CIL Serbia organized National Conference on compliance of national legislation with UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disability and networking of DPOs within Balkan region. Conference took place in Belgrade on 10/11^th of July with great participation of more than 65 participants from relevant Ministries, parliamentary boards, MPs and organizations of persons with disability.

This Conference was a part of EIDHR project Building the independent Balkan network of DPOs which is implemented in Bosnia and Herzegovina , Serbia and Montenegro . Implementing organization is ACED from Bosnia and Herzegovina and partners on the project are CIL Serbia from Serbia and Association of Paraplegics from Montenegro.

CIL Serbia held its regular meetings of Presidency and Assembly, in Sombor, on 6th of July.

Members of those bodies reviewed work and financial reports from the last year, as well as plans for this 2014.

Most of the local CIL organizations also held meetings of their management bodies.

Center for Independent Living Serbia, as only accredited organization to conduct the education for Personal Assistants in Serbia , realised a series of training during June and July.

The training was held in Kragujevac for Personal Assists from Jagodina and Kragujevac from 19/22^nd of June.

Training in Belgrade was held from 23/26^th of June. Training in Nis was carried out from 26/29^th of June and in Sombor from 3/6^th of July.

All groups of students have shown a willingness to participate in training and working atmosphere very positive and constructive.

The workshops are led by CIL trainers Milena Stojanovic, Ivana Gvozdenovic Mimica Živadinovic, Gordana Rajkov and Dimitrije Gligorijevic.

Final presentation of the project was on May 30^th 2014 in Media Centre.

There were partners and co-workers on the project from Belgrade and Serbia , as well as representatives of EC and media.

Within the project on May 21st 2014 Organisations of persons with disability Equality and Inter-municipal organisation of blind in Prijepolje signed the Memorandum of Understanding with Prijepolje Municipality representatives on cooperation to improve the status and quality of life of persons with disability.

Project “Public sector for all citizens” is supported by the Office of Human and Minority Rights of Serbia within the program “Promotion of tolerance and equality in order to improve the position of vulnerable groups”. This project is dedicated to improving the status of deaf and hard hearing people in public sector.

Project holder is City Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Leskovac . Partner organizations which supported this project are Center for Independent Living Leskovac and Human Rights Committee Leskovac . Project “Public sector for all citizens”, will be implemented during the period April – July of 2014 within the Jablanica district.

It will directly include 40 deaf people in the process of training material and will involve through training 200 persons employed in the public sector, directly. There will be also 300 indirectly trained persons using modern ICT tools for learning sign language. However, the impact of the project activities will be directed towards the whole community of deaf and hard of hearing persons and members of their immediate families, who will be performing daily tasks much easier . This process will be done through a number of workshops and lectures , and the key results of the project will be the prevention of discriminatory treatment of deaf and hard of hearing persons in the process of service delivery in the public sector , facilitated communication between the administration – deaf users and breaking personal and social prejudice to the deaf people .

One of the major changes that are expected to raise the level of knowledge is the entire community about the needs and problems of the deaf and hard of hearing people in everyday life and opportunities to improve their position .

Another successful activity within the project related to work with local
governments and DPOs has been organized in Prijepolju on  April the 8, 2014.
The meeting with CIL and NODPOs was attended by representatives of the Municipality Prijepolje and the Centre for Social Work, who were introduced with project and support co-operation with the Organization of the Blind and the
Association JEDNAKOST.
In a discussion with members and representatives of disability organizations they also expressed their hope that
cooperation with local authorities will grow into the right direction and provide results for both sides.

Wed April 2, 2014 On May 5, the international Independent Living day, we walk the Walk of Shame. A solidarity march through Brussels. Join us!
Still people have to live with disabilities in institutions, separated from the real world. Still there are people with disabilities who receive no support.We stand by them!
We stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters from Wallonia, where there is no question of health care innovation. We stand in solidarity with all those people with disabilities across Europe who are affected by blind savings.
What began as a financial crisis in many countries led to an outright attack on our rights. Opportunities to live independently are broken down and the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with disabilities shall be postponed or even reversed.
This disgrace to stop! No more savings at the expense of people with disabilities. Bring along with Independent Living vzw this message to the European Commission, in the heart of Europe.
The Walk of Shame is the Belgian part of the international campaign “ Stop Disability Cuts’ of ENIL (European Network on Independent Living). Independent Living association invites all people with disabilities, their associations, allies and sympathizers, to walk along. We also invite MEPs and other policy makers to go during this solidarity walk.

http://www.autismspeaks.org/news/news-item/world-autism-awareness-day-message-ban-ki-moon

Within the support activities to the local Center for Independent Living OSI in Smederevo there were a seminar on Communication and negotiating skills on 17 and 18 March.

