“Today is Awareness Day” In her speech at the event, President Tatar's wife, Sibel Tatar, stated that the International Day of Persons with Disabilities is a day of awareness. She said “the reason why we have come here today at this event, is to experience and emphasise this awareness and to help keep this awareness alive in the society because there are still economic and social barriers which prevent people with impairments from participating fully in society”. First Lady Sibel Tatar added: “Today is the day to evaluate once again the social, economic, cultural and educational problems that people with impairments are still experiencing. There are more than 1 billion people with disabilities in the world, which make-up 15 per cent of the world's population. This number is increasing.”   Mrs Tatar added that 80 per cent of this figure are in developing countries. “I support the struggle to resolve the problems faced by people with disabilities” Stating that there are nearly 6,000 people with disabilities in our country, Sibel Tatar underlined the problems of our disabled citizens and noted that she supported these individuals, associations and the Cyprus Turkish Disabled Federation, who are continuing a struggle in this direction. “Employment, Special Education Law and Disability Homes”

Pointing out that no disabled person has been employed since 2006, Sibel Tatar noted that the Special Education Law has still not been passed by the Parliamentary Assembly. Reminding that President Ersin Tatar and the TRNC Presidential Committee on Disabled People called the relevant committee in the Parliament to a meeting in May, Mrs Tatar said that the President demanded the Special Education Law to be discussed and passed immediately. “However, the bill has not been passed or enacted,” she said. Noting that they will follow up on this issue after the next election, the First Lady reiterated that “this law should be passed immediately,” adding that “our society and unions should also support our people with disabilities and the federation which has the primary objective for serving this cause”. Emphasising that a Disability Home should be opened as soon as possible so as to accommodate the needs of people with impairments, Sibel Tatar said: “On such an important day when we need to be sensitive and aware, we need to empathise, remembering that every individual can be disabled at any time”. She added that “through empathy being adopted by our society – especially our Parliamentarians to be elected – speedy decisions can be made, and the necessary laws passed which will facilitate finding solutions to the problems”. The event, which was also attended by some Parliamentarians and teachers, also commemorated the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the İrfan Nadir Disabled Rehabilitation Centre for People aged over 18 in Gazimağusa.  Also making speeches alongside the First Lady were Atakan Alasya – the head official of the Centre and Social Services Department Director Hüseyin Akcan.