The discussion on the proposed law submitted by the EDEK Member of Parliament Andreas Apostolou begins in the Transportation Committee of the Parliament. The law suggests an increase in fines for those who illegally park in spaces designated for people with disabilities.
Specifically, according to the proposed law, if someone illegally parks in a disabled (accessible) parking space for the first time, the fine increases from €300 to €500. However, in case a person repeats the offense, a fine will not be issued, but the individual will be subject to prosecution under the provisions of the Motor Vehicles and Traffic Regulations, which stipulate that anyone violating them is guilty of an offense and is subject to imprisonment for up to one year and/or a fine of €1,708.
In the rationale of the proposed law, Mr. Apostolou states that “the modification is deemed necessary for the strict enforcement of the legal framework, in order to address problems related to the right of unhindered movement of persons with disabilities, which is a fundamental prerequisite for their participation in public life. There is an increase in the phenomenon of vehicle parking in spaces designated for disabled individuals by unauthorized persons.”
Apostolos: We need to also consider the issue of inspections by the police.
Andreas Apostolou stated: “I consider the current framework regarding checks and complaints about these violations to be inadequate. Organizations for people with disabilities, who have been invited to and will participate in today’s session, agree with me. The phenomenon of individuals illegally parking in these spaces is unfortunately observed very often, even in vital services such as hospitals. It is unacceptable for people with disabilities or parents with disabled children not to find parking spaces because of some irresponsible individuals who do not have the right to park.”
“We must note, however, that besides increasing fines, we also need to consider the checks conducted by the police. It seems that the checks are inadequate. We will try in Parliament to do what we can, to change the framework for penalties. At the same time, other measures need to be examined and implemented so that checks are increased and become more effective. That’s why we invited the police to participate in the discussion for a broader conversation. I contacted the Minister of Transportation, who supports the proposal I submitted. I believe there will be a good discussion to examine what we can do about this serious issue.”
The President of the Organization of Paraplegics in Cyprus, Dimitris Lambrianidis, stated regarding the issue: “The proposed law is in the right direction. However, as an organization, we consider it necessary to increase supervision by both the police and traffic wardens because the main problem is inadequate monitoring. People feel that they will not be punished, so they easily park illegally in disabled parking spaces.”
The Government attaches great importance to the reports of the Commissioner for Administration, said the President of the Republic. Mrs. Lottides emphasized that the reports record an increase in citizens’ complaints regarding allowance issues.
President of the Republic, Mr. Nikos Christodoulidis, received today, at the Presidential Palace, the annual reports for 2021 and 2022 from the Commissioner for Administration and the Protection of Human Rights, Mrs. Maria Stylianou Lottides.
Delivering her reports, Mrs. Lottides said, among other things, that “on the cover of the annual report for 2022, we have our evaluation from the United Nations with an A status, something that was facilitated by the change in the Commissioner’s appointment process.”
She added that she also submits separate reports from the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Body and the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture, which fall under the Commissioner’s responsibilities.
Mrs. Lottides pointed out that the reports highlight an increase in citizens’ complaints about allowances, adding that personnel issues are somewhat overshadowed compared to disability issues, while regarding discrimination, there are not many cases except for issues related to disabilities.
On his part, the President of the Republic said that the Government attaches great importance to both the Commissioner’s reports and the responsibilities of her office as they concern one of the most important issues, human rights.
He added, “It is very natural for the majority of complaints to relate to allowances, generally social policies that are of particular importance to us. And that is why I often say that a responsible fiscal policy is one that will allow us to respond to the demands of society, the complaints of which I fully understand.”
And it is for this reason that I often say that a responsible fiscal policy is the one that will allow us to respond to the demands of society, to the complaints that are made, most of which I completely understand”.
He added that the Government sees non-governmental organizations as collaborators, considering that in many cases, the requests they submit are entirely justified.
