The number of employed persons with disabilities in Montenegro has increased significantly, and there are currently 95 students with disabilities at the faculties, announced the executive director of the Association of Disabled Youth (UMHCG), Marina Vujačić.
"The number of employed persons with disabilities has increased significantly compared to the previous period, however, numerous problems in this area have not yet been resolved," Vujacic told the Mina agency.
According to her, in addition to problems in other areas that affect the employment of persons with disabilities and the quality and structure of the offer, the Law on Professional Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities is not being fully implemented, nor in a satisfactory manner.
This, as Vujacic said, was determined by the State Audit Institution (DRI).
"Which, in its Report on the Audit of Success, 'Effectiveness of Using Funds from Contributions for Professional Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities,' stated that the state authorities were not efficient enough in implementing the Law on Professional Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities and the Action Plan of the Strategy for the Integration of Persons with disabilities for 2014-2015," she said.
In addition, as she stated, even after seven years, the state does not solve the problem of misuse of money from the Fund for Professional Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities, "because the current situation suits it perfectly".
"And the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (MRSS) has just started drafting the Rulebook on the conditions and methodology for financing special employment organizations, just after DRi published the report, while the Rulebook on financing grant schemes again entered the amendment procedure even though it was originally adopted only last year in July, six years after the adoption of the law," stated Vujacic.
Certain norms of the law, she said, have not even been implemented so far, such as some of the measures of professional rehabilitation and active employment policy. "And among them, even the architectural adjustment of workplaces, even though this measure is prescribed by law and in some situations represents a basic prerequisite for employment".
"In addition to the above, different institutions must be better connected, work continuously and systematically in the field of creating conditions for the employment of people with disabilities", Vujačić assessed.
She said that, according to UMHCG data, there are currently 95 students with disabilities at faculties in Montenegro.
"However, the qualitative results are very slow and there is almost no progress. Faculties are still architecturally unadapted, there are no support services - teaching assistance, gesture interpreters, accessible transportation, literature is still not adapted to students with visual impairments," said Vujačić. .
She added that some professors meet on their own and are understanding. "However, nothing is systematically regulated, nor is it provided by the institutions in practice."
"During the statutory changes at the University of Montenegro (UCG), the Ministry of Education issued a license for the performance of activities and work, even though the university units that underwent changes do not meet the condition related to accessibility for people with disabilities," announced Vujačić.
She believes that the only positive thing is that the new Law on Higher Education was adopted, and that the UCG, in its Statute, obliged university units to adapt the way and time of taking exams and pre-exams to students with disabilities.
"However, in this area we still have more compensatory rights than guaranteed equality," stated Vujacic.
She recalled that in June of last year, the Law on Prohibition of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities was adopted.
"This is an absolutely important, perhaps the most important law when it comes to people with disabilities, precisely because discrimination against people with disabilities is present every day, whether they themselves are aware of it or not," stated Vujacic.
As she said, there is almost no social group that can be discriminated against on a daily basis, even in their own home.
She added that last year the new Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities was adopted, although the 2011 law was amended first.
"In addition to the above, we at UMHCG will also remember the year for the increase in the number of students with disabilities, but also for numerous other activities that we implemented independently or in cooperation with partners, especially in November, which we declared as Disability Awareness Month," Vujačić said. .
She said that they started the online legal consultancy in order to enable direct communication with their legal team to the many people who contact them most often through the Facebook page.
"Over the course of the year, for the first time, 44 people with disabilities or their families approached us for the exercise or protection of human rights," said Vujacic.
She stated that they work every day to initiate the adoption of legal regulations, monitor compliance or often, whenever they have the opportunity, follow the process of drafting regulations and participate in their definition, that is, the regulation of the rights of persons with disabilities, including the adoption process in the Assembly.
"Such and such work is often "invisible", but it requires enormous time, dedication, knowledge and sensibility, while all this is often missing on the other side, with individual decision-makers", said Vujačić.
As she said, the largest number of questions, within the framework of the legal consultation center, related to the realization of rights in the field of social policy, i.e. social protection rights, personal disability allowance, care and assistance of another person, realization of the right to a monthly allowance based on a child who is a beneficiary of personal disability allowance and others, where people with disabilities and their families are often misinformed, referred to the wrong institutions, rejected without a written explanation and solution.
A certain number of people, as she said, contacted them because of the problems they had with exercising the right to the privilege of traveling from their place of residence to their place of work and back, within the territory of the same municipality.
"Because of this problem, we turned to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, as well as the media, and received the answer that the Law on Privileges for the Travel of Persons with Disabilities was incorrectly applied and that this right was recognized for all employees with disabilities, regardless of the fact that the Law prescribed this right only to those whose place of residence and place of work are in different municipalities," Vujacic said.
According to her, two people contacted them because of discrimination based on disability in the field of employment and education, and in those cases they launched certain initiatives.
"We are very satisfied with the project and the results, because this is one of the smallest projects in terms of the amount of funds that we implemented during the last year, with very noticeable results. First of all, it contributed to greater trust of citizens in UMHCG and what we do," she assessed. is Vujacic.
The UMHCG recently called on the Government and deputies to act by amendment and determine a significantly higher amount for measures and activities of professional rehabilitation and employment of persons with disabilities in order to fully implement the Law and to spend the funds for the purpose.
Vujacic said that at the session of the Health, Labor and Social Welfare Committee, they received information that it would be done.
"For now, we know that the Socialist People's Party submitted an amendment to make it 8,8 million euros, which is how much the inflow is tentatively predicted, while some deputies of the Democratic Party of Socialists announced an amendment to four million. We certainly expect the outcome of the vote in the plenum," she said. she.
However, she added, this is also the current solution until the amendments to the Law on Professional Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities and the status of the Fund are resolved.
Vujačić announced that the UMHCG will start drafting the Work Plan for this year in January, after evaluating this year's plan, and then they will determine the priorities.
"What we know for sure for now is that we will continue to work on the promotion and monitoring of the Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities and legal counseling. We will publish two Guides on the Prohibition of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities, one general and the other a simplified version for persons with intellectual disabilities. then the Publication on the right to access justice for persons with disabilities," she said.
Vujačić said that, in addition to activities from the Law Program, she will carry out regular activities in the field of education and employment - education, various types of support through the Student Counseling Office, and activities in the field of independent living for people with disabilities.
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