The People First Public Benefit Association and the University of Pécs have launched a special collaboration in order to complement the university’s accessibility efforts with real user experiences. The cooperation was presented at a press conference on March 9. in the Senate Council Chamber of the University of Pécs by Veronika Pataki, president of the People First Public Benefit Association, Attila Lengvárszky, Director of Education at the University of Pécs, and Dániel Pál, the university ombudsman.

Our Pécs City Civil Fund 2025 project, supported by the Municipality of the City of Pécs, will this time raise the development of our Barrier-free Pécs Database to a new level. In the future, we intend to place increasing emphasis on community involvement, on highlighting the importance of accessibility, and we would like to encourage local citizens to engage in social activity and take responsibility. Strengthening community identity and local commitment is important to us, as we primarily work for Pécs as residents of Pécs, and our database also includes locations in Pécs and its surrounding area.

Within the framework of the project, we sought and found an active, engaged target group committed to social inclusion among the students and staff of the University of Pécs (PTE). This community represents a significant portion of Pécs’s population, as it involves one of the city’s largest employers and approximately 25,000 students. The PTE, with its numerous units and separate faculties, covers a large part of the city’s area.

At yesterday’s press conference, it was emphasized that the aim of the collaboration is for accessibility to become not just an institutional responsibility, but a truly shared concern, in which members of the university community—both students and staff—can actively participate. The initiative is significant not only for Hungary’s first university but also for the accessible development of the city of Pécs, as accessibility issues related to university spaces, surrounding routes, transport points, and public areas will also be brought into focus through the program.

The collaboration is an excellent example of how institutional intent and civil community experience can reinforce each other. Through this connection, we aim to provide a model, a best practice, for other university–civil society collaborations.

The University of Pécs’s accessibility concept was developed last year and applies a perspective far broader than the traditional, architectural approach. As part of this, the accessibility of the university’s faculty on Ifjúság Street is being assessed on a pilot basis with the help of experts.

The People First Association’s project underpins and complements the institutional accessibility pilot project by activating and involving prospective users and drawing attention to the social issue. Our Pécs City Civil Fund 2025 project supports the identification of everyday obstacles through community-based data collection. During the program, members of the university community can report obstacles they encounter on university premises and the routes leading to them by submitting a photo and a short description—ideally accompanied by a proposed solution. The submissions are processed by experts with disabilities and experience in accessibility, ensuring that they are integrated into the relevant institutional and professional processes so that professionals can address and remove the identified physical barriers as quickly and appropriately as possible.

In the next phase, the project’s news will be disseminated according to a joint communication plan, with intensive involvement of the university community.
Watch our posts on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, and join the project!

We invite you to watch the short film below, highlighting the university’s accessibility and the accessibility challenges in Pécs, jointly produced by Univ TV and the People First Association. The film is available on the People First Association’s YouTube channel, accessible by clicking here: https://youtu.be/8xe994jLqwo?si=K2_VQYlbny-T0CwV

At the City Diamond Award in the Event/Program category, Barrier-free Tourism Day, of which our association is one of the main organizers, received professional recognition.
The award is presented by the Hungarian Marketing Association and the Institute of Marketing and Tourism at the University of Miskolc to the best domestic city marketing initiatives.

One of our organizing partners, the Orfű Tourism Association, successfully applied for the award; we hereby congratulate them!

Barrier-free Tourism Day, held in Orfű since 2017, is truly unique, a day that is much more than just an event. It is a shared experience where people with and without disabilities, children and adults alike can enjoy the joys of tourism together. Our goal is to ensure that people with disabilities can access experiences that would otherwise be difficult for them to enjoy – while discovering that paying attention to and helping each other is a rewarding experience for everyone.

This recognition is the result of the joint efforts of many people.
We would like to thank our organizing partners:
Gyeregyalog.hu Public Benefit Association
People First Public Benefit Association – Pécs
Orfű Municipality
and all the civil organizations, local businesses, volunteers, and helpers who contribute every year to making this special day possible.

Tourism is truly valuable only when it is accessible to everyone!

Incredible news: People First Public Benefit Association – Pécs has been nominated for the 2026 SozialMarie Prize!

