‘We have nothing to celebrate’
Disabled people demand change on ‘World Disability Week’
THE Cyprus Turkish Disabled People’s Federation (KTEF) has issued a list of 15 demands to the government to improve the lives of disabled people.
The list was released at a press conference held by the federation on Wednesday to mark “World Disability Week”.
The demands drew attention to the problems faced by more than 6,000 people in the TRNC, and included the immediate establishment of a government “Disability Department” to solve the general problems of disabled people; the immediate approval of a Special Education Bill; ensuring that at least four per cent of those employed by the state are disabled people; providing cash assistance at minimum wage level to those physically unable to work; paying carers of disabled people the minimum wage, regardless of their financial situation; exemptions from water, electricity, and telephone bills for disabled people; and the construction of a holiday village for disabled people in Karakum.
KTEF president Derviş Yücetürk, speaking at the press conference, said that there is “nothing to celebrate” in World Disability Week in North Cyprus.
“Our people are in distress due to political and economic problems,” he said. “Our disabled community is in much more trouble.”
He also expressed his satisfaction that the KTEF has finally been approved and registered by the government, and said that although the current amount is insufficient, he was pleased that a total of 5,000 people are currently receiving financial aid.
Refia Arı, head of the Disabled Families’ Solidarity Association, also spoke at the press conference.
She expressed her disappointment that disabled people are “only remembered on occasions such as World Disability Week”.
She lamented the fact that the “early diagnosis of disabilities is still not possible in this country”, and that therefore disabled people are put at a disadvantage from an early age.
She also said that she had received training abroad regarding the education of disabled people at home as part of a bicommunal project, but that the National Education Ministry refused to allow her and her team to commence voluntary work in North Cyprus.
Ms Arı also pointed out that there is no specifically designed place to live in North Cyprus for disabled people whose families have passed away and are unable to care for themselves.
She noted that such disabled people are often forced to stay in either the Lapta care home or the Barış mental health and wellbeing hospital, which is “not right” for their needs.
Melek Çaluda, president of the Association for Mentally Disabled People, stated that families of disabled children need social and psychological counselling services and that these services are not available in the TRNC.
Ms Çaluda noted that when both of a disabled person’s parents die, the disabled person is entitled to half of their father’s salary, but that this is “simply not enough” given the current state of the country’s economy, and that more can be done.