The seminar for members of the CIL Smederevo was held bz Natasa Ristic, from the Centre for modern skills.

Company Bionica Pharmaceuticals donated to CIL Serbia and its members natural supplements Imunix, Diurex and Thyrosea.

Preparation Diurex is a horsetail extract, which has been known as a natural diuretic and for urea antiseptic treatment.

Thyrosea composition is an addition of iodine in the diet (the combination of potassium iodide and Spirulina) and is used for improving memory and concentration. Thyrosea also reduces the risk of thyroid disease.

Preparation Imunex is  the complete formula of ingredients of natural origin for the body to develop immunity – a combination of spirulina powder and yeast enriched with selenium.

Thanks to Bionica Pharmaceuticals Company.

Personal Assistant Service, first appeared as a concept and as a practice in 2001. in a mini pilot project organized by the Centre for Independent Living Serbia- funded by British NGO Oxfam . The results and experiences of that project CIL has published in research case study ” Personal Assistance Service as an alternative form of support for disabled.” 

This pilot project paved the way to significant donation that came from ” Irish Aid ” for the full pilot program in 2002 , which was implemented in cooperation with Catholic Relief Services (CRS ) and supported by Ministry of Social Policy of Serbia and later continued to support by subsequent Ministry of Labour and social Policy of Serbia in three Governments which have changed in that time period. Similar services exist in many countries, including Ireland, United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Italy, Germany and the United States.

Pilot service in Serbia relied on the experience and lessons learned from all of these countries , but most of all inspired by the Irish experience.

Between 2002 the 2010 CIL has held a series of activities and projects for the promotion and provision of personal assistance services including: 

1.  Organizing Services from 2002 to 2007, SPAS I and II projects, which were funded by the Irish Government, CRS and Serbian

2. Developing, testing and implementation of procedures and documents necessary for the performance of services

3. Developing training programs for personal assistants, users and providing education to more than 100 associates, more than 100 users , representatives of social work and local authorities in period 2003 /2007

4. Feasibility study for personal assistance services in Serbia, 2006 and its registration at Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Serbia

5. Conducted research on the economic feasibility of investing in the PA S and research the changes in the quality of life of users who lived with PA service

6. Organizing PA Services from 2007 to mid-2008 within the project ” From alternative to standardization,” funded by the Social Innovation Fund of the Republic of Serbia

7. Development of quality standards for personal assistance through the project ” From alternative to standardization,” funded by the Social Innovation Fund in Serbia (2007)

8. Testing the draft standard for PA services through the provision of services in Belgrade and Leskovac, within the program Checking the standards of Ministry of Labour and Social Policy and in cooperation with the National Institute for Social Welfare  (2008 )

9. Organization of services and further development of standards to users in Belgrade during the through a project funded by the Balkan Trust for Civic Initiatives – BCIF (2009)

10. Support the organization of personal assistance services in Novi Sad – partnership project with the Centre ” Living Upright ” with the support of the Executive Council of Vojvodina – CIL was responsible for the training of PAs and users, as well as establishing procedures and mechanisms for the provision of services

11. Presentation of experiences in providing personal assistance services , including performing the necessary training and the process of developing quality standards for PA service, on numerous professional, national and international meetings.

Through its project SPAS, Center for Independent Living Serbia turned on a substantial number of relevant institutions from different sectors in the implementation of its activities.  CIL launched an initiative to examine the need for an integrated and related services in the social welfare system and offered alternative services for people with disabilities.

At the time of launching the first PA service (2001/2002)  relevant legislation consisted only of Law on social protection and social security of citizens , which did not recognize this type of service. Since then and thanks to CIL activities there were a series of policies and legislation adopted to provide the basis for these services through the social welfare system but also in other relevant areas . 

The key legal documents that are relevant to the provision of social welfare services are: 

1.  The Poverty Reduction Strategy

2.  Social Welfare Development Strategy

3.  Strategies for improving the situation of persons with disabilities

4.  Law on Social Protection and Social Security of the citizens

5.  Law on Prevention of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities

6.  Law on professional rehabilitation and employment of persons with disabilities

7.  Law on Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

8.  Law on Social Protection of Serbia.

Finally, CIL Serbia accredited the first and only training program of education for personal assistants in the Institute of Social Welfare in July 2011. 

We are proud of our work and we know why.