We are overjoyed and honored that our Barrier-free Pécs Database has been selected as a nominee for the 2026 SozialMarie Prize!
Out of 369 submissions from Austria, Croatia, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, and Hungary, 32 projects were chosen, and we are proud to be among them!
On May 11, we will attend the gala in Vienna, where the 15 award winners will be announced. But for us, being nominated is already a huge recognition!

This nomination is especially meaningful for us. It is not just praise, but also encouragement, affirmation, and inspiration. It shows that the work we do truly matters and is not in vain. As a civil organization, such recognition gives life to our work, because we rarely receive feedback. This acknowledgment reinforces that the immense effort we put in creates real value and is worth continuing. Everyone who has contributed to this huge effort at People First since 2018 deserves enormous recognition, and this nomination applies to all of them!

What is our project?
Since 2018, we have been working in Pécs and the surrounding area on the exemplary Barrier-free Pécs Database, which presents truly accessible locations free of charge, helping people with disabilities, seniors, and anyone who needs to plan their activities around genuinely accessible places. Our project is a model of social innovation, significantly contributing to the development of accessible tourism in Hungary, and making Pécs even more valuable as a major tourist and cultural destination. We are committed to sharing our project widely, as a best practise to inspire other Hungarian and foreign cities to provide verified accessible locations.

There will also be an Audience Award, so we really count on your support! Please vote for our project and join us in being part of this change.
Our project is called “Belépőjegy az akadálymentes Pécsre” in Hungarian, and “Admission Ticket to an Accessible Pécs” in English.

Follow our updates on Facebook and Instagram regarding the SozialMarie Prize, we’ll let you know when the voting opens!

We have just completed a very important phase in our international FairCare project, which focuses on involving all stakeholders in long-term care. This stage was essential for enabling us to move forward.

At the end of last year, a large international team came together in Erfurt, Germany, for a one-week joint training to review and analyze progress so far. The team consisted of participants from the Advisory Groups established in each country, including care recipients, institutional and home caregivers, assistants, and family members. The composition of the participants was extremely important, as our guiding principle throughout the project is “Nothing About Us Without Us.”
During the week, participants worked intensively to review the FairCare collaboration materials, making revisions, consolidations, and additions.

READ MORE ABOUT THIS EXTENSIVE WORK IN THE ATTACHED NEWSLETTER!

Click here: FairCare Newsletter 3._compressed

Why is it important to strengthen the financial awareness of people with disabilities?
And how can you help with this?

📌 Because it supports independent living in a very important area. Without money, there is no independence. And if you are not aware of the opportunities, the pitfalls, and the accessible solutions, you cannot take part in financial services.
📌 Because it helps financial professionals better support their clients with disabilities. Moreover, they can reach new clients if they are able to provide appropriate services for this target group.
📌 And in addition, our CODE project provides comprehensive support for the independent living of people with disabilities. This also includes developing general guidelines for workplace accessibility.

From the very beginning, we involve all participants so that every need can be represented.
Please help us with this now.

👉 PLEASE FILL IN the QUESTIONNAIRE about the employment difficulties of people with disabilities. With this, we will be able to help companies and businesses improve workplace inclusion.
Your answers are important so that we can pay attention to every aspect and ensure that all perspectives are reflected in the project outcomes.
Questionnaire link: https://forms.gle/juaKUDN8VeXR1uEp9

By doing this, you help yourself and society to move towards inclusion.
Special thanks if you share the questionnaire as well, so that we can gather as many perspectives, needs, and suggestions as possible to build on. 🙏

We are excited to share the latest news about our CODE Project on ACCESSIBLE BANKING through our 5th newsletter!

Our partners gathered in Barcelona on 21. October 2025 for an inspiring meeting, which marked an important milestone. The first piloting phase of the CODE training materials, designed to help understand and access banking services, was completed by the relevant stakeholders. At the Barcelona meeting, partners mainly discussed the training materials, the digital platform, accessibility, and the next steps.

During the meeting, an interview with Radio Trinijove gave wider visibility to our mission – making financial inclusion a reality for everyone.

Read the full newsletter by clicking the link, and stay tuned as we continue developing a more inclusive financial future for all!

EN_CODE_Newsletter5_Dec 2025

The People First Public Benefit Association’s unique national initiative, the Barrier-free Pécs Database has reached a new chapter!
As a best practice, our community-based solution will be adapted in a small German town, in the Polish border town of Bad Muskau. This means that the database model we developed can now serve as an example for accessibility abroad as well!

