-Inadequate public transport, architectural barriers, prejudices of society, lack of information and education, and insensitivity of employers ( public and private sector) are just some of the problems that people with disabilities face when finding a job, which is why the Association of Citizens “Nešto Više” round table on “Legal regulations and benefits for employers in the employment of persons with disabilities” held on Wednesday, March 21, 2012 in the Oval Hall of City of Council of the City of Sarajevo. The round table was organized by the Association of Citizens “Nešto Više” within the project “Inclusion against discrimination of persons with disabilities”; with the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in BiH. The aim of this project is to timely inform the public, including relevant government institutions, existing and potential employers (business sector), civil society organizations and the media about the principles of non-discrimination of persons with disabilities I(right to education, employment and work of persons with disabilities). Also, this project seeks to increase the competitiveness of persons with disabilities in the labor market and the possibility of their employment in the Sarajevo Canton.
At the very beginning, the participants were addressed by Aleksandar Bundalo, Executive Director of the Association of Citizens “Nešto Više”, Mrs. Jantine van Bakel, First Secretary of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in BiH, Miroslav Živanović, Deputy Mayor of the City of Sarajevo. This was followed by presentations: On behalf of the Association of Citizens “Nešto Više” Belma Hadžimahmutović, projectmanager and Jelena Backović, project assistant presented the project “Inclusion against discrimination of persons with disabilities”.
Director of the Center for Business Education, Multicom d.o.o. (www.cpe.ba), Mr Emir Hulusić, spoke about the importance of IT education for people with disabilities and competencies in the labor market, while Šejla Hrustemović PR Fund, presented the Fund for Professional Rehabilitation and Employment of People with Disabilities and legislation and benefits for employers who employ people with disabilities (www.fprzoi.na). Belma Karkelja Omerović, director of the first social enterprise USPON d.o.o. spoke about the role of USPON d.o.o. in mediation in the employment of persons with disabilities-previous experiences, and presented the Guide for Employers and the web portal www.uspon.ba.
Mirza Jašarević, project coordinator on behalf of the Center for Development and Support (www.crp.org.ba), presented the experiences of this organization related to projects for training and employment of persons with disabilities in BiH- Coalition “I can, I want, I can!” In the part intended for discussion, there was talk about the role of competent institutions in this issue, the possibilities that civil society organizations can do, the role of the media in promotig such projects, the role of employers, as well as many other topics. Finally, conclusions and recommendations were made that can serve to improve the overall situation in this area.
