Strengthening the Rights of People with Disabilities in Albania

In order to decrease acts of discrimination against people with disabilities the Albanian Disability Rights Foundation, ADRF, and Civil Rights Defenders will provide free legal aid and enhance awareness of human rights for people with disabilities, their family members and relevant stakeholders.

We will also monitor, and make public human rights violations against people with disabilities, and advance necessary policy, legal and administrative reforms through lobby initiatives at different political levels. One specific part of the work in 2010 will be to monitor courts on different levels in regard to accessibility of court buildings for people with disabilities and in regard to accessibility of information for deaf and blind.

This will result in a report to be used for improving legislation and enforcing proper implementation of existing regulations. The monitoring report will be presented at a national conference in the autumn.

Through assistance from Civil Rights Defenders one lawyer of the organisation will participate in a two weeks course on mental disability law in practice organized by Mental Disability Advocacy Center.

Albanian Disability Rights Foundation started its activities in 1994 as Oxfam Disability Unit but is registered as a local foundation since 1996. Today active in the whole of Albania, they offer legal aid to people with disabilities and their families, and campaign for the improvement and implementation of disability legislation. In addition they organise awareness campaigns using different media to inform the society about the human rights situation of persons with disabilities.