Concept Paper on

Social Integration of the People with Disabilities

Introduction
This concept paper establishes a unifed approach towards social integration of
the people with disabilities, and based on the analysis of existing problems, it
sets out major priorities of the state in the disability sphere, the guidelines and
action plans that will become the grounds for the state strategy and activities to
be implemented within its frameworks.
The concept of the social integration of the people with disabilities is based on:
the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted on
December 10, 1948, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Disabled
Persons, adopted on December 9, 1975, the United Nations Standard Rules for
Providing Equal Opportunities to the Disabled, adopted on December 20, 1993
(resolution 48/96); this Concept Paper also refects the main provisions of the
United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted
on December 13, 2006.

Chapter I
General Overview
According to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities, adopted on December 13, 2006, people with limited abilities are the
ones with long-term physical, psychic, mental or sensor-motoric disorder,
which, if interacted with various barriers, may hinder their full, effcient and
equal participation in civil life.1
The term ‘people with disabilities’ is conditional. Its interpretation depends on
particular conditions of existence of the disabled persons and/or on the nature
of activities to be implemented towards them.
The concept of ‘disability’ is a unity of attitudes of the society, civil institutions
and material environment, because of which the people with various physical,
psychic, mental or sensor-motoric disorders have no equal opportunities of
personal development and self-realization.

1
“In accordance with the law of Georgia on Social Protection of the People with Disabilities: ‘A person with
disabilities is the one whose body’s vital functions are disordered due to a disease, trauma, mental or physical
defect because of some degree of health disorders, which results in full or partial loss of professional labor skills,
or that substantially makes the life diffcult.”
The concept ‘disease/disorder’ is of medical nature and describes the objective
condition of the person in reference to the biology or physiology norms,
whereas ‘disability’ is a social phenomenon emerged on the grounds of this
disease/disorder, and its interpretation and boundaries are changing together
with the change of a particular social environment. Interpretation of this concept
also depends on a particular policy or activity that is implemented towards this
group of people; correspondingly, as a rule, various agencies/organizations
depend on various defnition of disability concept or the identifcation criteria.
According to the explanation provided above, disability as a social phenomenon
and as a subject of civil policy, possesses various aspects. Until now the
disability has been regarded as a medical problem in the light of state policy,
identifcation of which creates grounds for activating some mechanisms of social
protection – the disability pension and some fnancial allowances, also the
possibility to get certain type of medical services.
Other important aspects of disability are also important, such as rehabilitation of
the people with disabilities, for enabling them to better adjust to the existing
environment, and changing of physical, cultural and social environment so that
the people with disabilities can get involved in the civil life, fully enjoy all the
opportunities or services that are accessible to other citizens of the society.
Thus, the issues related to disability should be discussed from the viewpoint of
protection of human rights and freedoms, elimination of discrimination 2, social
access and equalization of opportunities, that requires not only provision of the
rights and legal interests of the persons with disabilities, but also
implementation of a targeted policy, and if needed, activation of the principle of
a ‘positive action’3.

Chapter II
Situation Analysis - Problems
It is necessary to protect basic rights and personal dignity of certain part of the
Georgian population, represented by the people with disabilities, to eliminate
the facts of discrimination and change their actual condition.

2
In accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of December 13, 2006,
“’Discrimination on the basis of disability’ means any distinction, exclusion or restriction on the basis of
disability which has the purpose or effect of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an
equal basis with others, of all human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social,
cultural, civil or any other feld. It includes all forms of discrimination, including denial of reasonable
accommodation.”
3
This principle implies not the restoration of formal equality as a temporary means in the environment of strong
discrimination, but granting some advantages as needed to the discriminated social groups for achieving actual
equality of rights.
Majority of the people with disabilities lacks the opportunity of personal
realization and ability to live a perfect life. Because of this they do not consider
themselves as full and independent members of the society. They develop the
syndrome of dependence on assistance, lack of initiative and pessimism. The
people with disabilities are characterized with little involvement in the civil and
political life and in the decision making process. This results in the alienation
between the people with disabilities and other members of the society,
fragmentation of the society and dehumanization.
The state incurs a signifcant economic loss, because the people with disabilities
cannot get involved in the economic life of the country and in labor
relationships, and the burden of providing for them is fully shared by the family,
society and the state, which is incompatible with the recognized norms of civil
co-habitation.
Following main problems exist in the disability feld:
a) State support to the issues related to the people with disabilities; the
legislation of Georgia on disability cannot meet the current
requirements; the inter-agency coordination is weak; activeness of local
governance bodies is low and their resources are scarce, and there is a
defcit of expert human resources in these bodies as well;
b) The information related to disability and the people with disabilities is
scarce and/or inadequate. There is no unifed database for collecting-
elaborating the statistical data regarding these issues;
c) Partnership and cooperation between the state and private sectors in
reference to the people with disabilities is underdeveloped. The
existing mechanism of state funding for service-providing
organizations is ineffcient.
d) The system of evaluation (status assignment) of disability level is
inadequate.
e) State and civil monitoring of the programs related to people with
disabilities is not carried out and/or is weak;
f) The degree of international cooperation is low; existing international
conventions and respective regulation existing in this feld are not
functional;
g) There are stereotypes, indifference and unawareness about disability
within the society. The society is underprepared for inclusion of the
disabled, and for perceiving the disability problem as a priority issue;
 h) Poverty and unemployment are especially widespread among the
disabled persons, the labor market is discriminative towards the
mentioned people;
i) There is no economic mechanism to support the provision of equal
opportunities for the people with disabilities;
j) Access to adequate preventive, rehabilitation and medical services,
artifcial limbs - orthopedic items and other special devices and means
is low;
k) Access to and quality of alternative services and home care are low;
l) There is a defcit of specialists working in the disability feld; there is no
special training for teachers, medical and other personnel.
m) The inclusive (pre-school, secondary, higher and vocational) education,
also vocational training and continuous education are generally
inaccessible.
n) The possibility of creative self-realization and access to other elements
of a normal life (sports, culture, and entertainment) are limited; the
paraolympic movement is not developed.
o) There is no accessible physical environment - relevant construction
norms are not observed; there is no possibility for the people with
disabilities to use other technical infrastructure (transport and various
communication facilities). In general, the mobility of the people with
disabilities and possibility of their social communication is limited.

