In April 5-6, 2018 Pyunic organized roundtable training in Vanadzor. Representatives of civil society organizations, local municipalities participated in the event. Invited national and international experts touched the topics like Rights of migrants with disabilities and elderly persons with disabilities, Persons with disabilities deprived of their liberty, Civil society participation in the CoE monitoring bodies and advocacy campaigns at national and international levels.

The event was a kick-off meeting of the HELP course on the rights of persons with disabilities for NGO representatives, introduction to the Council of Europe HELP platform.

The course is designed and adapted for those representatives of civil society organizations and legal professionals who are interested to improve their knowledge on how to protect right of persons with disabilities. The event was channeled by the local “Lori” TV.

In November 30 –December 1, 2017, Pyunic organized a roundtable training in Gyumri. During the two days seminar representatives of 45 NGO that cooperate with Pyunic within the frameworks of the project “Promoting the Social Rights of Persons with Disabilities by Building the Capacities of Armenian Civil Society Organisations to Engage with Council of Europe Monitoring Mechanisms” and representatives of local municipalities carried active discussions on the Role of Local Authorities in Promoting the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Accessibility and Universal Design, Rights of Children with Disabilities, Council of Europe and Advocacy Opportunities for Civil Society and Advocacy and Lobbying. Invited local and international expersts facilitated the sessions and shared their knowlegde with participants. Studentsd of Gyumri Pedagogic University took active part in the discussions and well as in the «Living Library» activity. The event was reported over the local TV channel “Tsaig”.

Public education and awareness building campaign of Pyunic includes organization of marathons to sensitize public on the situation and rights of persons with disabilities.

Last year on the 20th of October over hundred participants with and without disabilities took off from Aram Khachaturyan concert hall of the Opera House for Etchmiadzin on wheelchairs, bicycles, and fооt. Upon the completion of the Marathon high-ranking clergy met and passed his traditional greetings to the participants.

The Armenian Association for the Disabled “Pyunic” together with its international partner, the Advocacy Centre on the Council of Europe Standards (ACCESS, Strasbourg, France) implementsed a two-day conference on “Protecting the Social Rights of Persons with Disabilities”. The event is organised by the project “Promoting the Social Rights of Persons with Disabilities by Building the Capacities of Armenian Civil Society Organisations to Engage with Council of Europe Monitoring Mechanisms”. The project is funded by the European Union through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR)

The Conference brought together European and Armenia experts specialized in promoting the rights of persons with disabilities (PWD), as well as persons with disabilities, representatives of the Armenian Government, local authorities, representatives of civil society organizations, international organisations and students. The conference opened by EU Ambassador Piotr Antoni Świtalski, Head of the European Union Delegation to the Republic of Armenia with representatives of the Republic of Armenia and experts from the European Committee of Social Rights, Council of Europe.

A dance performance in participation of persons with disabilities opened the event.

This event will be organized on the occasion of the Day of Independence in Armenia.

The aim of the event is to raise the awareness of the public at large on the rights of persons with disabilities and to showcase the strong will power.

The event will start on the 20th of September. About 50 people with and without disabilities will leave for Byurakan and spent a night in the campsite of the NGO “HASK” . This is an amazing event, the participants have the opportunity to socialise with each other, tell jokes, sing songs round the bonfire and sleep in the sleeping bags. The next day in the morning they will climb the southern top of the mountain (4080m) and wave proudly Armenian tricolor.

One of the most important factors for integration of people with disabilities into the society is the access to employment. The solution of this problem will contribute not only in the enhancement of persons with disabilities, but also to the public at large. They will accept a person with disability as a fully integrated member of the society and not as an object of care.

Having in view all this, “Pyunic” Aremnain Association for the Disabled has initiated the “Wood working Workshop for Persons with Disabilities” project.

The goal of the project is to promote the employment of young people with disabilities and raise their competitiveness in the labor market.

In September exhibition of the works created by children and young adults with disabilities in the frameworks of the project will be opened in Hovhannes Sharambeyan art center.