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“The purpose of the initiative is to contribute to the accessibility of information for persons with hearing problems,” the author of the legislative package on Making Amendments and Addenda to the Law on Audiovisual Media, on Making Addendum to the Constitutional Law the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly and on Making Addendum to the RA Law on Language Zaruhi Batoyan said.

The legislative package was debated in the first reading at the NA regular sitting on September 14.

It is proposed to clarify the types of programs broadcast in Armenian sign language and with subtitles and increase their volume, as well as to establish a list of additional and mandatory programs with Armenian subtitles and sign language translation for public broadcasters, including educational, health, cultural and entertainment programs, official information, special releases during the state of emergency and social advertising.

The RA Law on Language proposes to define the concept of Sign Language, to create legal bases for organizing the online broadcasting of special sittings of the National Assembly, parliamentary hearings on the official website of the National Assembly with the translation of Armenian sign language.

The NA Head Committee endorsed the package. The Government presented a number of proposals, which were accepted by the author.

The RA NA deputy Zaruhi Batoyan proposes amendments and addenda to the Law on Education due to the need to create additional guarantees for the realization of the right to education, to ensure the inclusion of the organization of education for people with special educational needs, including those with disabilities, in pre-school, general education, primary (handicraft) and secondary vocational educational institutions in the Republic of Armenia. “The position of the Government on the issue to be debated is positive,” the RA Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan, noting that 5 proposals of the Government were accepted by the author. According to the Deputy Minister, the work to ensure the inclusion in the field of pre-school education has started. 4 marzes and Yerevan have passed to universal inclusion this year. Funding of more than 200 mln AMD was allocated by the state budget to children with special educational and developmental needs in September of this year. More than 35 mln AMD was allocated for the purchase of braille textbooks and notebooks in the budget request of the upcoming year.

The Deputy Chair of the NA Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Diaspora, Youth and Sport Taguhi Ghazaryan presented the endorsement of the Committee.