The President of the Republic pointed out, as an example, that “recently, for example, I had a meeting with organized groups of disabled people, and one of the issues we discussed, and I even decided to proceed immediately with a public consultation starting on January 15, so that we can immediately promote legislation in the Parliament, concerns the allowance policy, as well as the fact that there is no unified legislation for the disabled.
You understand that this is a distortion, and for this reason, the issues you deal with are of particular importance to us, and in this context, we will study the reports with the due significance.”
The expulsion of a 13-year-old person with a disability from Agia Triada beach in Paralimni is being reported by their parents.
According to a complaint they sent to Commissioners and relevant authorities, which is also held by “F,” a few days ago, they visited the beach, and there, for an insignificant and unreasonable reason as they describe it, the person responsible for their sunbeds and umbrellas verbally and physically attacked them, threatened them, and forced them to leave.
“We are a family of five, and our eldest son, aged 13, has disabilities. On 23/08/23, we visited Agia Triada beach around 12:00, which was crowded. There was only one available beach chair for disabled individuals, which we moved slightly to the left to be able to get our 13-year-old into the water. While the father was swimming with his three children, he noticed that there was a disturbance on the shore.”
The municipal official shouted, stating that the sunbeds could not be moved. Ignoring the explanations from the mother, he demanded that they move their belongings since they couldn’t use the sunbed anymore. He grabbed the sunbed and hit it on the ground.
The father, thinking it was a misunderstanding, tried to talk to the municipal worker, who continued to shout. ‘I presented the reasons why we needed the sunbed, but he remained stubborn and kept diverting. Due to his behavior and considering my family, I decided to leave. This man started to follow me. He yelled and continuously threatened that he would hit me if I dared to touch any sunbed. When I approached my family, he grabbed my left arm and attempted to push me twice. I pushed my hand away, stating that he had no right to touch me. He replied that he didn’t care if he lost his job or faced consequences because he would hit me.’
The other two children, aged 11 and 5, began to cry and asked to leave. The family called the police, who arrived at the scene and took statements.
On the other hand, the Mayor of Paralimni, Theodoros Pyrillis, informed ‘F’ that he would personally investigate the complaint. If any wrongdoing has occurred, he stated that the appropriate measures would be taken.”
On October 25, 2023, the event organized by Ablebook took place at Radisson Blu Larnaka, highlighting the importance of Accessible Tourism in Cyprus and especially the necessity of accessibility for the disabled in the hotel units of Cyprus.
Important topics were presented during the conference, including:
Analysis of the challenges facing the hotel sector in terms of accessibility and needs of PWDs and “How Ablebook app contributes to PWD Tourism” by Ablebook CBO Symeon Stylianou.
Presentation of specialized equipment by Mr. Marco Ragno, Export Manager of Ponte Giulio.
Presentation of practical experience as a tourist with a disability by Rafaela Miltiadou, Marketing Manager of Altamira Real Estate.
The CEO and founder of Ablebook, Andreas Vassiliou, the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Mr. Kostas Koumis, the Mayor of Larnaca, Mr. Andreas Vyras, and the President of PASYXE Larnaca, Mr. Marios Polyviou, delivered greetings at the conference.
The event would not be possible without the generous support of its sponsors, including major sponsor doValue Cyprus, Radisson Blu Hotel, as well as sponsors Ygia Polyclinic Private Hospital, Chooseyourcyprus, BauTech Systems, as well as Reisswolf supporters, Harris Kyriakides Law Firm and Shikkis Bros Ltd.
With great joy and pride, we announce the awarding of Andreas Vasileiou, CEO & Founder of Ablebook, by KEBE (Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry) as part of the New Entrepreneurs Awards “YOUNG ENTERPRISING” in the category of “Social Contribution” for the year 2023
The New Entrepreneurs Awards are presented by KEBE in collaboration with the magazine “Thessaloniki Events,” with the aim of promoting and showcasing youth entrepreneurship and integrating young entrepreneurs into a global network, with a focus on merit-based evaluation.
