🚧 A student – a person with a disability who uses an electric wheelchair – faced serious obstacles to physical access at a private higher education institution in Macedonia. Despite attempts to receive support, the response from the institution was lacking.
💪🏼 Following an official request submitted by the civil society sector, measures were taken and a ramp was installed, but after a short time the space fell into disuse, forcing the student to attend lectures in another part, also without proper access. At the student’s request, a ramp was installed, but it does not meet the standards, making movement unsafe.
✅ This case shows that in Macedonia accessibility still depends on individual struggle, most often by the civil society and affected individuals, instead of being part of lasting systemic solutions. Responsibility must be taken by the authorities to ensure standards and binding mechanisms that do not treat accessibility as a privilege, but as a prerequisite for equal participation of persons with disabilities in education and society.
✨ The international ID:CITIZEN campaign aims to promote positive examples of improving accessibility and inclusion of people with disabilities in culture, education, and public spaces in 🇲🇰🇭🇺🇵🇱🇸🇰.
