Parents of children with disabilities are waging a relentless battle with the system. Fortunately, the results are becoming visible as well, as in the case of the Sjena Association, which requested a constitutional review of the Personal Assistance Act
By a unanimous decision, the Constitutional Court repealed several discriminatory provisions of the Act, thereby preventing the denial of a fundamental human right—the right to personal assistance services—to children and persons with the most severe disabilities.
We spoke with Suzana Rešetar, president of the Sjena Association, about the Constitutional Court’s decision and the drafting of a new regulation with the force of law.
Did the Sjena Association expect the Constitutional Court to deliver a historic decision?
– Honestly, we did expect it, because it was a legal and moral necessity. Not because we believe the system always works, but because the violations of rights were so obvious that they could no longer be ignored. With this decision, the Constitutional Court merely confirmed what we have been warning about for years—that fundamental human rights cannot be conditioned by administrative capacity or the labor market.
What message does this decision send to the Croatian public?
– The message is clear: human rights are not charity. Persons with disabilities are not a burden on the system, but holders of rights guaranteed by the Constitution. The state exists in order to ensure the conditions for exercising those rights, not to look for excuses to deny them.
To what extent will this decision make life easier for persons with disabilities and their families?
– For many families, this decision means the difference between mere survival and a dignified life. Personal assistance is not a luxury; it is a prerequisite for independence, inclusion, and a basic quality of life. This decision brings hope, but also an obligation for the state to finally implement this right in practice.
Not everyone is pleased with the decision. How do you respond to the claim that expanding the number of beneficiaries will reduce the availability of personal assistants, who are already in short supply?
– Such a claim dangerously replaces the real issue and is usually a spin. The shortage of assistants is not a problem caused by persons with disabilities, but the result of years of state neglect—poor working conditions, low wages, and a lack of systematic planning. You cannot restrict the rights of one group because the system, or public policies, have failed to do their job.
What is the solution to the shortage of assistants in certain areas?
– The solution is well known; it has simply been ignored for years: improving working conditions and wages for assistants, a national recruitment campaign, more flexible models of assistance in smaller communities, and long-term planning instead of crisis firefighting. The state must take responsibility rather than shifting the burden onto the most vulnerable.
What do you expect from the regulation with the force of law announced by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković?
– We expect the regulation not to be cosmetic, but implementational. It must clearly secure funding, remove obstacles, and ensure that the Constitutional Court’s decision is carried out without further delays or bureaucratic traps. Anything else would be yet another betrayal of the trust of persons with disabilities.
The Sjena Association has announced its participation in drafting a new Personal Assistance Act. Do you stand by that decision?
– Absolutely. But not pro forma. We are ready to cooperate only if the voices of persons with disabilities and their families are genuinely taken into account, not used as an alibi. This law must be shaped by those who live personal assistance every day—not only by those who administer it from their offices.
Employment statistics at this moment do not support the proclaimed goal of the European Commission of creating a society of equal opportunities
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There are still no significant improvements in better positioning Europeans with disabilities in the labour market.
Proof of this is also a joint letter that as many as 125 organisations sent these days to the European Commission, calling on it to publish a new EU Guarantee for the Employment and Skills of Persons with Disabilities as part of the updated Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
In this letter, organisations state what targeted funds and programmes are needed to reduce the high unemployment rate of persons with disabilities. Among other things, organisations are calling for dedicated funding to enable access to regular employment opportunities, apprenticeships or training. Likewise, better employment opportunities in sheltered workshops. Employment programmes must be designed in such a way as to offer support to companies and organisations in providing the necessary accommodations for a person with a disability in the workplace.
What is, however, particularly important for organisations is that the EU Guarantee for the Employment and Skills of Persons with Disabilities must not affect the right to receive disability benefits and other state support.
– This Guarantee is a key step to ensure that persons with disabilities have equal conditions in the world of work. If we want a competitive Europe, it is essential that we provide everyone with equal opportunities to contribute to the community – said Yannis Vardakastanis, President of the European Disability Forum.
