site.btaTransport Ministry to Ease Access for People with Disabilities to 112 Emergency Number

Sofia, July 3 (BTA) - Bulgaria's Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications is drafting revisions to a 2008 ordinance intended to facilitate access to the single European 112 emergency number for people with disabilities.

The draft was uploaded on a Council of Ministers portal for public consultation on July 3, and proposals can be submitted until August 3.

People who are hard of hearing or those with speech impairment have requested special electronic devices and software applications which provide text or other non-voice connection to the 112 number.

These measures do not cover all disabilities listed in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities regarding accessibility, but this is the first step to that end, the Ministry said in a press release.

An annual monitoring of the services with the European Commission has found that 24 countries, including Iceland, had introduced alternatives to voice mail for access to the 112 number by 2016.