The Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Everyday Operations
The Law of Georgia on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities imposes accessibility standards not only on state authorities but on every public and private organization. Its individual articles regulate independent living, work and employment, access to justice, and the obligations of administrative bodies. For an organization this means that a compliance package must combine the physical environment, services, information and staff training — otherwise there is a risk of both legal liability and reputational damage.
The foundation of the law is the principle of independent living: the state promotes the full participation of persons with disabilities in all spheres of public life, on an equal basis with others, as well as access to various support services, publicly used facilities and means of communication. The law understands communication broadly, covering language, displayed text, Braille, tactile communication, large print, accessible multimedia, written or audio means, easy language, a reader, augmentative and alternative methods, means and formats of communication, including accessible information and communication technologies.
Independent Living and the Areas of Accessibility
The law defines the directions in which accessibility must be ensured. Competent authorities, within their competence, develop and introduce the services, standards and regulations needed for independent living, so that practical barriers, obstacles and stereotypes are removed. The law also protects freedom of personal choice: a person with disabilities has the right to choose their own place of residence, and forcing them to live in a specially allocated place is prohibited unless conditioned by a necessity provided for by Georgian legislation or by the specifics of the penitentiary system. The inviolability of private and family life is likewise protected — arbitrary or unlawful interference in correspondence and other communication is forbidden.
The areas of accessibility on which the law focuses include:
- use of the personal assistant service;
- use of assistive means necessary for independent living;
- access to information, support and consultation;
- equal participation in the social, cultural, sporting, economic and political life of the country;
- equal accessibility of the physical environment, buildings, roads, transport, information, housing, medical facilities, the workplace and communication technologies and systems;
- compliance with accessibility standards for public facilities, state institutions and other services.
Personal data protection is part of this process: for the purposes of independent living, data are processed in accordance with the requirements of the Law on Personal Data Protection. In cooperation, an organization must know that transferring the data of a person with disabilities to another person is possible only for the receipt of the corresponding benefit and on a proper legal basis.
Work and Employment
In the sphere of labour, the law obliges the state to promote the employment of persons with disabilities in the open labour market, under conditions equal to others, including through the use of temporary special measures. In contractual and pre-contractual employment relations, the equal right to just and favourable conditions of work, to a safe and healthy working environment, and to protection from forced labour and discrimination is protected.
Employment programmes embrace the promotion of self-employment and the organization of one’s own entrepreneurial activity. Employment in the public and private sectors is promoted through action plans that may include preferential mechanisms for employers, special training and retraining of the person, adaptation of the environment, financial support of employer-initiated programmes and other benefits. In the public sector, the Administration of the Government ensures the accessibility of the services it administers. For an employer this means that workplace adaptation and staff preparation is a process compatible not only with risk reduction but also with state support instruments.