In 2002, the ombudsman for persons with disabilities issued 412 recommendations and warnings to state and local authorities, legal and natural persons to ensure the rights of persons with disabilities, and of 294 issued in 2022, only 101 were implemented, ombudsman Darijo Jurisic has told Hina.

Some recommendations and warnings, such as ensuring accessibility, require financial resources and interventions, so they are carried over from year to year, he added.

The majority of complaints relate to social welfare rights, accessibility and mobility, employment, work, and education.

It’s imperative, Jurisic said, to develop and improve the early intervention system, “which requires intersectoral cooperation that is lacking in Croatia. There is a prejudice that the most important areas for persons with disabilities are healthcare and social protection, but all areas are equally important.”

When it comes to children, a lot depends on the engagement and resourcefulness of parents. Early intervention reduces the extent of potential disability and ensures greater independence for the disabled person.

Jurisic said the City of Zagreb was a positive example of achieving accessibility in numerous areas, also thanks to a department dedicated to the needs of persons with disabilities.

26,490 disabled students enrolled in primary and only 5,468 in secondary school

A significant portion of the recommendations and warnings from 2022 that were not accepted pertain to the education system, he said. It is a major challenge for parents of children with developmental disabilities to enroll them in kindergarten, and once they do, they spend limited time in kindergarten.

Very few students with developmental disabilities enroll in secondary school after primary school. In the just concluded school year, 26,490 students with developmental disabilities enrolled in primary school, while only 5,468 enrolled in secondary school. Most educational institutions are not adapted for persons with disabilities, and teachers are not sufficiently trained to work with them, said Jurisic.

Teaching assistants are of great help in that regard, but their employment status has not been resolved. Jurisic’s office advocates for them to become system employees and have equal rights with other employees.

Outdated education system, only 1% with higher education

He also highlighted the employment problem. There are about 650,000 registered persons with disabilities, or 17% of the population, of which only 17,000 are employed. This number increases year by year but insufficiently, and only 1% have higher education, he said.

“The problem is that we educate persons with disabilities for occupations that are no longer needed in the labour market, such as auxiliary and administrative as well as craft and vocational occupations.”

Professional rehabilitation centres work to keep these individuals in the workforce, which is crucial for their socialization and quality of life.

The ombudsman also pointed out that persons with disabilities waited a long time for the adoption of laws on personal assistance, inclusive allowance, and transport benefits.

The biggest challenge with the inclusive allowance is to issue 150,000 decisions this year, but all persons, regardless of the date of the decision, will receive the allowance for the entire year, he said.