Chapter III
Goals and Objectives
The paramount goal of the state policy in the disability sphere is to ensure equal
rights and opportunities for the people with disabilities that imply their full
involvement in the socio-economic development of the country, also in the
political and cultural life. The public beneft - physical or cultural environment,
living conditions, transport, social and healthcare services, education,
employment, sports and recreational opportunities - should be equally
accessible for everybody.
Considering all the above-mentioned, the objectives of the state policy in the
disability feld are:
 a. Provide conditions for a perfect life for the people with disabilities;
eliminate actual discrimination that exists in relation to them with the
purpose of creating the inclusive environment for them 4.
b. Provide conditions for the rehabilitation and habilitation of the people
with disabilities through providing respective education to them;
c. Arouse interest of the society and the decision makers – representatives of
central and local authorities, media and the business sector regarding the
disability issues, and to make them mobilized.

Chapter IV
Main Principles for Action
Main acting principles in the disability feld are following:
a) Coordination and information exchange among governmental
agencies, organizations representing the interests of the people with
disabilities and other interested parties should be improved;
b) A dialogue with the people with disabilities (and/or their
representatives) is needed so that they could participate in decision
making process; self-organization of the people with disabilities,
representation of their own interests by them should be promoted;
c) Civil monitoring should be introduced in the disability sphere
with a direct participation of the people with disabilities who have
acknowledged the possibilities for protecting their rights and legal
interests;
d) Sustainable results should be achieved as the result of
implementation of a targeted state policy on the grounds of activities
planned in advance;
e) It is necessary to plan activities based on the facts, evidences,
relevant information and research fndings; to obtain reliable
information and organize the analysis;
f) The targeted programs that are focused on the people with disabilities
should be integrated in the unifed state programs;

4
Inclusive environment is interpreted as a unity of physical, institutional and social conditions that provide
equal opportunity to the persons with disabilities to enjoy all the public benefts that implies access to all the
public places, also equal opportunities for participation in all the civil activities and events (cultural, sports,
political, etc.), and also equal opportunities for enjoy all types of information and communication channels.
 g) Programs in the disability feld should be elaborated on the
grounds of effective criteria of categorization5, considering the
particular policy, individual needs and provision with respective
resources;
h) In the process of providing equal opportunities to the people with
disabilities it is necessary to observe civil justice considering the
interests of other members of the society;
i) All the activities for ensuring equal opportunities for the people with
disabilities should be supported by effective economic mechanisms;
j) It is necessary to follow and observe gender equality, rights of the child
and universally recognized human rights and freedoms while
implementing any of the activities.

