On the occasion of the International Day of the Blind, also known as White Cane Day, the Ombudsperson reiterates his concerns about the social inclusion of people with visual impairments.

The studies conducted by Ombudsperson's Office prove the insufficiency of social services for persons with visual impairments, and the Government's inability to implement a number of social services that could facilitate the lives of these people.

The Ombudsperson has warned many times that the public transport stations are not adapted for visually impaired people, and that there is not tactile paving to the front doors of the means of transport. Mihail Cotorobai underlines once more the need to have display panels, adjusted for the need of people with visual impairments, in means of public transport, as well as the importance to print in large characters and contrasting colors the urban public transport routes and indicators. The problem of adapting the pedestrian crossings, street intersections and public roads to the needs of people with visual impairments still remains unsolved, as well as the installation of audible and visual signaling systems at intersections with intense traffic.

The Ombudsperson notes that the Republic of Moldova signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2007, and ratified this document in 2010. By ratifying the Convention, the State committed itself to ensure that persons with disabilities can exercise their rights in full, on equal terms with everyone else. The State must take rigorous measures regarding the access to education, employment, transport, infrastructures and buildings open to the public, the right to vote, improvement of political participation and ensuring full legal capacity for all persons with disabilities.

The International Day of the Blind, also known as White Cane Day, was established by the European Organisation for the Welfare of the Blind on 15 October 1993, in Warsaw (Poland).