On May 27, the online conference “How to Create a Society Without Barriers?” was successfully held via the Zoom platform as part of the international project “ID:CITIZEN.” The event focused on promoting accessibility, universal design, and systemic solutions to ensure the equal participation of persons with disabilities in public spaces and the community across Macedonia, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia.
As the project’s culminating event—attended by key representatives from the four participating countries—the conference led by Ákos Pordan of the Hungarian association “Hand in Hand” served as a platform to showcase results from study visits to Poland and Slovakia, share personal experiences from the three countries, and promote practices adaptable to various national and local contexts. A key conclusion was that, while no single country offers a perfect, all-encompassing model, each provides valuable insights for building more effective accessibility systems across Central Europe.
The main focus was on the publication “Policy Recommendations for Enhanced Inclusivity”—a practical tool for national and local authorities, institutions, urban planners, cultural and educational actors, civil society organizations, and all stakeholders involved in creating accessible communities—which was presented by Gere Tripkov, President of the “Equality” Association (the project initiator), and Jarosław Bogucki, an accessibility expert from the “Integration Foundation” in Poland.
The document contains guidelines for establishing systemic accessibility, improving mobility within cities, enhancing public spaces, and implementing inclusive practices across the four countries involved in the project: Macedonia, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia.
The publication is based on international cooperation, findings from study visits, consultations with stakeholders, and a review of relevant European and international practices. Prepared in Macedonian, English, Polish, Hungarian, and Slovak, the publication is available on the project’s official website: https://citizen.equality.agency/
“Accessibility often remains fragmented, inconsistently implemented, or dependent on the commitment of individual institutions. Stronger coordination, monitoring, funding, and accountability are needed to make it a measurable reality in everyday life, rather than just a declared commitment,” said Gere Tripkov from the Equality Association.
The conference reaffirmed the need for accessibility to become a measurable standard for democratic governance, sustainable development, and equal participation in public life. The publication “Policy Recommendations for Enhanced Inclusivity” provides concise guidance and recommendations to relevant local and central authorities, urban planners, architects, and experts, emphasizing that creating improved accessibility must be a consistent and continuous process; rather than relying on reactive and fragmented solutions, a systemic approach should be established and maintained—one that integrates accessibility into every stage of planning, financing, implementation, and monitoring.
The “ID: CITIZEN” project, supported by the International Visegrad Fund, continues to build partnerships and foster systemic changes for a more inclusive and accessible society for all.
