have also been made responsible, in the discharge of their responsibilities to ensure the participation and benefit of the physically and mentally disabled. Similar structures have been created in regional bureaus of labour and social affairs to address issues of persons with disabilities. On a societal level a number of organizations are working to enforce the rights and benefits of disabled persons. These include: The Ethiopian National Association of the Visually Impaired, Ethiopian National Association of Women with Disabilities‟; Ethiopian National Association of Persons with Hearing and Speaking Disabilities; The National Association of Disabled Persons; National Association of Persons Afflicted with Leprosy. These have formed a National Federation of the Associations of Persons Living with Disability. Capacity building support has been given by the government for these associations and their Federation. In some regional states, such as the Afar, Harari and Somali states councils of disabilities have been established to organize the integration of the issues of persons with disabilities in the activities of the State. In accordance with the directives set out in the GTP with regard to persons with disabilities, programs were designed with the focus on the prevention of disabilities, training and empowering persons with disabilities; and for rehabilitation and provision of equal opportunity and participation. Furthermore, changing for the wrong perceptions and attitudes of society towards persons with disability by communicating appropriate information about disabilities are also a central element in the Plan. In order to standardize rehabilitation services for the disabled National Action Plan for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled was designed and implemented in the year 2000. The action plan set out organizational structures for: prevention of disability, rehabilitation services to be provided for the disabled and the assurance of equal opportunity and full participation of persons with disabilities. Taking into consideration, the socio-economic changes that have taken place since the implementation of that action plan, a new 10-year action plan for the period 2012-2022 was prepared. Under the goals set out in this second Plan, in addition to formulating a national strategy for physical rehabilitation to reduce the constraints and obstacles for activities of the disabled, comprehensive support is to be given, including the supply of necessary machinery and equipment for Federal and Regional prosthetics workshops to increase production of artificial limbs. Thirteen prosthetics production plants have been built across the country, and groups of orthopedic and 97