Peruvian Government continues expanding measures benefiting persons with disabilities.

Content of the article.

During these first seventeen days of the Health Emergency caused by COVID-19, measures have gradually been implemented to prevent the virus from spreading among the population. Some of these measures benefit certain groups of persons with disabilities, including:

• Authorisation to travel in order to provide assistance and care to older persons, children, adolescents, dependent persons, persons with disabilities or persons in vulnerable situations, pursuant to Article 4.1 of Supreme Decree No. 044-2020-PCM.
• The allocation of S/ 40,000,000.00 (FORTY MILLION AND 00/100 SOLES) to the Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion to contract the services necessary to organise and develop a Support Network for High-Risk Older Adults and Persons with Severe Disabilities, pursuant to Article 2 of Emergency Decree No. 026-2020.
• Approval of the design of the Support Network for high-risk older adults and persons with severe disabilities through Supreme Decree No. 005-2020-MIDIS, and its pilot implementation in Barranco and Magdalena.
• Advance monetary transfers under the CONTIGO Non-Contributory Pension for Persons with Severe Disabilities Living in Poverty to beneficiaries for the March–April and May–June 2020 periods, pursuant to Article 1 of Supreme Decree No. 004-2020-MIDIS.

NOTICE: All of these measures can be improved; this article is purely informational.

Despite these initial measures, the Government decided to continue implementing additional measures such as the following:

• 20 March to 31 March: The Minister of Education, Martín Benavides, announced the launch of the “Aprendo en casa” (“Learn at Home”) distance-education strategy. The platform can be used on electronic devices without consuming mobile data, and he also indicated that it would be broadcast on television and radio. There are no explicit references to inclusive education on the platform, but Minister Martín stated: “It is a strategy that will combine digital media, television and radio to achieve greater coverage and that is also inclusive, because it includes 10 Indigenous languages and sign language .” (emphasis added) In this regard, recent press conferences indicated that virtual classes would begin on 6 April and that in-person classes were expected to resume progressively from 4 May. Apart from remote monitoring, there are no further references to accessibility for persons with disabilities in relation to this programme.

[EXTRACTO] MePresident Vizcarra’s Address to the Nation on the State of Emergency in response to COVID-19 (20 March).

• 31 March: At a press conference, President Martín Vizcarra, together with the Minister of Development and Social Inclusion, Ariela Luna, announced that 20,000 volunteers had registered to assist persons with disabilities and older adults as part of the Bicentennial programme. Minister Luna stated that the initiative was a joint effort by her Ministry, the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations, and the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. She also explained that volunteers would make telephone calls to check on the wellbeing of these vulnerable sectors of the population, so they would not visit homes in person. Finally, Luna stated that the initiative’s main objective was to “provide emotional support”, while noting that it would later be institutionalised and improved after the pandemic. 

MePresident Vizcarra’s Address to the Nation on the State of Emergency in response to COVID-19 (31 March).

• 31 March: A digital information platform was created for persons with disabilities registered in the National Council for the Integration of Persons with Disabilities (CONADIS) Registry. It is available exclusively to Peru’s mayors so that municipalities can provide social support to persons with disabilities in their jurisdictions. At that time, 285,399 people were registered and the platform was to be made available to all 1,874 municipalities nationwide. In addition, within the framework of Article 2 of Emergency Decree No. 033-2020, the platform was expected to help municipalities distribute essential goods from the Basic Family Basket to vulnerable populations, including persons with disabilities.

Post by MIMP-CONADIS announcing the official digital platform for persons with disabilities registered with CONADIS.

• 1 April: President Vizcarra, this time together with Interior Minister Carlos Morán, announced that people with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) would be allowed therapeutic outings after obtaining a Personal Work Pass. These outings consist of walks in areas near their home for a maximum of 15 minutes, accompanied by only one person. The Interior Minister also stated that officers of the Peruvian National Police and the Armed Forces had been trained to handle and enforce these new measures. The measure was announced one day before World Autism Awareness Day. To obtain the travel pass, the following steps must be completed:
  • • • The companion who will accompany the person with ASD on the therapeutic outing must obtain the Personal Work Pass at: https://gob.pe/paselaboral
      • Enter the companion’s details.
      • Select the option “Assistance and care for older persons, children, adolescents, dependent persons, persons with disabilities or persons in vulnerable situations”.

MePresident Vizcarra’s Address to the Nation on the State of Emergency in response to COVID-19 (1 April).

We also include the official post from Peru’s Ministry of the Interior announcing the Personal Work Pass for therapeutic outings for people with ASD.