European accessibility policies in Serbia

Accessibility and design for all are regulated by the regulations of the Republic of Serbia, while the provisions of international documents, primarily the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, have been introduced into domestic legislation. However, in practice the regulations are not fully implemented. Proper understanding of the concept of accessible environment, with consistent application and control of the application of technical standards are of particular importance for building an inclusive community. The success of the process of creating an accessible environment largely depends on local governments that are responsible for a large number of issues in this area.

For this reason, three one-day seminars were organized in Vrnjacka Banja (June 1), Nis (June 2), and Novi Sad (June 3). These trainings were intended for employees in national, provincial and local public administrations, engineers, architects, urban planners, civil society organizations and media representatives. The goal of organizing the trainings was to raise awareness and improve knowledge and understanding of policies and practices related to accessibility and design for all.

The trainings were organized with limited live participation, while the largest number of participants (over 200 in total) participated in the training online. Through practical examples from the country and abroad, participants were introduced to the importance of the concept of accessibility and design for all, and part of the training was dedicated to the legal framework and obligations of local governments in the process of ensuring accessibility.

The next, this time two-day trainings for 20 participants per group, will be organized in Novi Sad, 21-22 June, then 28-29 June and finally 5-6 July 2021.

Trainings are organized in order to improve the knowledge and understanding of key actors related to experiences in the implementation of accessibility policies in the Republic of Serbia, especially employees in public administrations at national, provincial and local levels, engineers, architects, urban planners, members of civil society organizations and journalists. The focus of these two-day trainings is to get acquainted with practical examples and the most common problems in the application of accessibility and design for all, both in Serbia and in EU member states, with the active participation of participants through workshops and discussions.