The award ceremony took place under the auspices of the Presidency of Parliament, Mrs. Annita Demetriou, at the administration building of the Hellenic Bank, in the P. Paschalis Hall. This award recognizes the dedicated contribution of Ablebook to the field of social contribution and the creation of a more accessible and inclusive community.
Ablebook started with a vision, the vision of a community where everyone, regardless of difficulties and disabilities, can fully participate in life and enjoy its riches. Through our platform, we provide access to information and services that facilitate the daily lives of people with disabilities.
This award strengthens our determination to continue our work towards realizing our vision. We would like to express our gratitude to our team at Ablebook, our partners, all those who supported us on this journey, and the KEBE committee for selecting us for this award.
Our work continues, and this recognition gives us even more energy and commitment to move forward in the direction of realizing our vision. We sincerely thank you for this honor and look forward to continuing to work for a world that is accessible to all.
Marios, a high school student who suffers, among other things, from spastic diplegia cerebral palsy, is fighting alongside his family for a better quality of education, as three weeks after the start of the school year, the Ministry of Education has not secured a school escort due to a lack of funding.
Ablebook is an application that provides information and services related to the accessibility of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in urban centers and villages across Cyprus. Through the application, users can find information about accessible locations, view photos of these places, communicate with businesses, and report issues they encounter in a particular location. Additionally, the application includes information about public parking spaces for PWDs throughout Cyprus.
Ablebook is an application that provides information and services related to the accessibility of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in urban centers and villages across Cyprus. Through the application, users can find information about accessible locations, view photos of these places, communicate with businesses, and report issues they encounter in a particular location. Additionally, the application includes information about public parking spaces for PWDs throughout Cyprus.
The first feature of Ablebook is an interactive map that allows users to select their desired destination, showing them the most accessible route. They can also view available accessibility facilities at each location through photos and directly communicate with businesses in case of need.
The second feature, known as Ablecard, is a membership card exclusively for people with disabilities. Through this card, users can enjoy additional privileges at businesses collaborating with Ablebook, such as discounts and special offers.
The third feature of the application, the Kids section, provides information about accessible spaces where children with disabilities can engage in sports and various activities.
The last available feature is the Ablebook Portal, which allows businesses and municipal authorities to manage their locations within the application and update their content. This ensures that accessibility information is always up-to-date and compliant with standard specifications.
The collaboration between Ablebook and Metropolis Mall is a step towards creating a society of equality and inclusion. With the accessible facilities and services offered, Metropolis Mall sets an example for other businesses to follow, making our community more accessible for everyone.
The strong concern and anxiety have been raised regarding what was heard in front of the Parliament, concerning the way and means of transporting children with disabilities. There were reports of a disabled wheelchair being tied with a rope inside a bus that was transporting students to and from school. Furthermore, the absence of clear legislation was presented as the perfect excuse for government services to justify the unjustifiable.
The Human Rights Committee, in response to a letter from Kostas Groutidis in which he explained the ordeal his son went through to attend school trips with his classmates during the previous school year, opened the issue of violations against children with disabilities within school units.
Mr. Groutidis mentioned in his letter that during the first school trip of the previous school year, the children were transported by a bus with only one seat for a wheelchair, but there were two children, resulting in his son being tied incorrectly and, during a sudden stop, falling off the seat. As for the second school trip, Mr. Groutidis did not allow his child to board the bus, as there was no room for two children, ultimately transporting him to the excursion location himself. A location that was not accessible.
The problems with the transportation of children with disabilities have also been highlighted by the President of the Association “Agalia Elpida,” Youla Pitsiali, who stated that this issue should have been discussed for years. She explained that the first violation against these children is the violation of their right to access education since, as she pointed out, these children are subjected to an evaluation by third parties to decide, without the children’s and their families’ input, whether they should be placed in mainstream classes or not. “They prohibit access to the classrooms, and we let it happen because there is no legislation. Then parents are discouraged from sending their children to school because they are told that they will be mocked, that there are no examination essays, and we let them be bullied.”
