Pale: Poor Urban Planning Presents Obstacles for Wheelchair Users

The urban infrastructure of Pale makes it difficult for wheelchair users to move freely across the town.

The urban infrastructure of Pale makes it difficult for wheelchair users to move freely across the town.

Although the town’s public institutions, such as the university, the hospital and the city hall each have so-called ramps for wheelchairs, the photos that follow show details that are, at first glance, seemingly insignificant, but present insurmountable obstacles in the everyday lives of wheelchair users.

Photos and captions by Mladen Lakić, Eastern Sarajevo

ulaz u trzni centar (Shopping mall)“Sales (un)available to all”. A side entrance to the Tom Shopping Center.

Elektrodistribucija glavni ulaz”How would you like to pay for that bill?”. The main entrance to the Pale Electric Utility Company.

neuslovan trotoarDamaged pedestrian crosswalks make crossing the street in a wheelchair more difficult.

pocetak setalista”The pedestrian zone is available if you can make the jump.”

Bankomat (ATM)”Is it payday?” This ATM proves inaccessible to wheelchair users.

Mladen is a Balkan Diskurs trained correspondent from East Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina. He studied Journalism at the University of East Sarajevo. In addition to his journalistic endeavors, Mladen works as a human rights researcher and is also an activist.

Related posts

Memorializing Omarska: Denial, Dehumanization, and Obstacles to Peacebuilding
From May 28th to August 21st, 1992, over 3,000 Bosnian Muslims and Croats were confined, tortured and killed at the Omarska camp in entity of Republika Srpska. Despite the extent of the atrocities committed at Omarska, the former camp pointedly lacks any form of memorialization as a result of entity of Republika Srpska’s enduring war crimes denial. This marks a symbolic continuation of genocide, perpetuating survivor’s trauma and impeding efforts towards reconciliation.
Bribery: A Standard Practice Among Bosnian Doctors?
It’s no secret that residents of Bosnia and Herzegovina have to use bribes in order to receive certain medical services, and it’s been that way for years. The medical profession is supposed to be one of the most humane, but it is being undermined by bribery and malfeasance.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *



Winner of the Intercultural Achievement Recognition Award by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs

Post-Conflict Research Center
Join our mailing list