The Academic Inclusive Association held a conference on May 20 at the City Hall of Kraljevo about the importance of support from local governments through scholarships for youth with disabilities.
The conference was organized as part of the Association’s project supported by the Belgrade Open School, aimed at establishing a dialogue to introduce inclusive policies (relaxed criteria) in the calls for student scholarships awarded by local governments in the Republic of Serbia.
Milun Jovanović, Assistant Mayor for Human Rights and Social Affairs, stated that Kraljevo will adopt a decision on the implementation of the criteria as soon as possible and that great attention is being given to making Kraljevo accessible to all citizens. Ognjen Obradović, Vice President of SKONUS, highlighted that in a meeting with Finance Minister Siniša Mali, it was agreed that from the next academic year, persons with disabilities enrolling in master’s studies will be able to study on the state budget thanks to affirmative measures.
Local Ombudswoman Ksenija Gočanin spoke about the position of persons with disabilities in exercising their rights and how her office strives to ensure that persons with disabilities secure their rights as quickly as possible without major legal obstacles.
Milan Janković, Executive Director of the Association, drew attention to the challenges in employment and the importance of supporting students in general, especially those who face numerous barriers due to their type of disability.
Proposals for relaxed criteria for scholarship calls by local governments, which the Association advocates for, were also presented.
Throughout all these topics, the importance of adopting the agreed relaxed criteria for student scholarships for youth with disabilities at the local level was emphasized.
In the upcoming period, the Association will organize training sessions for employees in local government units to empower them to implement inclusive policies and contribute to the development of an inclusive society.
