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October 11, 2004

The United States Consulate
Podgorica

U.S. Government Improves Access for the Disabled
at the University of Montenegro

The U.S. Consul in Montenegro Hoyt Yee, USAID's Howard Handler, the Prorector of the University of Montenegro, Rajka Glusica, and the President of the Association of Disabled Youth, Zoran Šćekić, will formally mark the completion of the project "Improved Special Needs Access - Faculty for All" on Tuesday, October 12th at 13:00 at the main building of the University of Montenegro. The project was financed by the people of the United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) CRDA (Community Revitalization Through Democratic Action) program, and implemented by International Relief and Development (IRD) in cooperation with the citizens of Montenegro.

The University of Montenegro was not originally designed to accommodate people with disabilities, those with restrcited movement or wheelchairs. Lecture halls, laboratories and libraries are situated on upper floors that could only be reached by stairs, leaving many handicapped students little choice other than to abandon their university studies.

Individuals from nine Podgorica Community Action Committees involved in the USAID-funded CRDA program recognized this barrier and supported the project, initiated by the Association of Disabled Youth, to improve access for the disabled to the University building. The project met this important goal through a number of efforts, including the procurement and installation of the staircase platform, construction of a ramp at the main entrance of the University building and a media campaign encouraging students with disabilities to pursue higher education.

USAID contributed €12,190 out of a total project cost of €20,664. The Association of Disabled Youth, along with the communities involved, mobilized numerous individual donors such as the Parliament of the Republic of Montenegro, the Ministry of Social Welfare, the Central Bank of Montenegro and Opportunity Bank to contribute the remaining funds.

As a result of this cooperation, students in wheelchairs now have improved access to lectures, services and other activities within the University building. The U.S. Government hopes that the success of these improvements will encourage other students with special needs to continue their studies and that these efforts will raise public awareness of the necessity to accommodate them.

Representatives from the Parliament of Montenegro, the Ministry of Social Welfare, the Ministry of Urban Planning, the Ministry of Education, the Municipality of Podgorica, and the U.S. Consulate will attend, along with numerous other guests and students.

For more information on the U.S. Government's programs in Montenegro you can visit the Consulate's web site at http://podgorica.usconsulate.gov.

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11. oktobar

Konzulat Sjedinjenih Američkih Država
Podgorica

Vlada SAD poboljšala pristup studenata sa hendikepom
zgradi Univerziteta Crne Gore

Američki konzul u Crnoj Gori Hojt Ji, direktor USAID-a za Crnu Goru Hauard Hendler, prorektor Univerziteta Crne Gore Rajka Glušica i predsjednik Udruženja mladih sa hendikepom Zoran Šćekić formalno će označiti završetak projekta "Poboljšanje pristupa zgradi Univerziteta studentima sa hendikepom - fakultet za sve" u utorak, 12. oktobra u 13:00 sati u zgradi Univerziteta Crne Gore. Projekat su finansirali građani Sjedinjenih Američkih Država, preko CRDA ("Revitalizacija zajednica kroz demokratsko djelovanje") programa Agencije SAD za međunarodni razvoj (USAID), koji sprovodi Organizacija za međunarodnu pomoć i razvoj (IRD) u saradnji sa građanima Crne Gore.

Zgrada Univerziteta Crne Gore nije prvobitno izgrađena u skladu sa potrebama osoba koje koriste invalidska kolica ili se otežano kreću. Amfiteatar, laboratorije i čitaonice nalaze se na višim spratovima zgrade do kojih se moglo doći jedino stepenicama, tako da mnogim mladim ljudima koji koriste invalidska kolica obično nije preostajalo ništa drugo do da odustanu od univerzitetskih studija.

Članovi devet Odbora građana Podgorice, koji učestvuju u CRDA programu, prepoznali su ovaj problem i podržali projekat iniciran od strane Udruženja mladih sa hendikepom, čiji je cilj poboljšanje pristupa zgradi Univerziteta osobama koje se otežano kreću. Projekat osmišljen u ovu svrhu obuhvatio je nabavku i instalaciju stepenišnog lifta, izgradnju pristupne rampe na glavnom ulazu Univerziteta i medijsku kampanju čiji je cilj bio da ohrabri mlade ljude sa hendikepom da upišu fakultet.

USAID je učestvovao sa 12.190 € u projektu čija je ukupna vrijednost 20.664 €. Udruženje mladih sa hendikepom i zajednice građana mobilisali su i mnogobrojne individualne donatore kao što su Skupština Crne Gore, Ministarstvo rada i socijalnog staranja, Centralna banka Crne Gore i Oportjuniti banka da obezbijede preostala potrebna sredstva.

Kao rezultat ove saradnje studenti u invalidskim kolicima sada imaju lakši pristup predavanjima, administraciji i ostalim aktivnostima u zgradi Univerziteta. Američka Vlada se nada da će uspjeh ovog projekta podstaći i mnoge druge mlade ljude sa hendikepom da upišu fakultet ili nastave studiranje, kao i da će ovakva akcija podići nivo svijesti građana o neophodnosti da se infrastruktura prilagodi njihovim potrebama.

Svečanosti će prisustvovati predstavnici Skupštine Crne Gore, Ministarstva rada i socijalnog staranja, Ministarstva obrazovanja, Ministarstva prostornog planiranja, Opštine Podgorica, Američkog konzulata, kao i mnogobrojni gosti i studenti.

Više informacija o programima Vlade SAD u Crnoj Gori možete naći na Konzulatovom internet sajtu: http://podgorica.usconsulate.gov/