Disability digest
MY STORY Viktor Jozić, president of the Association of persons with disabilities Sinergija Samobor
I can say without a doubt that in the life of a disabled person there is a lot of pain, tears, sleepless nights, problems with bureaucracy, problems with stigmas, personal inner turmoil and despair, but there is no use in self-pity, turn to life with a purpose, says Jozić
Viktor Jozić has been the president of the Association of Persons with Disabilities Sinergija Samobor since 2018. His candidacy was prompted by the social responsibility he feels as an individual towards the marginalized and most vulnerable groups of society, which are children with developmental disabilities and people with all degrees and types of disabilities. As he himself is a disabled person, as well as his son and his brother, he is familiar with all the obstacles and struggles that disabled people have to overcome during their lives.
– I am of the opinion that it is the individual’s social responsibility that is an important factor in the development and progress to which every individual has the right, and I would say a human task and a kind of obligation, to weave personal values, experiences and examples of good practice into the local community, and thus guide the solution of society’s problems in as a whole, initially locally, then regionally and nationally.
In modern society, which is characterized by technological changes and where political and economic influence is great, great demands are placed on the social community, as well as on the subjects in which they operate. Marginalized groups in the territory of the Republic of Croatia can hardly get out of the trap of social exclusion and marginalization without knowledge and additional help. My guiding thought as president of the association is primarily based on the aspiration to make the local community aware of the problems of people with disabilities, the difficulties they face every day, to sensitize the environment and achieve integration and inclusive growth and development of children with disabilities and adults with disabilities – Viktor told us.
This association has about 1400 members, of which about 250 are active. The association of persons with disabilities Sinergija Samobor implements numerous projects and programs, of which the president highlighted the basic projects financed by the local community, specifically the Institutional Support of the City of Samobor as well as the Institutional Support of the City Sveta Nedelja that ensure financial stability – the functioning of the Professional Service of the association.
– I would like to point out the ‘Van for all’ program financed by the City of Samobor, this program in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, associations with the support of the City of Samobor and competent institutions, enables adapted van transport to hospitals for disabled and immobile people with disabilities. rehabilitation institutions, to sports and cultural events and to other necessary institutions.
Two projects financed by the European Social Fund are implemented in the association. The project ‘Development of personal assistance services for people with disabilities’ has been implemented in the association since 2015, and includes six users of the personal assistance service and employs six personal assistants.
The general goal of the project is to strengthen the social inclusion of people with disabilities through the further development and improvement of the quality of personal assistance services, while the specific goal is to increase social inclusion and improve the quality of life of people with the most severe type and degree of disability, people with intellectual disabilities and mental impairments through the provision of personal assistance services assistance.
By implementing the personal assistance service, we try to prevent the institutionalization and social exclusion of people with disabilities and people with intellectual disabilities and mental impairments, and we try to reconcile the business and family life of the aforementioned groups for a more independent life and greater involvement in the community. By spending quality time, the users of the personal assistance service feel more satisfied, happier and feel they belong to the community on an equal basis.
The second project, financed by the European Social Fund, is called ‘Equality in the community with a sighted companion’, and will be implemented from 2021. Namely, the independent movement of blind and partially sighted people in unknown and inaccessible spaces requires the help of a sighted companion. The goal of the project is to strengthen social inclusion and meet the needs of blind people. The target groups included in the project activities are adult blind and highly visually impaired people from the area of Zagreb County.
Through a three-year program of associations that provide personal assistance services for people with disabilities in the Republic of Croatia for the period 2019-2021 financed by the Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy, the user of personal assistance improves the quality of his life with the help of a personal assistant. Through the program, users are provided with the basic conditions for an independent life for four or eight hours a day, five days a week. 11 personal assistants are employed who, through the program, help users of personal assistance to become more and more active in their community, some are more active in sports, go out to social events, have the ability to organize their own time and the obligations they want to fulfill, without the help of their loved ones, and with the help of a personal assistant.
