The Society for Medical and Biological Engineering in Bosnia and Herzegovina (DMBIUBIH) organized a roundtable on the topic "Accessibility and Inclusivity in Higher Education for People with Disabilities”. The event gathered students, representatives from the academic community, and organizations supporting inclusion, with the aim of identifying challenges and finding solutions to improve access to higher education and employment in STEM and biomedical disciplines.
Through interactive discussions, participants highlighted key obstacles, including the lack of accessible infrastructure, insufficient use of assistive technologies, and the need for better training of teaching staff. Ana Lalović, a member of DMBIUBIH, presented an overview of the current challenges faced by students with disabilities during their studies and the current legal framework in Bosnia and Herzegovina in this field, emphasizing the importance of systemic support and adapted teaching methods. Lejla Ibrahimi, a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at the University of Sarajevo, shared her experience of studying across three cycles at the Department of Biology and the opportunities for people with disabilities to engage in high-level science in our country.
The roundtable was organized with the support of Verlab Institute, which continuously works on the development of innovative solutions in the field of biomedical engineering to support the inclusion. In this context, Nejra Merdović, Expert Associate at Verlab Institute, presented the project "Digital Empowerment for Public Institution Accessibility”, funded under the CommuniCity Call through the City of Sarajevo. The project aims to improve the accessibility of public institutions by developing a digital platform that will inform citizens about the level of accessibility of public institutions in the City of Sarajevo.
The event provided a platform for the exchange of experiences and ideas on the importance of inclusivity in higher education, with the goal of creating a more equitable environment for all students.