Mr. Augustinos expressed his dismay at the lack of legislation to address these specific issues and called on the Parliament to take action, emphasizing that it is time for decisions to be made and initiatives to be taken.
On her part, the President of the Association “Agalia Elpida,” Youla Pitsiali, in her statement, mentioned that this issue should have been discussed for years. She explained that the first violation against these children is their exclusion from education since, as she pointed out, these children are subjected to evaluations by third parties to decide, without the children’s and their families’ input, whether they should be placed in mainstream classes or not. “They prohibit access to the classrooms, and we let it happen because there is no legislation. Then parents are discouraged from sending their children to school because they are told that they will be mocked, that there are no examination essays, and we let them be bullied.”
Regarding the issues with buses, Ms. Pitsiali noted that it has been a problem for years, and in 2017, with the initiative of the then-president of the Federation of Parents of Municipal Education, Morfaki Solomonides, a program for accessible buses was implemented because there were no buses to meet the needs, and parents had to pay. As she pointed out, the company that won the bid stated that it was at the disposal of the schools to provide buses for children with disabilities for two years, during which the pilot program was implemented, and there were no major problems and significant benefits were realized. “All students were transported together in large buses. We don’t want the children to be transported in small buses but in large ones. The program was stopped, and it didn’t proceed. The Ministry of Education should tell us why it was stopped. For five years now, we have been saying that there should be legislation for inclusive education.”
Taking the floor, the President of the Cyprus Confederation of Organizations of the Disabled (CCOD), Christakis Nicolaides, noted that they have submitted a memorandum regarding the inequalities faced by children with disabilities in all areas. He emphasized that there are laws and regulations for mass transportation, both public and private, that must be accessible. “The specifications exist, and there are EU specifications. Refusing to accept that there is a problem and that there are ways to solve it will not help. From July until now, we have had 70 complaints. There was a case where a child was not granted a ramp to enter his home, and the Court ruled in favor of the child. There are complaints about the transportation of children; in Paphos, they left children with autism at school and did not take them on the excursion.”
The Response of the Ministry of Transportation
In response to what Mr. Groutidis reported, Mr. Andreas Nikiforou, the Head of the Directorate of Public Passenger Transport and Senior Officer of Public Transport at the Ministry of Transportation, emphasized that it was the first time he had heard about what Mr. Groutidis mentioned. He clarified that this was a school trip and not public transportation. He stated, “We are talking about a private company that has a contract with the school and the principal. Understanding that the vehicle was legal, it had passed the MOT (Motor Vehicle Inspection). The vehicle was suitable, but it did not have an extra seat for the second wheelchair.”
Mr. Nikiforou pointed out that during the contract negotiation, the school’s management should have requested a vehicle with a second seat or asked for a second vehicle. He also emphasized that it was the responsibility of the school’s management to document the needs. He further mentioned a meeting that took place at the Ministry of Transportation the previous week, during which it was decided to create a list of essential safety documents that companies must have for buses.
Statements from Educators and Parents
Taking the floor, Mr. Dimitris Taliadoros, the President of OELMEK (Secondary Education Teachers’ Federation), highlighted that requests for transportation services are made by the school’s management at the beginning of the school year, taking into account the needs of each unit. He noted that there are special buses for excursions. Regarding the responsibility of school administrations, Mr. Taliadoros pointed out that they do not have the specifications for vehicles; only the companies do, and they provide quotations.
“In the past, the police used to conduct inspections, but now the responsibility lies with the schools. What do the schools check? Whether the vehicles have permits, have passed inspections, and are safe.”
