Calucem donates for the arrangement of the Paraplegics and Tetraplegics of Istria County Association’s premises

The Association of Persons with Physical Disabilities of Southern Istria with traffic police officers conducted an action to control the use of accessibility signs and places marked for parking cars that transport people with disabilities. No violations were recorded near the Pevex parking lot, but five improperly parked drivers were fined in the City Mall parking lot in 20 minutes with 700HRK each.

After the United Nations declared the 3rd of December as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the Human Rights Commission in its resolution called on member states to mark this date to achieve equality in the realization of human rights and encourage equal participation of persons with disabilities in society.

The ceremonial presentation of a vehicle fully adapted for the transport of persons with reduced mobility marked the 40th anniversary of the Society of Persons with Physical Disabilities of Southern Istria.

This marked the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which continued today with various actions throughout Pula. In the morning hours at the City Cemetery, the president of the Society Marijan Grabrić, and the President and member of the Executive Board of the Pula branch office of the Society Nada Brussich and Ada Turina laid a wreath and lit a candle in memory of all deceased embers and people with disabilities around the world.

Then, in cooperation with traffic policemen from the Istrian Police Department, they participated in the action of controlling the use of accessibility signs and places marked for parking cars that transport people with disabilities. The action started in the Pevex parking lot, where not a single violation was recorded, while in the parking lot of the City Mall in about twenty minutes five improperly parked drivers were fined 700HRK each, and the spider lifted several cars.

– It is necessary to educate people more about why they should not park in these places, said Marijan Gabrić and emphasized good cooperation with the City of Pula and the need to constantly sensitize citizens.  “Education is the prevention of everything. We need to start from school, so that young people know what parking spaces adapted for people with disabilities are for” – he said. He referred to the problem of the ramp at the Veruda market, which authorities say can be set up, and contractors dispute this.

“Anyone who says that the ramp cannot be set up should sit in a wheelchair and make a circle around and go down to Konzum and see what it looks like to a man who is healthy, let alone someone with a disability. The ramp means a lot. It can, it just takes a little will and desire to realize such a thing” said the president of the Society.

Secretary of the Society Dina Konstantin pointed out that it is necessary to work on the rights of people with disabilities that are not best resolved. “We are waiting for the personal assistance bill and the inclusive supplement bill that has been released into public debate,” she said, and urged all interested citizens and people with disabilities to join the public consultation, which runs until the end of December. It was pointed out that there are more than 600 thousand people with disabilities in Croatia, where local and state policies should work on their employment and adequate assistance to those who cannot work.

On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the Association of Paraplegics and Tetraplegics of the Istrian County officially opened new premises of the Association in Šijana, which was also attended by the Deputy Mayor of Pula Ivona Močinić. This marked an extremely active and successful year that, to the delight of the members, ended with a new long-desired space, which is larger and has better wheelchair access.

The space was allocated to them by the City at the beginning of the year, and they renovated and trained it with the financial assistance of Infobip, Grahovac Pharmacy, Ottoblock, and Calucem. The guests at the opening ceremony were presented with a customized sanitary point for disabled persons with a shower and an additional self-catheterization area with an adapted electric bed.

It was pointed out that during this year they continued with the implementation of projects from EU funds, for personal assistance in the amount of 933,163 HRK and the project ZAŽELI – gerontodomaćice in the amount of 924,750 HRK. These projects employed 23 people and about 70 beneficiaries, but since the project expired, they were forced to share 11 dismissals, leaving 60 users without service.