President Milanović Meets with Croatian Union of Associations of Persons with Disabilities Delegation
The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović received a delegation of the Croatian Union of Associations of Persons with Disabilities, an umbrella organization of persons with disabilities in Croatia, which brings together 14 national associations of persons with disabilities and a network of alliances that conduct professional rehabilitation and employment of persons with disabilities.
Representatives of associations and alliances acquainted President Milanović with the difficulties and challenges being faced by people with disabilities in Croatia. Although the legislation, as they put it, is gradually being improved and some progress has been made, the fact that many measures are not being implemented continuously was highlighted at the meeting as a major problem. Among the difficulties faced on a daily basis, representatives singled out poor cooperation between the healthcare and social systems, inadequate access to public services and institutions responsible for disabled people, uneven practices in assessing the level of disability and the lack of a funding system for associations of persons with disabilities. ‘We are not a society of equal opportunities’ was the message conveyed by representatives of the Croatian Union of Associations of Persons with Disabilities.
Members of the delegation of the Croatian Union of Associations of Persons with Disabilities included the following: Union President Zorislav Bobuš; President of the Croatian Muscular Dystrophy Association and Vice President of the Croatian Union of Associations of Persons with Disabilities Marica Mirić; President of the Croatian Association of Societies of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities Mirjana Jakovčev; President of the Croatian Association of Multiple Sclerosis Societies Branka Lukić; President of the Croatian Union of Associations for Autism Lidija Penko; President of the Croatian Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Jadranka Krstić; President of the Croatian Union of Associations of Persons with Disabilities Jozefina Kranjčec; President of the Croatian Federation of Disabled Workers’ Associations Josip Petrač; President of the Croatian Cerebral Palsy Association Tomislav Velić; President of Rare Diseases Croatia Vlasta Zmazek; President of the Croatian Paralympic Committee Ratko Kovačić; President of the Croatian Union of Youth and Students with Disabilities Denis Marijon; President of the Croatian Paraplegic and Tetraplegic Alliance Bojan Hajdin; President of the Croatian Guide Dog and Mobility Association Mira Katalenić; Management Board Member of the Croatian Blind Union Kruno Drenski; President of the Croatian Association of Deafblind Persons DODIR Sanja Tarczay.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Marko Beljan