Director of the association Suvad Zahirović, born in 1962 in Brčko, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He completed his primary education at the Institute for Blind and Visually Impaired Children in Sarajevo, and secondary school and the Faculty of Political Sciences in Belgrade. He started his professional career and activism in the Association of Blind Citizens of Tuzla. He is one of the founders and is currently the director of the Information Center for People with Disabilities "Lotos". Since 1997, he has been one of the leading activists and advocates of the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Through his activities in "Lotos", he contributed to the unification of the movement of persons with disabilities, but also to the promotion of the inclusion of persons with disabilities and disability issues in the main policies in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He participated in all key processes in the field of disability in the country, and he is a good connoisseur and actively participates in the activities of organizations of people with disabilities in the Balkan region and in Europe. In the period from 2006 to 2011, he worked as an advisor for social policy in the cabinet of the Vice President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was one of the key actors in creating the Unified Disability Policy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of the key actors in advocating for the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of the creators of the alternative Report on the implementation of the Convention in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the last few years, he has been actively promoting the philosophy of independent living and contributing to the empowerment of young people and women with disabilities for active participation in the disability movement and activities in the communities in which they live. He is currently engaged in the working group for the Development of a Disability Strategy in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also in the processes of preparing several legal solutions of importance for persons with disabilities.
The President of the Board of Directors, Dr. Sc. Zumreta Galijašević Baluković, was born in 1977 in Doboj. After completing primary school, she enrolled in and graduated from secondary mathematics school in 1996. She earned her bachelor's degree in economics in 2000, her master's degree in 2013, and her doctorate in economics, specializing in finance and banking, in 2016. She worked in the financial sector of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2010, she joined the movement of people with disabilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She is the President of the Board of Directors of the Information Center for People with Disabilities "Lotos" from Tuzla. The focus of her work is advocacy and research in the field of disability and socio-economic issues of people with disabilities, educational, mentoring and training work with organizations of people with disabilities to strengthen the capacities of organizations, work with young people and women with disabilities. As a defender of the rights of women with disabilities, she is particularly concerned with the issues of including disability in gender actions in BiH and defending the rights of women with disabilities. She has produced various scientific papers in the field of disability, studies and documents used in advocacy programs for improving the position of persons with disabilities, including Mapping accessible services for women with disabilities in the process of protection from gender-based violence, Summary of policies for the promotion of inclusive education in Tuzla Canton, Justification and social benefits of establishing personal assistance in BiH, The influence of parental attitudes about disability on the development of the capacities of children with disabilities, Accessible informal didactic tools for young people with disabilities in BiH, Curriculum and manual for training young people with disabilities for independent living, Management of personal assistance, Leading mutual support groups among persons with disabilities and many others. She participated in the preparation and development of strategic documents in BiH, Draft Gender Action Plan of FBiH, Action Plan for Combating Domestic Violence in Tuzla Canton, etc. She speaks English. She is a member of the Assembly of the Information Center for Persons with Disabilities "Lotos" from Tuzla and a member of the Assembly of the European Network for Independent Living ENIL.
Program Manager Sandra Marković was born on October 12, 1976 in Sarajevo. She completed elementary and high school in Banja Luka and studied at the Faculty of Philosophy in Tuzla, Department of Social Work. She continued her education at the Institute for Gestalt and Integrative Therapy in Wursburg, Germany. Human rights and people have always been her subject of interest. As a volunteer, member and associate, she worked in many organizations, mainly dedicated to the fight for equality, security and inclusion of all those who are denied this. For 8 years, she has been working at IC “Lotos” on the creation and implementation of various programs for women, youth and parents of people with disabilities.
Anes Ćehović, born in 1977, B.A. Speech therapist, director of INTRAG DOO for professional rehabilitation and employment of persons with disabilities Tuzla. Member of IC “Lotos” since 2003. He is engaged in many social and professional activities, is recognized for his work in the field of empowerment of persons with disabilities, and actively participates in the development of projects and initiatives related to the rights and quality of life of persons with disabilities. With extensive experience in management, team leadership and organization of education, Anes contributes to the community through improving the living conditions of persons with disabilities, as well as work in the field of public policies and advocacy for their rights.
Melisa Papić, project coordinator at the Information Center for Persons with Disabilities Lotos, was born in Peja. She completed her high school education in Tuzla, where she graduated from the University of Tuzla, earning the title of pedagogue-psychologist. Through more than 15 years of work in the government and non-governmental sectors, she has acquired various educations that have further improved her professional work. For many years, she has been actively involved in the non-governmental sector, dedicated to the fight for social justice and the advancement of the rights of children, youth and adults. She loves working with people and contributing to their personal and social development through various projects and initiatives. She especially enjoys education, helping people improve their skills and progress in life. Her work contributes to inclusivity and the creation of a more just society.
