On June 14, Georgia marks the National Day of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the purpose of which is to raise public awareness of persons with disabilities and promote the realization of their rights.

Despite the rights guaranteed by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and national legislation, persons with disabilities still face a number of challenges in Georgia. Among them are the delayed process of implementation of the biopsychosocial model of determination of disability status, access to continuous and quality inclusive education, employment in the open labour market, physical accessibility, access to services, information and communications. The realization of the right of persons with disabilities to participate in public and political life is also problematic.

The lack of services that promote independent living and individualized support for persons with disabilities is worth highlighting. There are still no necessary rehabilitation programmes for adult persons with disabilities. It is also noteworthy that children with disabilities are not considered a target group of the state programme for personal assistants.

The country still faces acute challenges in terms of realizing the right to mental health. Conditions in most psychiatric institutions fail to ensure protection of the rights of patients placed there or provision of a therapeutic approach for them.

Considering all of the above, the Public Defender of Georgia plans to prepare several special reports in thematic areas this year.