countries - Cyprus

The information contained on this page was compiled in April 2009 by our country team.

Contact:
Helen Phtiaka and Simoni Symeonidou
University of Cyprus
Email: Helen@ucy.ac.cy
www.ucy.ac.cy

The full text can be downloaded here.

The key national bodies with responsibility for disability law and policy implementation include:

Service for the Care and Rehabilitation of Disabled People (YMA) is a government service that works under the authority of the Ministry of Labour. It co-ordinates disability issues and offers specialized services to disabled people in the fields of vocational rehabilitation and social integration.

Cyprus has signed the United Nations Convention and the Optional Protocol.

Important national laws, policies and strategies concerning disabled people include:
Persons with Disabilities Act 127(Ι) του 2000 establishes disabled people's rights to non-discrimination in all areas of life and emphasises their rights for independent living, social inclusion and equal participation.

Key features of the national system include (including adapted items from the MISSOC database December 2008):

Disability benefits

The most important disability benefits are:

Severe Mobility Impairment Benefit: This scheme is in force since 1992 and it is addressed to paraplegic and quadriplegic persons. It is a monthly allowance, which at the end of 2007 was CY£ 172.92. This amount is subject to changes every six months, according to the cost-of-living index.

Data on population indicate that:

There is no official data on the population of disabled people in Cyprus.

Data on employment indicate that:

According to the 2007 Annual Report (Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance, 2007), in 2007 about 4.3% of disabled people were employed in the protogenic sector (i.e. agriculture), 22.7% in the secondary sector (i.e. industry) and 73% in the tertiary sector (i.e. services).

There is no dedicated academic network on disability research but the Cypriot Association of Inclusive Education (ΚΟΕΕ) provides opportunities for networking amongst researchers, university students, practitioners and parents. It holds a series of eight seminars every year and holds a day conference ever two years.

The national organisation representing disabled people at the European level (European Disability Forum) is:

The Cyprus Confederation of Organisations of the Disabled (ccod-kysoa@cytanet.com.cy) which represents all disabled people's organisations in Cyprus.

Useful sources of more detailed information about the situation of disabled people, and the policies and support available, include:

Workers with disabilities in the Republic of Cyprus (European Agency for Safety and Health at Work 2006)

News from DisabilityWorld