'March of Empty Chairs' Demands Rights of Disabled Argentines

Hundreds of wheelchairs filled Argentina’s Plaza de Mayo Wednesday in a silent protest in defense of the rights of people with disabilities.

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The “March of Empty Chairs” circled the May Pyramid in Buenos Aires as over 15 human rights organizations and special needs services rallied around the Casa Rosada to demonstrate against the President’s recent decision to retract ‘noncontributory’ pensions for those with disabilities.

Participants presented a petition to President Mauricio Macri to denounce a number of discriminatory policies, such as decree 432/97 which redefined the conditions surrounding pensions, their suspension, and withdrawals.

The petition denounced Macri’s failure to meet state requirements in development and ensuring that the necessary resources are available to this community in labor sectors.

The national healthcare, Include Health Program, also fails to provide appropriate care for those living with disabilities; services such as medicine, diaper, prostheses delivery, protesters said.

Finally, the petition emphasized that their demands, their human rights, have thus far have been considered privileges by the Macri administration- a clear violation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

This law guarantees the full participation and inclusion of people with disabilities in order to promote "equal opportunities, access to work, education and independent living", an establishment that, according to protesters, is not being met.