STUDY VISIT TO SLOVENIA
CIL representatives and also from CRS and Serbian Employment Bureau visited Slovenia from 22 until 26 August 2011.
They visited organisations PAPILOT, Birografika BORI and Slovenian Employment Bureau who are dealing with employment of PWDs as well as Association of MD Slovenia and Association for theory and culture of handicap who are engaging personal assistants for their members.
A two-days seminar on project writing was held last weekend in Arilje for representatives of DPOs. This seminar is one of the activities under the project »The steps on the path of development« implemented by MD Association of Zlatibor region and MD Association of Morava district.
Project was funded by Ministry for Labor and Social Policy. There were about twenty activists from DPOs from Uzice, Cajetina, Prijepolje, Arilje, Kosjeric, Ivanjica and Cacak as well as employees of Day care for children and youth with disabilities from Uzice and Cajetina. For most of them this was the first time to be in seminar but also the chance to establish cooperation and mutual partnership and to learn about EU policy for future activities and projects
Theme for 2011: “Together for a better world for all: Including persons with disabilities in development”
How the Day may be observed
Based on the main theme of IDPD 2011 “Together for a better world for all: Including persons with disabilities in development”, suggested sub-themes are:
CIL Serbia organizes campaign “The right for work for PWDs” within the project MIDWAY – phase II – Inclusion in education of children with disabilities and emplozment of PWDs.
Press conference will be the opportunity to present previous experience in the implementation of Law on Rehabilitation and Employment of PWDs – results of National Employment Bureau and research results of the application of Article 48 of mentioned Law as well as examples of good practice.
After the press conference there will be a street action “We have the right to work” where will be promotion of different material and meeting point for employed and unemployed PWDs.
Representatives of Ciy municipality of Palilula signed the Memorandum of cooperation with the representatives of 33 NGOs from Nis. They will work on realisation the municipal development strategy. On behalf of DPOs this Memorandum signed CIL Nis and Association of students with disability Nis.
Muscular Dystrophy Association of Zlatibor region and Muscular Dystrophy Association of Morava districts started the project “The steps on the path of development” funded by Ministry for Labor and Social Policy. The project will be focused on strengthening and capacity building of DPOs for more responsible and more effectively definong their activities, development of support services and advocacy to achieve a better quality of life for people with disabilities.
In the next seven months this project will be implemented through three programs:
• Education through training and seminars for representatives of DPOs
• Connections of DPOs, network creation and partnerships
• Information activities and public relations program.
BRUSSELS(Reuters) – Rights campaigners say they will have to keep on fighting to improve the treatment of disabled people when flying in Europe, after a meeting with the European Union’s top transport official yielded little progress.
“This is going to take years and years to break down the discrimination that persons with disabilities are facing every day,” Stig Langvad, of the European Disability Forum EDF.L, said on Monday. EU officials met the campaigning group, representing roughly 80 million disabled Europeans, last week to discuss the difficulties facing passengers in wheelchairs when flying in the 27-member bloc.
But the EDF said it won little in the meeting with Siim Kallas, the EU transport commissioner. “Kallas was not really keen on looking into the perspective of how the implementation (of disability rights laws) is going,” Langvad told Reuters. Airlines have been the target of a string of pending lawsuits over practices when dealing with disabled travellers.
But Langvad said there had been little progress in trying to make airlines apply existing passenger rights laws consistently throughout member states or ensure that equipment such as wheelchairs are handled properly by airport staff.
The EDF will continue lobbying the EU’s transport directorate to regulate compliance with existing laws and improve airline staff training, Langvad said. The EU still plans to revise the existing guidelines to clarify in what circumstances passengers can be denied boarding, he added.
The transport directorate did not return calls or reply to emails asking for comment.
DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES
The meeting was called after complaints about several European airlines reached the European Commission, including one from the U.N.’s disability representative, who was prevented from boarding a European flight on Swiss International Airlines in April.
Ryanair (RYA.I) lost a lawsuit in Britain earlier this year in a case over a wheelchair-bound woman who was stuck on the runway when a requested hydraulic ambulance lift to raise her to the plane’s door was not available. The woman’s husband carried her onto the plane on his shoulders and the court found that employees gave no help.
Air Europa, EasyJet (EZJ.L) and Air Berlin (AB1.DE) have also been the subjects of recent complaints to the Commission.A 2006 EU law requires airports and airlines to board passengers with reduced mobility. However, an assessment from April found that compliance has been shaky at best.
Problems often occur when disabled passengers have already booked tickets and requested assistance or mobility equipment. They find the equipment does not arrive or is late, wheelchairs are mishandled or in some cases passengers are forbidden to board unless accompanied by a non-disabled person.
In many cases, problems arose because disabled passengers simply did not know their rights, it found.The European Commission said in April it would take a tougher stance on the issue, and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso promised last month to hold the first “State of the Union of Disability” to discuss policy reforms with EU leaders in December.
(Editing by Rex Merrifield and Paul Casciato)
Group 484 organised training for CSOs on Capacity building of CSOs for providing social services within the new Law on social protection. The first module was held on 4/5 July 2011 in Hotel N in Belgrade. There were 28 representatives of CSOs, including CIL representative.
Study visit to Budapest
Within the project MIDWAY CIL Serbia organised study visit to Budapest for its representatives and representatives from National Employment bureau and CRS.
Visit took place from May 29 until June 1. Serbian delegation share experience with representatives from Hotel Panda, VODAFONE, VODAFONE VOCH and Hungarian Federation of PWDs – MEOSZ, about employment of PWDs and support services for them during the working process.
Second seminar in Mataruska banja
Within the DILS project CIL organised second seminar for West Serbia cluster
in Mataruska banja.
There were eight representatives from DPOs and seminar was held from 20
until 22 of May.
CIL Serbia celebrated 15 years of work
CIL Serbia celebrated 15 years of existance and work with more than 120
members and guests in 20 of May 2011.
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