Getting around in the Balkans: An Access Report on Bosnia and Herzegovina

While abroad, it is always interesting to compare where you are and where you have been. With my condition, this poses a pretty practical consideration: physically moving from place to place is very different in another country, another continent, another city.  I was given a fair warning that the Balkans may not be fully ADA accessible. In this case, I spent my time in Bosnia and Herzegovina (officially shortened to BiH). Writing this post I got to experience access personally and also research the accounts of others. There is an easy explanation: Bosnia is not accessible unlike the West. Still, I wanted to find a counter-narrative.

Surprisingly, many places are walking distance, which helps alleviate these challenges. In this case, the city remains walkable thanks in part to its centuries of history. The experience of being five minutes from a bakery, for example, was quite helpful.  There *are* conveniences to this place.

Obstacles did undoubtedly arise. The combination of narrow sidewalks, aggressive drivers, and old architecture (often including stairs and without ramps) made some areas tough to traverse. In areas, like the Old Town, great elevation changes -- from hills and mountains beyond count -- added to challenges of walking around.
 

Architectural barriers also emerge in the form of historic staircases, which are steep and make access much harder. Sometimes such steps are even difficult to balance on. There are quite a few of these steps across town.

Beyond some unruly staircases, the Old Town area is quite steep with decrepit and tiny sidewalks that are lined with uneven brick; a wheelchair could never fit on the sidewalks, which is a problem on very narrow roads. The roads like the ones below are not even the truly despair-filled mountainous roads that dominate the higher levels of Sarajevo.

 

 

The spectacular bridges, such as the one in Mostar, also stifle movement. However, this is not as common as the difficult staircases.

 

 

Even with these obstacles, there are signs of momentum for the country. The more modern, central areas of the city are flat. I have even seen an occasional wheelchair user. Development appears to be driving improved access. Another positive sign has been seeing spaces reserved for drivers with disabilities besides some public locations. In some areas, like along Mule Mustafe, there are graduated curbs from the sidewalk to the ground marked with a yellow wheelchair symbol. Furthermore, the public transportation system does seem reasonably located, though I did not use it myself.

Somehow, I picked up an article on accessible travel in Bosnia-- half in English, half in Bosnian. On the cover, a person in a wheelchair. This resource gave a good overview of the situation.

Interestingly,  I learned that Bosnia is a signatory to the 2006 UN convention on rights of persons with disabilities, reflecting the country's shared interest in accessibility. There are 290, 000 citizens classified as having a disability (around 10% of the population). The country has continuing challenges such as architectural barriers, the scarcity of Braille, and the dearth of sign language resources. 

At the same time, the country has begun a rebuilding process after the destruction of buildings during the war. Advances such as accessible bathrooms are steadily arising. I have actually witnessed elevators and ramps in various places, including restaurants. 

This article and a companion travel guide book indicated the following positive examples of access in the country. (Such a list, of course, is not all-inclusive.)

1. War Childhood Museum (in Sarajevo) – performed an access report
2. Sarajevo Youth Theater – is entirely wheelchair accessible; seating arrangements for the hearing impaired also available
3. Museum of Republika Srpska (in Banja Luka) – incorporated Braille and a tactile display for the visually impaired
4. Herzegovina Museum (in Mostar) – features wheelchair accessibility including a mobile climber to traverse small sets of steps
5. Sarajevo airport – is physically streamlined and has assistance available

Many of these features are for the better but do not appear reflected in a cohesive vision. The nation of BiH is split amongst 3 presidents, and two distinct regions, which creates a great obstacle for accountability on disability rights. (Political consensus plays a key role in establishing access.) For visitors, this situation can be challenging with only a few groups that can help them plan for access.  In neighboring Croatia, there is, for example, the Croatian Association for the Physically Disabled that can offer consultation to many people. Even more challenging is the fact that the focus in Bosnia is heavily on physical access instead of a more inclusive umbrella of disability and access.

Foreign aid has partially supported these efforts. From 2015 to 2020, the USAID provided $3.4 million in funding to local organizations in BiH to support marginalized groups, including persons with disabilities. Additionally, they demonstrated via mock elections how to include persons with disabilities in voting securely and privately. This group also ran a month of events on the Americans with Disabilities Act. The US Embassy in Sarajevo, via the Public Diplomacy Section, gives a platform to groups such as Caritas Bosnia and Herzegovina that support persons with disabilities getting employed. However, BiH's EU loans appear to largely go towards paving new roads, raising new bridges, and building new tunnels -- this is insufficient for many persons with disabilities.

Ultimately, Bosnia is at a crossroads for access.  The people of Bosnia surely support each other in a local capacity. This can be seen from the relatively common presence of access features like ramps and curb cuts. However, the BiH government could establish a floor for disability protections via legislation; they could, for example, mandate access reports and set standards for access while including all persons with disabilities.

By making Bosnia more accessible, visitors and citizens alike can more easily visit many of the wonderful sights in the country. The Vrelo Bosni, for example, is one of the greatest sights in the Sarajevo area. Fortunately, this reserve can be entered via a gentle slope down and traversed with a well-maintained trail including bridges. A pristine place like this, and the many others like it in Bosnia, should be as inclusive as possible. 

That way, anyone, including persons with disabilities, can see the country's immense natural beauty.