The award ceremony for the best photos in the photo contest “Give Us a Motive – Identify a barrier through Lenses“, organized as a part of the campaign “All Faces of Accessibility“, took place at the EU Info Centre in Sarajevo. The objective of the photo contest was to identify various forms of barriers that all citizens, especially persons with disabilities, face on a daily basis.
Gianluca Vannini, Head of Operations Section for Social Development, Civil Society and Cross Border Cooperation of the EU Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina emphasized that it is necessary to change habits and attitudes towards persons with disabilities and to turn to creating a better environment for all: “We need to be able to recognize and understand these issues and make additional efforts to remove not only physical barriers, but also the inaccessibility of information and communication for persons with disabilities,” and added “we need to focus on talents and potentials, not constraints.”
Campaign was implemented within the project “Communities of Different, But Equal Citizens” funded by European Union and implemented by UDAS Organization in partnership with Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly of Banja Luka and Citizens Association “Nešto Više” Sarajevo.
”Without accessibility of environment, products and services, it is not possible to act in any other area of promotion of position of persons with disabilities. Our task is to constantly promote all types of accessibility for persons with disabilities, so that it becomes part of planning, in order for it to become an opportunity, not a burden, neither for social systems nor for the business sector,” said Tanja Mandić Đokić, project consultant and activist within disability movement.
Željko Volaš President of UDAS Organization, emphasized that through the project “Equally Different” we want to develop a new concept of community approach, where we will encourage and empower each other to be equal members of the community.
”We, the disabled, want to raise other issues in local communities that do not concern just persons with disabilities, such as economic development issues, environmental issues, reconciliation issues and community interconnections. With this approach, we will encourage communities to cooperate with each other and create a society accessible to all citizens because everything good for persons with disabilities is good for all citizens.” said Željko Volaš.
Aleksandra Stošić and Milijana Bojić got the first award, Adna Memić was given the second award, while the third award went into the hands of Džana Hodžić.
In addition to awarding prises to authors of the best photos, the event in the EU Info Centre also featured photo exhibition of other shortlisted photographs that uniquely show barriers and obstacles faced by persons with disabilities. These photographs will be presented at other cultural centres across B&H, and will serve in advocacy initiatives to improve position of persons with disabilities.
