Croatian Paraplegic and Tetraplegic Association (CPTA) –
Who we are?
Janko Ehrlich-Zdvoøák, Executive Board
Member
ABOUT HUNDRED SPINAL CORD INJURIES
RESULTING WITH PARAPLEGIA OR QUADRIPLEGIA ARE OCCURING YEARLY IN
CROATIA.
CAUSES
- 44% traffic accidents
- 24% violence or arms
- 22% falling
- 8% sport
- 2% other
What are paraplegia and quadriplegia?
Paraplegia is a result of a spinal cord injury in thoracic,
lumbar and sacral part of the spine that is characterised by partial
(paraparesis) or complete (paraplegia) loss of function below the level of an
injury.
Quadriplegia is a result of a spinal injury in cervical (neck)
part of a spine that is characterised by partial (quadriparesis) or complete
(quadriplegia) loss of functions below the level of an injury.
The remaining motor and sensor function, below the level of the
spinal cord injury depend on whether the damage of the nerve structures is
complete or partial.
Croatian Paraplegic and Tetraplegic Association (CPTA) is an
independent, non-governmental, non-profit association of person with paraplegia
and quadriplegia, primarily of paraplegics and quadriplegics themselves and
their close relatives, but also of persons who are professionally and/or morally
united by same goals and tasks.
Our goal is strengthen persons with paraplegia and quadriplegia
to be able to rich necessary and desired level of life quality, together with
rising of level of consciousness of “healthy” persons about paraplegia and
quadriplegia and consequences and problems linked with spinal cord
injury.
Recognising of needs, cooperation and solidarity may
contribute to this cause.
Since 2002 Croatian Paraplegic and Tetraplegic Association
is full member of the International Federation of Persons with Physical
disability (FIMITIC).
The Goals of the HUPT
- Expressing of
mutual interests and specific needs of persons with spinal cord injury
(problems with mobility, incontinency, sexuality, children, skin sensibility,
problems linked with urinary tract, etc.).
- Helping persons
with spinal cord injury in early stage of their rehabilitation and developing
their level of consciousness of themselves as equal to other people in
community. - For better and
more complex rehabilitation and following of the most recent medical and other
achievements about spinal cord injuries we are pleading for establishing the
Croatian Spinal Centre.
- We want to raise
awareness of the whole community that solving specific needs of persons with
paraplegia and quadriplegia are necessary.
- Cooperation in
international, national and regional programmes and projects of common
interests for persons using wheelchairs. - To establish the
network of persons with paraplegia and quadriplegia aspiring to make a
connection with injured individuals at the time of their first rehabilitation,
so that they can ease their integration into the life of the
community. - Organising
consultation managed and led by persons with first-hand experience, in order
to provide timely information to newly injured persons. - Establishing
group support in the community. - Initiating and
giving complete assistance (material, moral, employment, legal, etc.) to our
members and their families with purpose to enhance the quality of life, social
care and protection of interests for paraplegics and
quadriplegics. - Improving the
sense of identity of individuals with paraplegia and quadriplegia, raising the
awareness in the society and making them more recognisable. - Recognising and
articulating the interest of as much members possible in solving problems and
implementation of programs, projects and actions of common
interest. - Promoting the
needs for appropriate education, employment, habitation, modern aids for
disabilities, public transport and other communications, keeping in mind
integration of so-called handicapped and healthy. - Promoting social
model and views on disabled where the community has to adapt itself to an
individual and not individual to the community. - To initiate
establishment of a register for persons with paraplegia and quadriplegia. At
the same time this register has to help for a realistic planning as well for
economic approach in solving many problems of persons with paraplegia and
quadriplegia. - We are pleading
for emphasis of specific needs of persons with paraplegia and quadriplegia in
relation to other persons with disabilities.
The Activities of the HUPT
- Creating,
organising and implementing programs adequate to the needs of the HUPT
members, also fund-raising for realisation those programs. - Register the
persons with paraplegia and quadriplegia and their voluntary
membership. - Working on
developing of consciousness of individuals with paraplegia and quadriplegia so
that they themselves can take leading role in programs for common
interests. - Working on
improvement of quality of life of our members through organising workshops,
lecturing, meetings and similar activities for which interests, needs and
feasibility exist. - Support
community based programmes for people with paraplegia and
quadriplegia. - Support of other
programs that are of interest for people with specific needs. - To use all
available means for promotion of Standard Rules on the Equalisation of
Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (UN Resolution 48/96,
1993). - To monitor human
rights and their implementation for people with disabilities (paraplegia and
quadriplegia), especially putting in focus institutions and governmental
bodies responsible for that.
Messages
The majority of disabilities are caused by the technology of
the civilisation. This is why the community has duty to think and care for those
who are or who will become disabled.
Disabled persons are mostly handicapped by society that is
not adjusting itself to the needs of its every individual!