Chapter V
Prioritized Directions in the Disability Field
With the purpose of achieving the state policy goals and objectives in the
disability feld, it is necessary to plan and implement specifc activities
coherently, and utilize resources effciently. For this several priority directions
can be identifed:
α) Healthcare and social protection;
β) Creation of the accessible environment (adaptation of architectural,
communications and other barriers);
χ) Education;
δ) Employment;
ε) Creation of opportunities for self-realization (creativity, sports).
Within the frameworks of the priorities mentioned above, it is also possible to
defne whole series of secondary priorities, such as: the issues of disease
prevention; enhancement of transportation safety, introduction and maintenance
of labor safety regulations, etc.).
With the purpose of implementing the state policy in the disability feld it is
necessary:
5
Categorisation – a process which identifes and sorts out the people, things and idees. Categorisation implies
grouping of individual objects in categories according to some specifc purpose. Establishment of categories
takes place through conceptual description, and creation of the typical list of distinguishing criteria or features,
based on which the objects are classifed according to certain criteria. Categorisation is a fundamental operation
while planing or implementing any policy, if it is focysed on protecting the interests of specifc group of
population.
 a) To elaborate and implement targeted state policy and special programs;
It is necessary to activate a coordination body, ensure inter-agency coordination
and cooperation; introduce relevant approaches for protecting the human rights
and a social model in the disability feld; categorization of disability considering
the complexity of the PWD needs, programs to be implemented and the existing
resources as well. For planning and implementing the above mentioned, it is
necessary to exist a comprehensive information about disability, to perfect the
system for its collection and analysis; it is also needed to promote social
partnership, look for and introduce new mechanisms for funding this feld;
b) Development and training of professional human resources;
It is necessary to develop and train the specialists of various felds who work in
the disability feld;
c) Support to the local government and private sector
It is necessary to deepen the partnership between the public and private sectors
d) Economic activity, self-employment and vocational training
Discriminating elements should be eliminated in regards to employment of the
people with disabilities and mechanisms should be activated for promoting
their employment; in addition, systems of vocational education, training and
employment should be created for these people; self-employment of PWDs and
their participation in small business should be encouraged and supported;
e) Improvement of living conditions and social protection
Special targeted programs should be elaborated on the grounds of preliminary
study of PWD needs, and through them the quality of life and social condition
of these people should be improved;
f) Treatment and rehabilitation
Medical and psycho-social rehabilitation of PWDs is one of the major priorities
of the health care feld. It goes beyond the topic of disability and, thus, should
be refected in the respective health care strategy. Namely, it is necessary to
ensure access of PWDs to quality diagnostics and treatment, activation of special
programs, among them the mechanism for effective medical insurance and
vouchers, revision of the list of diseases treatment of which is funded by the
government, also, providing the PWDs with the high-quality prosthetic-
orthopedic devices, various types support, training or rehabilitation appliances
and means;
g) Access to service
Capacities of the needs of existing and potential services for PWDs should be
studied in details.
 h) Inclusive and special education
It is necessary to ensure planned development of the inclusive education
system, which includes all the categories of the children with disabilities and
implies training of the working personnel, also equipping the educational
facilities relevantly, and in case if there is no possibility for inclusion of certain
category of PWDs, ensuring home or distant learning for them;
i) Resident institutions and institutionalization
The conditions for the people at residential institutions should radically be
improved; a long-term PWD deinstitutionalization plan should be activated,
which will be based on the alternative models (family-type, etc.) and the
principle of freedom of choice; it is necessary to ensure effective social support
to a parent and a caregiver, also an adoptive family;
j) Access to physical environment
An accessible environment should be created for PWDs at public places. In
regards to creation an accessible physical environment, execution of current
legislative norms should be ensured;
k) Involvement in the public life
It is necessary to overcome information isolation of PWDs by ensuring the
optimal use of existing technologies and communication facilities, namely, usage
of sign language for the people with hearing problems in mass electronic media
and at public place, wide-scale introduction of Braille system and its analogous
for the blind (publishing of books, magazines and newspapers, etc.), providing
the people with disabilities with the means for moving independently (vehicle,
wheel-chair, prosthetic-orthopedic devices), also inclusion of PWDs in the civil
life, support to their participation in public activities, organization of special
activities (sports competitions), support to arrangement of paraolympic
movement;
l) Public awareness
Current signifcance of the disability issue should adequately be refected in
mass media, attention should be paid to the usage of proper terminology related
to disability. It is necessary to organize public and professional discussions
regarding this issue, also organize seminars and conferences and have their
coverage by mass media.

Chapter VI
Implementation and Monitoring of the State Strategy
1. For meeting the objects set in the state strategy, the Government of
Georgia – respective ministries and public sub-agency institutions will
develop programs and implement them with the participation of
international donor organization and the public sector as well.
International, governmental and non-governmental organizations
(institutions) should actively be involved in implementation of these
programs and in their fnancial and technical support.
2. For implementing the state strategy it is reasonable to create a
coordination council which will have the following functions:
a) coordination of implementation of the unifed state policy of Georgia
in the disability feld;
b) Monitoring, evaluations, supervision and coordination of
implementation of state programs in the disability feld;
c) Review of legislative proposals and legislative initiatives in the
disability feld according to the determined rule, with the purpose of
submitting them to the Parliament of Georgia.
3. Statutes of the Coordination Council shall be developed by the
Government of Georgia.
4. Main condition for successful implementation of state programs in the
disability feld is to elaborate an action plan, which would refect the
budgetary and non-budgetary funds and other resources as well.
5. As the result of monitoring the implementation of the state strategy, the
effectiveness of planned activities will be assessed annually, and the state
strategy will be reviewed-updated.
6. Much signifcance is given to the participation of PWDs (and/or their
representatives), also other members of the society in the implementation
and state strategy and its monitoring process, also to transparency of their
activities.