Zagreb County provides funds for two programs. The program ‘Creativity to prevent the alienation of persons with disabilities’ contributes to the social inclusion and integration of children with developmental disabilities and persons with disabilities through creative workshops led by a member of the association, Vesna Lisec, who is also a person with disability. The program represents an educational process of acquiring new skills that help the integration and mutual social interaction of people with disabilities.
The program ‘Creativity to prevent the alienation of persons with disabilities’ improves interpersonal relations within the members of the association and reduces the risks of their alienation. In a casual atmosphere together with the participants, respecting their opinion and freedom of choice, motifs and topics of work are chosen that encourage visual curiosity. Through the implementation of the work program, various artistic and creative techniques are gradually applied.
The main goal of the program is to strengthen self-confidence, awaken and develop the ability to create and be creative through direct experience and the world around you. Developing a positive attitude about oneself and forming personal beliefs in the field of artistic reality.
Awareness of art elements and construction and creation of art works in all elements in a manner acceptable to children with developmental disabilities and people with different types and degrees of disabilities. The second program is called ‘Sustainability as a social challenge for people with disabilities’ under the leadership of association member Danko Klasan, it is intended for people with disabilities and children with developmental disabilities with the areas of the cities of Samobor, Sveta Nedelja, Stupnik and Žumberak municipalities. The project is based on the restoration of old furniture for the purpose of sustainability and transformation from old to new.
By recycling old furniture, the members of the Association of Persons with Disabilities Sinergija Samobor directly address citizens and the public, raising awareness of the need to recycle and reuse waste. The goal of the project is to empower the aforementioned groups and their integration into society and coexistence in the local community and beyond, as well as psychological support for parents and guardians – explained Jozić.
For Jozić, the challenges in his work represent motivation and encourage a fighting spirit for progress, both for him as president and for the professional services of the association. As the biggest challenges, he certainly points out the fact that the association is often the ‘first line of the front’.
– Users often express their dissatisfaction with the problems of a health, administrative and financial nature that they encounter in everyday life, precisely in the premises of the association, but this certainly also shows how here our members feel like a family in front of which you can ‘shake it off’ when you are having a hard time.
I believe that the biggest problem and challenges faced by people with disabilities in Zagreb County are certainly in the field of infrastructure and transport (not) adapted to people with disabilities. The association has been struggling with this issue for a long time, so meetings were held on several occasions and appeals were made to solve this problem both at the local and regional level.
In July 2021, together with the representatives of the City of Samobor and the director of the company Integrirani promet zagrebačkog područja d.o.o., a meeting was held related to the establishment of an integrated transport model in the wider Zagreb area with the aim of gathering experiences and the best solutions in the application of integrated passenger transport with special reference to people with disabled and infrastructure adapted to them.
Furthermore, I believe that in the city area there is not a sufficient number of infrastructural facilities adapted to the care of adults with disabilities, and there is a deficit of specialized personnel who would provide psychosocial support to children with developmental difficulties and persons with disabilities, as well as persons who experience a crisis when the disability occurs. Unfortunately, the problem that cannot be ignored is the passivity of the members – said the president of Sinergija.
Specialised autism training received by an emergency dispatcher played a crucial role in locating a three-year-old boy with autism who wandered away from his home in the U.S. state of Ohio. The case highlights how understanding the characteristics of autism can be vital during searches for missing children
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When the boy’s mother reported her three-year-old son missing, emergency dispatcher Rebecca Elias immediately recognised that the situation required a different approach from the standard protocol.
Thanks to the training she had previously completed, Elias asked several questions that would not normally be included in a routine emergency call. In particular, she wanted to know whether there were any swimming pools, lakes or other bodies of water near the family’s home.
Police officers and rescue teams were immediately directed to a nearby swimming pool, where the boy was found alive and safely rescued.
Rebecca Elias completed a training programme provided by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). The programme is designed for emergency dispatchers, law enforcement officers and other first responders to help them better understand the behaviour of people on the autism spectrum during emergency situations.