We are excited to see how the association Forum und Projekt Lausitz e.V. will create a similar accessible database in a small town whose culture and size are completely different from Pécs. Their first plan is to hold peer-support training so the local community can understand what peer cooperation and counselling mean and why they are important in improving accessibility. We also talked about this at the project kick-off meeting held on 2. December 2025 in Bad Muskau, attended by members of the association and local participants.
As president of the People First Association, Veronika Pataki gave a short presentation about the association and our activities so far, followed by a more detailed introduction to the Barrier-free Pécs Database. The meeting will soon be followed by further training sessions with the German partners, in which the People First Association will again take on an important role, sharing the knowledge and experience we have gained over the years.
For us, this is not only huge professional recognition, but also proof that initiatives starting from local communities can create value on an international level.

It is significant for us that an initiative originating from a Hungarian city becomes an international model, making Pécs exemplary and well-known again. What we have been building together since 2018 now provides inspiration and practical support for others as well.
Do you know what would make us even happier?
If Hungarian cities also followed our example, and more and more Barrier-free City X Databases could be created. What do you say, are you in?
You can reach us here: patakiv@peoplefirst.hu

“Should I include in my CV that I have a disability, or better not?”
“Does positive discrimination help me as a disabled employee in the workplace, or is it rather harmful?”
“As an HR professional, how should I phrase in a job advertisement if we are happy to hire people with disabilities, highlighting their expertise?”

In the past few days, we discussed these questions at the University of Pécs and at the Human Resources Development Committee of the Pécs-Baranya Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and more generally about the participation of people with disabilities in the primary labor market.
At the university, we met future HR students from abroad, and in the committee, we met HR professionals with substantial experience from large companies. We were able to learn completely different perspectives and exciting ideas regarding supporting the employment of people with disabilities! We also introduced these debate topics, and both groups responded in an inspiring and thought-provoking way.

Why is this topic exceptionally important?

WORK is currently the engine of our society. Without it, we must acknowledge that we cannot fully participate in the functioning and shaping of society. Work is needed in some form! That is the reality.

However, people with disabilities remain a disadvantaged group in the labor market. Even if they can find employment in the primary labor market, they have to perform more to receive the same recognition. They must face prejudices. They have to deal with unexpected problems. They must cope with accessibility issues. And all this causes stress, leading to burnout and depression.
Often, we may not even know that our colleague or employee has a disability, and therefore faces extra challenges.

All of this can be addressed by eliminating the information gap and breaking down prejudices.
Yes, it really is that simple. Let’s talk! Let’s understand how we can help ourselves as employees with disabilities, or how we can support our colleagues or employees.
Let’s not say, oh, I’d rather not hire someone with reduced work capacity because it will only cause problems. Instead, let’s understand the challenge, and solve it together.

This is where the People First Public Benefit Association’s workplace training helps, developed within the Soul Mate project with our international partners.
In 5 modules, with short videos, personal counseling, and firsthand experiences, we help you understand:
– how you can become an excellent employee as a person with a disability
– how you can support your colleague or employee if you see they are facing difficulties
– how to shed your prejudices and fears, and find outstanding employees or colleagues among people with disabilities

Contact us here: patakiv@peoplefirst.hu
Read more here: https://peoplefirst.hu/en/blog-post/soul-mate-erasmus-international-project/
Join our Facebook group discussing this topic: Fogyatékossággal a munkahelyen (People with Disabilities in the Workplace)

In our FairCare international project, the target group sets the direction.
Following an intensive survey, the training materials for people in need of long-term care and their caregivers are being developed. A comprehensive questionnaire-based survey on the development of the training materials was carried out in all partner countries among the three target groups: people in need of care, family and friend caregivers, and professional caregivers/institutional staff.

The remarkable results are being published in our second Newsletter.
Please read through the newsletter and join us in our collaborative work.
Follow us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/523950267376170
and  https://www.facebook.com/PeopleFirstHun

Read more about the FairCare project here: https://peoplefirst.hu/en/blog-post/faircare-erasmus-international-project/

And become a member of our Advisory Group!

Click here to access the Newsletter in PDF format:
EN_FairCare Newsletter 2. pdf

Here you can browse it in image format: