An analysis of the needs and current state of personal assistance services for persons with disabilities in the City of Doboj, aimed at identifying key challenges and gaps in service provision, has confirmed the importance and necessity of establishing a personal assistance system as a crucial form of support for independent living and community inclusion of persons with disabilities.
The analysis was developed to enable the identification of existing shortcomings in service provision and to support the creation of adequate strategies for improving the accessibility and quality of personal assistance services.
This analysis was prepared within the framework of a joint campaign by associations advocating for the rights of persons with disabilities: the Association of Paraplegics, Persons with Cerebral Palsy, and Other Physical Disabilities of the Doboj Region, the Association of Persons with Muscular Dystrophy of the Doboj Region, the Association of Amputees Doboj, the Inter-Municipal Organization of the Blind and Visually Impaired Doboj, the Association of War Invalids Doboj, the Volleyball Club of Persons with Disabilities “OKI” Doboj, and the Association for Support to Children with Special Needs Doboj. These seven active organizations are united under the coalition “Coordinating Committee of Organizations of Persons with Disabilities” and are jointly implementing the campaign “For a Life Worthy of a Human Being.”
The analysis also represents a continuation of the participation of organizations of persons with disabilities in the implementation of the City’s Strategic Plan for Economic Development, which includes the Local Action Plan on Disability aimed at improving the social status of persons with disabilities for the period 2021–2027 (supported by EU funding). Both documents—the Strategic Plan and the Analysis—were jointly prepared by the same seven organizations within the Coordinating Committee.
According to available data, there are currently 1,650 registered beneficiaries of social protection in Doboj, of whom 50% receive financial support based on their basic right to social protection. Additionally, 891 individuals exercise additional rights, a category that includes personal assistance. However, there is no precise data on how many of these individuals are potential users of personal assistance, nor on possible priority groups.
Doboj, with its 67 local communities, 70 settlements, and a population of 68,000 (according to the 2013 census), represents a specific and complex environment in terms of the number of persons with disabilities. In addition to official data, the actual number of persons with disabilities is likely significantly higher. The World Health Organization estimates that 10–11% of the total population lives with some form of disability, including paraplegia, muscular dystrophy, mental impairments, mine victims with amputations, individuals with visual, hearing, or speech impairments, war and work-related disabilities, and persons with rare diseases. It is evident that, as in other areas, there are no precise or reliable data in Doboj regarding the exact number, type, and degree of disabilities.
It is important to highlight that in Doboj, a significant number of architectural barriers have been removed, and there is a growing number of accessible public and residential buildings. The local government has increasingly been involved in efforts to make Doboj an example of good practice in caring for persons with disabilities. However, significant challenges remain, including a lack of access to information and communication for persons with sensory impairments (visual, hearing, and speech), as well as the absence of vertical signaling at intersections, which exists in places like Brčko and some other cities.
The initiative to establish a personal assistance service in Doboj, launched by the Coordinating Committee of Organizations of Persons with Disabilities Doboj (KOOSI), is expected to benefit more than a hundred potential users. The number of beneficiaries in this initial phase will depend on the funds allocated within the City of Doboj’s budget. In September, the City Administration will receive the formal Initiative for the Introduction of Personal Assistance in Doboj, through the adoption of a Decision on Extended Social Protection Rights by the Doboj City Assembly, which would officially recognize personal assistance as a local-level right.