Employment statistics at this moment do not support the proclaimed goal of the European Commission of creating a society of equal opportunities. Namely, only 52.7 percent of persons with disabilities are employed in the European Union, compared to 76.7 percent of persons without disabilities.
Previous research by the European Disability Forum shows that the gap is mainly a consequence of the lack of necessary accommodations and an insufficient supply of assistive technologies. In addition, the digital skills of employees with disabilities are at a significantly lower level compared to those without disabilities.
The joint letter sent to the European Commission calls for the Guarantee to be a key action of the ‘Enhanced Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities’, and it will be presented during the meeting of the College of Commissioners of the European Commission at the beginning of this May.
The abuser managed for years to keep the woman isolated from family and friends, and even the authorities had no knowledge of her captivity. She had no access to a phone or the internet
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His name, James Earl Johnson, has recently been filling crime reports across major media outlets in the United States.
He gained unwanted notoriety after it was discovered that he had kept his 46-year-old wife with a disability locked inside their home in Clear Lake, in the U.S. state of Texas, for five years.
The motives behind this shocking case of domestic violence remain unknown, as does the identity of the victim, who is only known to have a severe disability.
During all that time, Johnson managed to isolate her from relatives and friends, and authorities were unaware of her situation. She had no access to a phone or the internet.
Police revealed that the woman was physically abused and severely malnourished. He allegedly gave her only one egg a day and a modest dinner. In addition, he failed to provide the necessary medical care required for her disability.
Johnson ultimately sealed his own fate. Two weeks ago, he briefly left his phone on a bedside table in the room where the woman was locked. She quickly used the opportunity to call the police. During the call, Johnson entered the room, slapped her, and ended the call, but the police had enough time to trace the location.
He was arrested the same day and charged with injuring and abusing a person with a disability. He was later released on $100,000 bail, but only temporarily, as he is expected to face a long prison sentence after trial.
Johnson had purchased a five-bedroom house worth one million dollars, where he had lived with his wife for at least six years, appearing to lead a normal life. Meanwhile, the woman remains in hospital, undergoing rehabilitation after her ‘peaceful’ married life.
Until the development of these sneakers, Chris Nikic regularly struggled to run even a few kilometers without pain and blisters, as there was no footwear designed to meet the unique needs of his foot anatomy
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American of Croatian descent Chris Nikic served as an inspiration to one of the world’s largest sports equipment companies, Adidas, in creating a new model of sneakers specifically designed for people with Down syndrome.
Chris Nikic was the first person with Down syndrome to complete an Ironman triathlon. At Adidas, they say that through their shared ambition with Chris to break barriers, they embarked on a multi-year mission to design running shoes that meet the unique needs of people with disabilities and make sport more accessible.
Until the release of this sneaker, called Supernova Rise 3 Adaptive, Chris regularly struggled to run even a few kilometers without pain and blisters because no shoe had been designed to meet the specific needs of his foot anatomy. Since partnering with Adidas, Chris has worn various prototypes that not only allowed him to complete three Ironmans, four half-Ironmans, and 20 marathons.
– What feels like a pain level of 2 out of 10 to most people feels like an 8 to me. Adidas understood exactly what I needed in a shoe. Now I love running because my feet no longer hurt – said Chris.
To ensure the sneakers meet diverse needs, Adidas partnered with GAMUT Management, a leader in inclusive product design, to facilitate product testing that provided the team with key insights and feedback throughout the development process. These focus groups included people with Down syndrome, wheelchair users, individuals living with chronic illnesses, people with mobility and fine motor challenges, as well as those with upper and lower limb differences, and also included two Paralympians, Tracy Otto and Haven Shepherd.
– My experience collaborating with Adidas on this project has been incredible and a true adventure. The entire team was dedicated to making this the best adaptive sneaker available, incorporating features that give me the freedom and independence I had been missing for so long – said Paralympian Tracy Otto.
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