Hala Abdel-Khaliq, secretary-general of Egypt's National Council for Disabled Persons, praised the decision of President Mohamed Morsi to launch a fact-finding committee to investigate the recent use of violence by Morsi's presidential guard to disperse disabled protesters in a demonstration last week.
Early last week, members of Morsi's presidential guard reportedly used force to disperse a sit-in staged by citizens with special needs. It was the second such incident in five days involving special-needs protesters, as presidential guards had reportedly beaten up disabled demonstrators the previous Thursday.
According to Abdel-Khaliq, Morsi met with the head of the council on Monday and promised that the presidential office would directly oversee Egypt's disabled persons file and establish provincial offices for the council throughout the country.
Abdel-Khaliq also said that Morsi had promised to cut LE1 million from the presidential office's budget and allocate it to the council, while also ensuring that three representatives of disabled persons would attend the plenary session of the country's Constituent Assembly – tasked with drafting a new constitution – next Tuesday.
People with physical disabilities had staged frequent protests, even before last year's Tahrir Square uprising. They have continued to stage demonstrations to demand equal access to employment and housing, and the setting of a 10 per cent employment quota for those with special needs.
