A meeting was held at the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population with Adam Kosa, President of the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf, and Iosif Stavrakakis, President of the European Deaf Sports Organization.
At the meeting, Minister of Labour and Social Protection of Population Anar Aliyev, provided information on the efforts in Azerbaijan toward social protection and rehabilitation of persons with disabilities, support for their integration into society, and the development of their creative potential in an inclusive environment.
It was noted that a portion of these individuals are persons with hearing impairments and that they are also covered by social support measures. It was mentioned that the number of rehabilitation tools provided free of charge to persons with disabilities by the state budget has increased nearly fourfold in recent years, reaching 130 types. Among these are several rehabilitation tools for persons with hearing impairments.
It was also highlighted that a draft law aimed at the official recognition of sign language as a means of communication is currently at the discussion stage in parliament.
The continuous expansion and significant development of the Paralympic movement in Azerbaijan, as well as the notable victories of our athletes at the Paralympic Games, were discussed. It was noted that in 2023, the Azerbaijan Deaflympic Committee was established to enhance the integration opportunities of persons with hearing impairments into society through sports. Close cooperation has been established between the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population and the Azerbaijan Deaflympic Committee. Since its establishment, the Ministry has supported the Committee’s activities, including allocating spaces for organizing sign language courses.
It was emphasized that support measures for the development of the Deaflympic movement will continue in the coming period.
A.Kosa and I.Stavrakakis highly appreciated the consistent efforts in Azerbaijan in the social protection, rehabilitation, and integration into society of persons with disabilities and persons with hearing impairments, as well as the successes of the Paralympic movement.
Work carried out in the development of the Deaflympic movement in our country and future cooperation with the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf and the European Deaf Sports Organization in this field were discussed.
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