Adisa Kišić, born in 1981 in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She completed primary and secondary teacher training in Tuzla and the Faculty of Philosophy in Tuzla, Department of Bosnian Language and Literature. Since 2014, she has been a public relations officer at the Information Center for Persons with Disabilities "Lotos" Tuzla, with the aim of presenting the abilities and possibilities of persons with disabilities in a positive way in the media. She participates in the implementation of activities and projects related to the rights and improvement of the position of persons with disabilities through work on strengthening their capacities for independent living. She pays special attention to the promotion of the rights and empowerment of women with disabilities. She is the author of a book of life stories about women with disabilities "Captured Potentials". She is a member of the editorial board of the magazine for persons with disabilities "Inicijativa" and an administrator on FB IC "Lotos". Through her work at Lotos, she provides counseling, information, education and peer support for young people and women with disabilities. It nurtures a friendly spirit and respect for dignity and human values by providing individual support to people with disabilities.
Senaida Sarajlić was born in 1995 in Tuzla. She gained her many years of activist experience in the non-governmental sector, focusing on issues of the rights and position of marginalized groups, and this determined her career. She graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Tuzla in Psychology and earned a bachelor's degree in Psychology. Her professional beginnings were preceded by experience as an administrative assistant in the Youth Council of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. After that, she achieved her first consulting engagement in the Information Center for Persons with Disabilities "Lotos" where she continues to work on projects of psychosocial support for young people and women with disabilities. Through her work, she strives to contribute to the construction and promotion of comprehensive and sustainable inclusion, and the application of a human rights model that ensures respect for human needs and their differences. She is a member of the Society of Psychologists of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, whose activities are focused on the development and application of psychology as a science and practice.
Bojana Ljubojević was born on September 28, 2000 in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since 2022, she has been working as an administrator at the Information Center for Persons with Disabilities “Lotos”, where she contributes to improving support and information for persons with disabilities. Before that, from 2020 to 2022, she was an administrative worker at the Women's Association “Podstrek”, where she gained important experience in organizing and managing administrative tasks. Bojana currently attends the FINra College of Finance and Accounting, where she is specializing in finance and accounting. Before that, she graduated from the School of Physiotherapy Technicians, and also underwent professional training at the PHI University Clinical Center. In addition to being fluent in Bosnian and Bosnian Sign Language, Bojana also speaks English and Italian. She has advanced digital skills, including working in the Microsoft Office suite, graphic design in programs such as CorelDRAW and Canva. With his knowledge, experience and dedication, he strives to contribute to the community and work to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities.
Semir Baluković was born in 1973 in Tuzla, where he completed primary and secondary construction and surveying school. He has been an activist for human rights for many years and gained the most significant experience in this field through the movement of persons with disabilities and support in the fight for the rights of persons with disabilities. Since 2015, he has been employed at the Information Center for Persons with Disabilities "Lotos" Tuzla as a personal assistant driver. He speaks English and uses Dutch-Flemish.
Ramza Dautović was born in 1967 in Bratunac. She has been with the Information Center for Persons with Disabilities “Lotos” since August 1997 and contributes with great dedication to the realization of the vision, mission and work of the organization. Her many years of experience working at the Information Center “Lotos” are characterized by responsibility, dedication, team spirit and continuous support to the members of the organization in various aspects of its functioning.
Ervin Ćosić was born in 1991 in Brčko, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He completed high school in Brčko and earned a degree in mechanical engineering, and after losing his sight in 2012, he retrained in Sarajevo as a physiotherapy technician. He is currently studying sociology at the Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Sarajevo. He completed his professional training at the University Clinical Center Tuzla, and began his first work experience in 2017 at the Čelić Health Center as a physiotherapy technician. He has been an employee of the Information Center for Persons with Disabilities "Lotos" since 2024, but he has primarily dedicated himself to activism through various programs, both through Lotos itself and through other associations. He has been the President of the Youth Assets of the Coalition of TK Disabled People since 2022 and the Vice President of the Association of Citizens with Visual Impairment Tuzla since 2023. For the past 3 years, he has been successfully leading an informal local group in Čelić (LAM), where he has written several good projects and implemented many significant activities for the local community. He is dedicated to working with young people and strives to develop and create useful projects for young people. He has gained knowledge and skills in various trainings throughout BiH and abroad, and he tries to use his knowledge in a way that contributes to the community, works and advocates for a better position of people with disabilities in society and improving the quality of life of people with disabilities.