joint classes in 25 ordinary schools and also the support for children with special education needs, which is one of our concerns. 307. It must also be noted that there is a braille printing press for encoding, including the design of a national educational strategy for children with disabilities with 32 college students and 13 students of Institutes and Technical Schools equipped with computers and which are supported by the National Union of the Visually-Impaired of Niger (UNAN). 308. The training of specialized teachers and visually-impaired pupils on the use of computers was organized in Maradi, Dosso and Niamey regions in July 2018, including an awareness raising caravan on inclusive education during the National Day of Persons with Disabilities, 2018 and 2019 Editions; these are some of the indications of the will of the government to respect the rights of persons with disabilities. 309. In the area of vocational training, the Vocational Training and Apprenticeships Support Fund financed more than 2500 artisans with disabilities in 8 different trades. 310. In the employment sector, Articles 10 and 46 of the Labour Code as well as Article 49 of the General Civil Service Regulations have reinforced access to employment for persons with disabilities through the possibility of earning their living by choosing their trade or accepting a work on the employment market and in an environment that promotes inclusion and access. 311. The regulatory aspect of the 2012 Labour Code was also adopted by the government in August 2017 through the incorporation of innovations provided for persons with disabilities. 312. Concerning the continuation of recruitment without any competitive entrance examination for entry into the civil service, the number of graduates with disabilities directly recruited into the Civil Service increased from 200 to 538 between 2010 and 2019. 313. A brainstorming session was also organized on 31 July 2018 with a focus on strategies for the sale of small-scale items produced by artisans with disabilities. 314. Since 2017, in the area of leisure and sports, the sporting potential of persons with disabilities has been developed through their inclusive participation in national sporting activities (competition in traditional wrestling for the visually-impaired has been organized) in African Games (Abuja, Algiers), Games for the Future of Persons with Disabilities in Africa (Ouagadougou, Nouakchott, Niamey and Yaoundé), the Paralympics including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics for which intense preparations are ongoing. 315. Finally, it must be noted that Niger was represented at the international seminar on awareness raising about the ratification of the Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, organized by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights from 5 to 6 July 2019 in Kigali where Niger committed itself to ratify this instrument in the near future. The consultations have already started in that regard. D. Rights of Older Persons: Article 18 316. In Niger, according to the INS, older persons were estimated to be 757,836 in 2012, 816,619 in 2016, 843,792 in 2017, 872,104 in 2018 and 902.576 in 2019. Older persons are all those who are 60 years and above. 68