Awareness of accessibility of buildings is gradually increasing, helped by the approach of the legal deadline and the efforts of organisations and individuals in this field. The Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of Slovenia, with its long-standing work on data collection, training and awareness-raising, continues its efforts to improve accessibility, which will be necessary even after the legal deadline has passed.

The state of accessibility of public buildings in Slovenia remains inadequate, as most facilities are not adapted for people with disabilities and adaptations are often carried out without consulting experts, leading to non-functional solutions. To improve the overview and the situation, we are developing an accessibility self-description tool that will allow us to obtain more data and plan adaptations more efficiently.

Despite adequate legislation on universal construction, its implementation and the training of the planning profession remain deficient, affecting the quality of adaptations and their implementation in practice. While there are signs of progress as the deadline for meeting the requirements of the Equalisation of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities Act approaches, investment and financial support to address barriers remain insufficient.
 

The Equalisation of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities Act requires all public buildings to be accessible by December 2025, but the current capacity and speed of adaptation is not sufficient to meet this target. Nevertheless, an extension of the deadline is unlikely.

The biggest accessibility issues are the lack of ramps, lifts or other solutions to accessibility problems, which often prevent wheelchair users from using the facilities. Also critical are the lack of contrastless signs for the blind and visually impaired, the lack of visual and auditory adaptations for the deaf and hard of hearing, and the difficulty of adaptations in buildings under the protection of cultural heritage, where cooperation with the ZVKDS is essential.

Accessibility of grocery shops for people with disabilities is key to their equality and independence. However, Slovenian legislation lacks clear guidelines on how to ensure such accessibility, and the Law on Equalisation of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (LOPD) dictates that by the end of 2025, grocery stores must also be universally accessible. The Urban Institute of the Republic of Slovenia has therefore developed recommendations for the physical accessibility of grocery stores in cooperation with students with disabilities.
 

Contrast markings on glass surfaces are crucial for safety and accessibility, as they allow visually impaired people to be detected in time and prevent collisions. Minimalist aesthetic markings such as logos and subtle patterns often do not provide sufficient contrast, so it is essential to comply with standards for visual perception.

Hearing inductive loops and other systems such as FM and Bluetooth make sound more accessible to people with hearing impairments by reducing noise and improving speech intelligibility. These systems should be provided in public spaces such as reception desks, meeting rooms and auditoriums.

To make it easy for blind and partially sighted people to access and use a public facility, it is essential to ensure that the route from the entrance to the reception desk is as short and easy as possible. If the counter is not directly at the entrance, the route can be marked in a very simple way.

By 11 December 2025, all public buildings must be accessible to people with disabilities, but a lack of data on current accessibility and ignorance of the law threaten the timely implementation of the necessary adaptations.