Ombudsman Releases Findings on Incident at Aquatec

The Ombudsman has published the findings of its study regarding the incident that occurred at the Aquatec recreational complex. The details are presented below:

Following the emergence of information on social media about the denial of entry to a group of children with disabilities arriving from Vanadzor to the Aquatec sports and health resort complex, Ombudsman Anahit Manasyan immediately instructed her staff to address the issue to clarify the reasons behind it. Communication was established with the parties involved to ascertain the factual circumstances.

According to the data presented, both Aquatec and Water World are owned by the same company. The Aquatec facility is not adapted to the needs of individuals with disabilities. The received information also indicates that on that day it was not possible to provide simultaneous entry for eight individuals with disabilities and ensure their safe leisure. Consequently, they were offered to use services provided at Water World.

Based on phone conversations conducted by the Ombudsman’s staff with the parties, as well as an analysis of the information reported by the parties to the media online, it was determined that considering the outdoor nature of the area and the weather conditions, the group from Vanadzor did not utilize the services of Water World.

With the information available, the Ombudsman records that the reason for the incident is not discrimination against persons with disabilities, but rather the inaccessibility of the Aquatec recreational facility for individuals with disabilities, which is a widespread issue in the Republic of Armenia.

As a representative monitoring the application of the provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted on December 13, 2006, the Ombudsman has repeatedly emphasized the necessity of ensuring the principle of accessibility, stressing the importance of identifying and eliminating barriers and obstacles.

The Ombudsman deems it essential to reiterate that measures aimed at creating an accessible environment for individuals with disabilities are closely monitored. The staff continues to work on improving the legislative framework and practices in this area.

It was reported that eight children with disabilities traveling from Vanadzor to Yerevan were denied entry to Water World (later it turned out to be Aquatec) on the grounds that they would disturb the relaxation of others. This information was published based on a warning from the grandmother of one of the children on social media.