of school fees and training costs and considered for grant of scholarships and other supports.
Once promulgated, the draft law would supersede the 1998 Ordinance on Disabled People.-