On her part, Ms. Myria Vasileiou, the President of POED (Pan-Cyprian Parents’ Association), suggested that at the beginning of the school year, contacts are made with bus companies to find the best solution and that the company is informed if there are children with disabilities. Regarding specifications and criteria, her response was emphatic.
“Our diplomas say ‘teacher,’ not ‘engineer’ or ‘police officer.’ It is not our responsibility to inspect vehicles; we do not have the knowledge.”
In his statement, Mr. Loizos Konstantinou, the President of the Federation of Parents of Secondary Education, noted that their position is firm. “The right to education is equal for all children, and the state should provide it.”
Regarding buses, Mr. Konstantinou emphasized the need to create a registry for school buses to ensure order. He also stressed the importance of creating the list immediately, so schools know what to request from the companies.
A quadriplegic in the USA managed to regain some of the movements and sensations in his upper limbs through a new restoration method based on artificial intelligence.
Keith Thomas, who was confined to a wheelchair after an accident, has regained sensation and movement in his hand and arm after several years, thanks to Artificial Intelligence.
The man had broken his neck in an accident in the pool three years ago, which left him paralyzed from the neck down.
The surgery lasted for 15 hours and took place last March. Doctors implanted five microchips in his brain, and with the assistance of artificial intelligence, his brain successfully connected to his spinal cord and the rest of his body.
This unprecedented surgical intervention required Thomas to be awake for a part of the procedure, allowing him to regain the sensation in his thumb and index finger.
The success of the surgery has made him a true pioneer in paralysis treatment. His ability to move has significantly improved, offering hope for a better future to his loved ones. Moreover, this achievement holds promises for an estimated 100 million people worldwide who suffer from paralysis.
The team at Northwell Health, led by Chad Bouton from the Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, played a crucial role in Thomas’s recovery. Their work has paved the way for possibilities and further prospects in the field of paralysis treatment.
Starting from September, the ‘Ygeia’ Polyclinic will join the GHS (General Health System) – How private Diagnostic and Therapeutic Centers (DTCs) will assist in the decongestion of public hospitals – Andreas Papakonstantinou elaborates on the plan being initiated by the GHS in the Off The Record Podcast.
The agreement for the integration of the ‘Ygeia’ Polyclinic into the GHS (General Health System) has been definitively sealed, and starting from September, beneficiaries of the System will have access to inpatient health care services and the First Aid Department of the private hospital.
Specifically, Andreas Papakonstantinou, the Director of the Health Insurance Organization (HIO), revealed in the Off The Record Podcast by Cyprus Times that HIO has reached an agreement with the ‘Ygeia’ Polyclinic. He also clarified that the signatures have not yet been formalized, but this is now a procedural matter.
Furthermore, he explained that based on the planning, the private hospital will commence providing its services from September 1st, or if there’s any delay, it will occur 15 days later, in mid-September.
Mr. Papakonstantinou also indicated that the First Aid Department of the ‘Ygeia’ Polyclinic will also be integrated into the GHS.
How Private TAEK (Emergency Admission Units) Will Help in Decongesting Public Hospitals
Moving forward, Mr. Papakonstantinou discussed the plan initiated by HIO to decongest the TAEK units of public hospitals, allowing for emergency cases to also be redirected to private hospitals.
“This is why we proceeded with the integration of ‘Ygeia’,” he explained, further adding that “Mediterranean Hospital is already operating within the GHS and offering First Aid services. We will also include Apollonion Hospital (its TAEK unit will join the System in September), Evangelismos in Paphos, and St. Raphael in Larnaca. A mechanism will be established where the patient can choose any TAEK unit.”
He also pointed out that each TAEK unit, due to its specific payment arrangement, will be required to maintain both beds and the medical team necessary to handle these cases. In cases where a TAEK unit cannot attend to a certain incident, it will be accountable to the Organization – as records are kept – and an instruction will be provided to refer the case to specific TAEK units. “There will be these safety networks,” emphasized Mr. Papakonstantinou.”
Source: Cyprus Times
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