Penza, 24 January 2012. PenzaNews. Public prosecutors of the Penza region revealed over 980 violations of the rights of persons with disabilities, the elderly and other socially vulnerable categories of citizens in 2011.

“Over 400 lawsuits for the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities, the elderly and other socially vulnerable categories of citizens were submitted to courts. Public prosecutors elicited the facts of a lack of unimpeded access by persons with disabilities to such objects of social infrastructure as local self-government bodies, public authorities, and municipal educational institutions,” Tatyana Ostrovskaya, senior assistant to the public prosecutor of the Penza region, explained in an interview with news agency PenzaNews.

She also noted that visually impaired persons were not provided with periodicals, science books, teaching methodology and reference materials, and fiction books available on tape recordings and in Braille.

“In 2011 several persons with disabilities were refused employment because of a lack of jobs. Besides, parking lots for special vehicles of persons with disabilities were not designated and allocated. Violations of the rights of citizens with disabilities to be provided with medicinal care and rehabilitation aids were also recorded,” the interlocutor of the agency said.

In her words, the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the region followed up on all confirmed cases of the rights violations by ordering that heads of municipal bodies and other organizations eliminate violations of legislation and initiating several cases on administrative offences.

“After examination of the cases those found guilty have faced responsibility established by the law,” Tatyana Ostrovskaya stressed.