Invitation to the International Conference Education and Employment of Individuals with Sensory Disabilities in the First and Second Yugoslav States (1919-1991)
The Institute of Contemporary History in Ljubljana cordially invites you to the annual international conference of the project Systems of Care and Education of Children with Sensory Disabilities in the First and Second Yugoslav State (AIIS-J6-50189), which will take place from 5 to 6 November 2025 at the Institute’s premises (Privoz 11, Ljubljana).
The conference aims to bring together scholars from the humanities, social sciences, and related disciplines to discuss a broad range of topics concerning the education and employment of individuals with sensory disabilities between 1919 and 1991.
The history of education and employment of individuals with sensory disabilities in the two Yugoslav states is marked by numerous transformations that reflected the complex social, economic, and political changes of their respective periods. Although the First World War spurred broader debates on the value of human life, individuals with disabilities – with the exception of war veterans – largely remained on the margins of society.
After the Second World War, the approach to this population began to change. A growing number of social, educational, and vocational institutions for children and youth with sensory disabilities were established, aiming to prepare them for specific professions and facilitate their integration into the labour market, thereby promoting their active social inclusion.
Despite these efforts and increasingly comprehensive legislation aimed at improving their social status, the medical model of disability continued to dominate the 1950s and 1960s. This model focused primarily on physical or sensory impairments, treating disability as a medical issue requiring treatment or rehabilitation rather than as a broader social challenge.
You are warmly invited to attend and take part in the discussions.
