The Republic of Azerbaijan has joined the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities with Law No.686-IIIQ of October 2, 2008. Article 16 (“Ensuring access to cultural and sports facilities for persons with disabilities”) of the Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (No.1153-VQ of May 31, 2018) obliges relevant executive authorities to ensure that cultural institutions and sports facilities are accessible to persons with disabilities. According to Article 14 of the Law on Culture (No.506-IVQ of 21 December 2012), which pertains to the right to use cultural institutions and cultural values, persons with disabilities are entitled to preferential access to cultural values.
Public organisations for the disabled and children with disabilities are exempt from paying rent for buildings used for cultural clubs, houses of culture, and libraries.
According to the State Statistics Committee, as of the beginning of 2023, the total number of persons with disabilities receiving pensions or benefits was 488,774, of which 46,654 were children under 18 years old with limited health.
The Comprehensive Program on the Problems of the Disabled in the Republic of Azerbaijan (No.185 of May 10, 1994) has been assigned to provide relevant jobs in various clubs and cultural centres for visually impaired or children with disabilities of groups I and II with special music education; to organise departments for blind readers at the central libraries in the cities; to strengthen the offices of the Azerbaijan Deaf Society in the relevant houses of culture; to hold regular holidays, concerts and performances, and other activities for children with disabilities; to provide free access to all museums for members of communities with disabilities, et cetera.
To ensure the cultural rights of persons with disabilities, wheelchairs and lifts have been installed in the Heydar Aliyev Palace, the Azerbaijan State Academic National Drama Theatre, the Azerbaijan State Puppet Theatre, the Azerbaijan State Russian Drama Theatre, the Azerbaijan State Theatre for Young Spectators, and many other major cultural institutions.
In 2016, the Azerbaijan National Library developed a methodological manual entitled “Organization of Library Services for People with Disabilities” to ensure equal access to cultural life for people with disabilities.
The Republican Library for the Visually Impaired annually copies new books included in the library’s fund in the recording studio. It makes them available to visually impaired readers living in the country’s regions. In addition, the library has been equipped with modern technical equipment; all computers have been loaded with a program called “Jaws” for the visually impaired. At the same time, the library organises training courses for the middle and older generation of readers in the new Latin script, Braille.
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