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.