Improving the conditions for studying

People with special needs have a bus

It is not easy to be a student in Macedonia, the fees for university studies that every student has to pay are too high, there are not appropriate teaching locations, almost no professional literature in Macedonian…However, it is especially not easy to be a student and have some handicap. It is not easy, since, beside the previously mentioned obstacles, there are a number of other barriers that in certain cases prevent these students from studying completely. Namely, most of the university buildings are partly or completely inaccessible for the people with physical handicap, there is no expert literature in any field translated in Braille’s alphabet, not continuous interpreter for the sign language, no service of personal assistants and so on.

However, starting from 16 March 2005, the students with handicap will have one barrier less. The association of students with special educational needs, in cooperation with the City of Skopje and the public transport enterprise “Skopje” provided a bus which is thoroughly adjusted for the people with handicap and is aimed to transfer the students with special needs and their escort from their homes to all universities and back. In future, it will also be available for the high-school students with handicap. The ride is free and the bus will operate every weekday from 7.30 to 9.00 in the morning and from 1.00 to 2.30 in the afternoon.

Thus, the conditions for studying for the people with handicap will be improved considerably, having in mind the fact that the road to the universities and back was indeed a impassable barrier for over 20 students with special needs.

 

D.S.