According to NCMEC guidance, children with autism who wander away often do not respond when called by name, may avoid contact with rescuers, or may be drawn to specific places or objects. The organisation also warns that bodies of water present one of the greatest dangers during such incidents, as drowning is the leading cause of death among children with autism who wander.
For this reason, emergency responder training focuses on recognising behavioural patterns commonly associated with autism and adapting search strategies to the specific needs of individuals on the autism spectrum.
Following the successful rescue, Rebecca Elias said that the training enabled her to ask the right questions immediately and direct the search in a way that ultimately led to a positive outcome.
A faster and simpler compensation process for flight disruptions, guaranteed adjacent seating for parents and children, and hand luggage included in the ticket price are among the new rules approved by the European Parliament
Poslušaj članak
On Tuesday, Members of the European Parliament adopted the revised air passenger rights rules by 646 votes to 12, with three abstentions, following an agreement reached with the Council through the Conciliation Committee. The legislation updates the passenger rights framework that has been in force since 2004 and aims to ensure appropriate protection for travellers in cases of disruption, such as denied boarding, flight delays and cancellations.
“We have good news for everyone who flies. We worked hard to ensure that passengers do not lose the rights they already have, while at the same time providing stronger protection for families, people with reduced mobility and others who need it most,” said Virginijus Sinkevičius, Vice-Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Transport and Tourism and a member of the Greens/EFA group from Lithuania.
Preserving Existing Rights
MEPs successfully safeguarded passengers’ key right to compensation or rerouting when a flight is cancelled. Travellers will also continue to be entitled to compensation for delays exceeding three hours, cancellations occurring within 14 days of departure, and denied boarding.
Compensation levels remain unchanged and continue to depend on flight distance: €250 for journeys of up to 1,500 kilometres, €400 for flights within the EU exceeding 1,500 kilometres and for other flights between 1,500 and 3,500 kilometres, and €600 for longer journeys. Airlines will be allowed to reduce compensation by 50% on the longest routes if they offer rerouting to the final destination following the disruption or if the arrival delay does not exceed four hours.
Airlines will also be exempt from paying compensation when delays or cancellations result from extraordinary circumstances beyond their control. The revised rules include a non-exhaustive list of such circumstances, including natural disasters, war, severe weather, disruptive passenger behaviour, and strikes involving airport service providers, air navigation services or ground handling companies.
Regardless of the cause of the disruption, airlines will remain obliged to assist passengers while they wait. This includes refreshments every two hours, a meal after three hours, and, in the case of longer delays caused by circumstances beyond the airline’s control, accommodation for up to three nights.
Faster and Simpler Compensation Claims
MEPs insisted that the compensation process should become faster and more straightforward. Passengers who choose financial compensation instead of rerouting will receive it automatically. Travellers affected by disruptions will also receive clear instructions on how to submit a compensation claim within four days of completing their journey.
In addition, passengers will not be required to create an online account or download a dedicated mobile application in order to receive this information.
Passengers will have nine months to submit a compensation claim, while airlines will have 30 days either to pay compensation or explain why extraordinary circumstances apply and inform passengers of the complaints procedure.
New Passenger Rights
Passengers travelling on return tickets will be able to use the return leg even if they did not use the outbound flight, without incurring additional charges.
The new rules also establish the right to bring a personal item, such as a small bag or backpack, on board free of charge. To improve price transparency and comparability, airlines, ticket intermediaries and flight comparison websites will be required to display fares that include cabin baggage at the beginning of the booking process. Airlines may still offer lower fares to passengers who choose to travel without cabin baggage.
Passengers will no longer be charged for correcting spelling mistakes in their names or for using a boarding pass they have printed themselves after checking in.
MEPs also secured passengers’ right to receive a digital boarding pass automatically after check-in, without having to submit an additional request or create an online account or use a dedicated application. Furthermore, passengers may not be denied boarding for presenting their own printed copy of a digitally issued boarding pass.
