"It is hard for me to walk up high sidewalk curbs. Every time I walk alone I try to find a convenient place to overcome this difficulty. I am especially upset by stairs that do not have adjacent ramps," says Arusiak, a member of the Pyunik Union of Disabled People. According to the information provided by the agency implementing the construction works of the LINCY Foundation, 237 wheelchair ramps have been built on Abovian, Mashtots, Baghramian, V. Sargissian, Khandjian and Koryun Streets in the center of Yerevan. However, disabled people say they are inconvenient, for they do not come to flush to the street-- a 5cm gap remains between the ramps and the streets. "A person traveling in a wheelchair should not have to wait for somebody to help to lift the wheelchair when he or she approaches the sidewalk", says the head of the Ministry of Social Security department dealing with issues related to disabled and elderly people, Jemma Baghdassarian.

"Of course it is difficult to make all these changes at once because they involve high costs. A special approach must also be taken toward public places, residential buildings - people should first be able to get out of their houses before approaching the sidewalks", says the chairman of the Astghik NGO, Levon Nersissian.

Ramps are not planned for the secondary streets ofYerevan. People traveling in wheelchairs cannot enter a store or go to theater. In essence, there is no law obliging storeowners to build ramps next to their stairs. It is planned to amend the Law on Municipal Engineering in order to solve the problems of movement of people with disabilities. The draft Law stipulates that newly constructed residential and other buildings have ramps in the entrances.

"First of all, society must realize the importance of the problem. In the final analysis, we are talking about human rights here. If we are saying that persons with disabilities have the same rights, then they should be able to avail themselves of all the opportunities", says Levon Nersissian.