Children and adults with developmental disabilities, as well as their families, continue to face numerous challenges, ranging from a lack of systemic support and institutional invisibility to persistent social prejudice. Although such problems have existed in the Municipality of Breza for years, recent months have seen an important step towards addressing them.

The Association Center for Positive Practices, with the support of PRAGG, has launched the campaign “Give Priority Even When You (Don’t) See the Reason”, aimed at introducing the right to priority service for parents and guardians of children and adults with developmental disabilities when accessing public services in healthcare, education, administrative, and other institutions.

As Ilma Omerhodžić, an activist at the Center for Positive Practices, told Odgovorno.ba, the initiative has already been formally submitted to the municipal council:

“We have submitted the initiative to the municipal council, and we expect it to be on the agenda for the August session. After meeting with the Mayor of Breza, we received his full support for our initiative, and the same was true for all council members with whom we met. We were advised that we must ensure a strong legal framework for adopting the initiative, and I believe we have achieved that. In addition to referencing international conventions, there are provisions in the cantonal law that enable the introduction of new measures for social services.”
While awaiting the council debate, the Center for Positive Practices is simultaneously working on securing the support of the private sector in Breza.

“We are currently turning to the private sector in Breza, seeking their support for the implementation of our campaign. We have identified all target legal entities in Breza — from small businesses and service providers to larger entities such as banks, the post office, and others — to which we are sending letters and parents’ testimonies to raise awareness about the issue and encourage them to back our efforts,” Omerhodžić added.
The Center for Positive Practices recently released a video featuring parents of children with developmental disabilities from Breza, sharing their experiences. The video aims to encourage active citizen participation, particularly from socially excluded groups, in advocating for and shaping public policies.

“What we are particularly pleased about is that after publishing the video with parents’ testimonies, other parents have also begun reaching out, ready to share their own stories and contribute to the campaign,” Omerhodžić said.
According to the campaign plan, the Breza Center for Social Work will take a leading role in identifying families, creating a user database, setting eligibility criteria, and issuing cards. The Municipal Department for Economy will be responsible for drafting the decision and designing signage for public institutions, while the Department for Finance will ensure funding for the implementation of this measure.