Pecs Community Foundation

Pecsi Kozossegi Alapitvany

Project: Pécs city for wheelchair users – promoting inclusion through both improved wheelchair accessibility and community building activities

Hungary

About: Pecs CF was set up in 2016 in a city of PECS with 150.000 inhabitants by 9 dedicated citizens with the aim of promoting community philanthropy and encouraging the local community to engage in generating community initiatives while constantly harnessing the power of community building and the spirit of cooperation. Creating equal opportunities and building an inclusive local community base is a fundamental value to which the Pecs Community Foundation firmly subscribes to.

Challenge: In times of politically deeply divided societies (like Hungary) enhancing social integration is a key priority as we often experience serious lack of solidarity, and deficits of trust. In particular, the voices of politically, socially, economically and culturally marginalized people need to be heard and responded to. People with restricted mobility are one of those vulnerable groups who experience exclusion from participation fully in local society. The project was aiming at improving accessibility for them, creating a more enabling physical and social environment. At present there is no real visibility of them in the city which is seen as an indicator of the problem.

Solution: The Pecs CF has organised The COLLABORATIVE PLATFORM, within which they had several expert consultations, discussions with members of civic disabled groups. They have conducted workshops focused on discussing experiences and effective methods capable for improving sensitivity and inclusive attitudes towards the world of people with disabilities. One of the woking groups has conducted access audits of restaurants, bars, recreational facilities and buildings of public importance within the city to find out the level of accessibility of the venues and marked the positive findings with a sticker on their entrance. Within the project  has happened, the organization has identified the need to make a cross-disability body demanding co-creation policies together with the local government organs.

SDG: 10, 11