The purpose of the texts I am going to publish on this blog space is not to offer ready solutions or a way of thinking which can not be questioned. On the contrary, most of the themes I will write about on this blog are vigorously debated in terms of the causes of societal problems disabled people face or potential solutions. Whether the matter at hand concerns my research work on disabled children’s participation or social and economic policy, deinstitutionalisation and independent living services, advocacy strategies for public policy reform, human rights or adequate terminology, the occasions when there are indisputable and equally applicable recipes for solving the problems in all contexts and situations are rare.
Therefore, the goal of my texts, besides presenting my research, is to open up the questions of importance for the position of disabled people, in a manner accessible and understandable to a wider audience and create the space for dialogue and discussion on potential solutions. I reckon that such dialogue should not be restricted to a narrow circle of „experts“ who possess specific knowledge, such as human rights lawyers or civil society representatives, but should rather be widened so to include those to whom these subjects matter the most, disabled people and their families, but also all other citizens. I feel that such wide dialogue is often lacking in society, hence I invite all well-meaning readers who will read these lines to comment on these texts and share their views on the subjects that interest them.
I believe that the involvement of a multitude of people in such dialogue, foremostly disabled people regardless of education level, age, experience of activism, or membership in organisations, is the prerequisite for the emancipation of disabled people and the formation of collective identity and social movement that is able to mobilise a substantial number of people to act for desired social changes.
Bearing in mind that very few disability studies papers have been translated into the Serbian language, I will try to shed the light on the works that in my view have practical value for the reading audience in Serbia and countries of the region where the Serbian language can be understood. Nevertheless, the blog is also available in the English language since I wanted to create the opportunity for a wider audience to step into the discussions. I will gladly respond to all questions and comments and you can send them using the commenting option on the blog page.