Justice Ministry announces revolution in greater access for disabled to public services

New regulations for improving access to public services for disabled persons are going into effect.

By YONAH JEREMY BOB
A man in a wheelchair [Illustrative]. (photo credit: Carlos Jasso/Reuters)
A man in a wheelchair [Illustrative].
(photo credit: Carlos Jasso/Reuters)
The Justice Ministry on Sunday announced that in the coming days, new regulations for improving access to public services for disabled persons will go into effect.
The regulations require a wide-range of purchasing and implementing new equipment and policies so that persons with a variety of disabilities, such as the blind and the deaf, will be able to independently access information through braille, a tactile writing system, or special hearing devices.
The new regulations were passed by the 18th Knesset and apply to all government offices, other public bodies and certain private sector services. All offices for which the regulations apply have six months to update their policies.
Shmuel Haimovich, deputy director for national access to the disabled, said, “The entering into force of the new regulations in the coming days continues the revolution which we are leading in the area of access for the disabled” and provides new solutions to the “large diverse group of persons with disabilities.”
He added that the regulations “are among the most advanced in the world and because of them, disabled persons will be able to benefit from improved access to public services.”
Haimovich also said that the regulations obligate all offices to modify their operations to make them accessible to disabled persons “in times of emergency.” The Knesset granted to his office wide-ranging authority to oversee and enforce the regulations to guarantee they are implemented, said Haimovich.