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Ramp Connects Kosovars with Limited Abilities to Local Authorities and Municipal Services
Handicap access ramp at the municipal government
building in Podujeva.
Until last summer, disabled residents of Podujeva Municipality in northeastern Kosovo had difficulty reaching the entrance to the municipal building without family or friends to help them up the stairs because there was no ramp. This lack of handicap-accessible infrastructure limited the ability of disabled citizens to interact with their elected representatives and obtain municipal services. Now disabled people are able to reach the entrance through a ramp installed in August 2007, and they look forward to further improvements in infrastructure accessibility thanks to the efforts of the local NGO Handicap Kosova.
Handicap Kosova’s work began in June 2007 when it introduced a draft law to improve public transportation for people with limited abilities in different municipalities as part of the project “Initiating and Implementing Draft Laws for People with Limited Abilities,” organized by IREX and its partner organization, the Advocacy and Training Resource Center (ATRC) as part of the USAID-funded Kosovo Civil Society Project (KCSP). KCSP allocated $13,409 to improve living conditions and enhance representation of disabled people in Prishtina, Peja, Prizren, Kamenica, Podujeva and Novoberda municipalities.
The draft law proposed by Handicap Kosova is still pending in the Ministry of Transportation of Kosovo. It is expected to be implemented after final approval by the Assembly of Kosovo.
In the meantime, Handicap Kosova joined with other local NGOs to strengthen cooperation with local government towards improving conditions for disabled residents of different cities. In Podujeva, advocacy by local NGOs convinced the Directorate of Health and Social policy to recommend that ramps for people with limited abilities be installed in all public buildings. As a result, a new ramp was built in the municipal building the following month. “Ramps would make disabled people feel as they are being equally treated in their community,” says Myzafere Kastrati, a Handicap Kosova representative. She describes a ramp as a communication bridge that connects disabled people with local authorities because it provides easier access in municipal services.
Besides ramps additional initiatives have been undertaken by Handicap Kosovo in other municipalities with financial support from IREX. Disabled residents of Kamenica and Prishtina Municipalities are already enjoying the benefits of such initiatives. Kamenica authorities designated and marked handicapped parking spaces near the municipal building and the police station in order to improve accessibility. In Prishtina a sign language interpreter has been hired at the Medical Family Center. She interprets for all citizens who are deaf or hard of hearing and in need of assistance for medical matters.
