On May 27, 2022, the Public Defender’s Consultative Council for the Promotion, Protection and Monitoring of the Implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities held its 30^th meeting. Newly elected members of the Council participated in the meeting, which was chaired by Deputy Public Defender Ekaterine Skhiladze.

Irine Oboladze, Head of the Department of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of the Public Defender's Office, briefed the meeting participants on the measures implemented and planned in accordance with the Department's mandate, including awareness-raising and monitoring activities. Nino Valikova, Deputy Head of the Department of Persons with Disabilities, briefed the attendees on the Department’s draft action plan for 2022-2024.

The participants discussed issues relating to the rights situation of persons with disabilities, including: challenges relating to the deinstitutionalization process, the possibility of blind people to sign documents in an appropriate format within the framework of reasonable accommodation, problems with the realization of the right to inclusive education of blind and partially sighted schoolchildren, including access to educational resources, importance of raising public and private sector awareness of issues relating to persons with disabilities and strengthening the organizations of persons with disabilities.

The meeting of the Consultative Council was supported by the EU and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).