Better Protection for Vulnerable Passengers
The revised rules strengthen protections for passengers with disabilities and passengers with reduced mobility. They will be entitled to compensation, rerouting and assistance if they miss a flight because airport service providers failed to ensure their timely arrival at the boarding gate.
The legislation also ensures that families travelling with children will not be separated during flights. Airlines will be required to seat an accompanying adult next to a child under the age of 14 at no additional cost. The same right will apply to passengers with disabilities, passengers with reduced mobility and pregnant women.
“Today’s vote is a victory for both passengers and European aviation. After more than 13 years of deadlock, we are finally replacing uncertainty with clear rules, stronger rights and greater confidence. Passenger rights take off with travellers—they do not remain grounded,” said rapporteur Andrey Novakov (EPP, Bulgaria).
Source: European Parliament Liaison Office in Croatia
The new programme represents the first step towards the systematic inclusion of blind and partially sighted people, as well as Deaf and hard of hearing people, in the regular film programme of Tuškanac Cinema
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On 2 July, the Croatian Film Association launched a new programme entitled Without Barriers, making selected film titles accessible for the first time to blind and partially sighted people, as well as Deaf and hard of hearing people. The programme is aimed at removing sensory and social barriers and creating conditions in which the cinema experience becomes accessible to a broad and diverse audience.
The first screening within the programme took place on 2 July at 9 p.m. at the Cultural Information Centre (KIC). On that occasion, the modernist classic The Birch Tree (Breza, 1967), directed by Ante Babaja, was screened with audio description for blind and partially sighted audiences and standardised subtitles for Deaf and hard of hearing audiences. Admission to the screening was free.
Based on the novella of the same name by Slavko Kolar, The Birch Tree tells the moving story of Janica, a gentle village girl whose life is tragically destroyed by primitive living conditions and the harshness of human relationships. The film is distinguished by the powerful performances of Fabijan Šovagović and Velimir “Bata” Živojinović, as well as the understated appearance of Slovenian model Manca Košir. At the 1967 Pula Film Festival, it received the Silver Arena, the Golden Arena for Best Actor, awarded to Bata Živojinović, and the award for cinematography, presented to Tomislav Pinter.
By introducing the Without Barriers programme, the Croatian Film Association continues its long-standing efforts to develop audiences and ensure access to film content for different groups of viewers. For the past ten years, the Association has organised a Sensory Screenings programme intended for children with sensory disabilities and their families, making it one of the pioneers of this model of film exhibition in Croatia.
The new programme is a natural continuation of this work and the first step towards the systematic inclusion of blind and partially sighted people, as well as Deaf and hard of hearing people, in the regular film programme of Tuškanac Cinema.
The audio description for the films was produced by the Centre for Audio Description, a business specialising in the production and adaptation of audiovisual content owned by Antonio Pavlović, while the standardised subtitles for Deaf and hard of hearing audiences were prepared by the Zaželi Association.
The Croatian Film Association points out that the Without Barriers programme is part of the project Film Programmes Beyond Tuškanac Cinema: Audiences at the Centre, implemented with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia.
– The Without Barriers programme is part of the Croatian Film Association’s project Film Programmes Beyond Tuškanac Cinema: Audiences at the Centre, implemented with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia. Through the Tuškanac on Tour programme, we will gradually seek to include films with audio description for blind and partially sighted people and subtitles adapted for Deaf and hard of hearing people in our regular programme. The pace at which these screenings are introduced will depend on the availability of screening slots at the institutions we visit, as well as on the financial resources secured for the implementation of the programme. The next adapted screening is planned for the autumn, when we will present Rajko Grlić’s film Once Upon a Time There Was a Country (Samo jednom se ljubi). From 2027 onwards, our goal is to have at least one film per month in our regular programme adapted for blind and partially sighted people, as well as Deaf and hard of hearing people – the Croatian Film Association said.
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