If you ask Sarajevo residents where the best massages are, many will surely tell you that it’s the TMP salon in Nedžarići. That’s definitely where they stand out the most, although there are many other things that TMP does.
So let’s start in order. TMP is the largest, most successful and oldest company for employing people with disabilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Even in Europe, they are among the first in terms of the success they have achieved.
TMP has been in existence for 56 years and throughout that period its mission has been the same: professional rehabilitation and employment of persons with disabilities. It currently employs 53 people, 47 of whom are persons with disabilities.
We can say that they are best known for physical therapy, but Armin Hadžić, executive director of the center, listed other activities for us as well.
“Massage, or rather the physical therapy center, is our most successful and promising activity. This activity alone employs 13 physiotherapists, 4 people who take care of hygiene, and it is an activity that has existed since 2012. It is our fastest growing activity. The majority of people working there are blind and visually impaired people. There are a number of other activities where we employ people with other types of disabilities, such as the catering industry, restaurant, printing house. We also have a retail store at our entrance, we also have a mini paper processing production, we produce paper napkins for the catering industry, thermal rolls for cash registers.”
Armin became part of the TMP team in 2012, however it is interesting that in 2010 he was in contact with TMP for the first time. At that time, he was working on his graduate thesis at the university with the help of data provided to him by TMP. He points out that he is proud to be part of such a team, because people with disabilities are very hardworking people and give their best.
“TMP is a company founded by the Association of the Blind of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Our path is like this, professional rehabilitation means recognizing what a person can really do and what they can do best. And how, with the help of older colleagues, they go through the process of adaptation, professional rehabilitation, training in a specific workplace, and only after a certain period of time do we expect the work performance that can be expected of them. Our business policy is that people come to work willingly, that there is no pressure from people, that if they have a family problem, we stand by those people, we make sure that they are rewarded for their work, that they are adequately stimulated. TMP is a respectable company,” Hadžić points out.
He says they are a very desirable employer, not only for people with disabilities. Lately, they have been receiving a lot of voluntary CVs from people who want to work as physiotherapists, but do not have any form of disability. Physical therapy is one of the most promising activities in this society.
“They are recognizable by their massages because blind people are the best physiotherapists because of that feeling that God gave them, and considering what they don’t have,” says Armin Hadžić.
Many say that in addition to the massage, they also receive psychological therapy because the time and conversation with these people is very interesting. They function in such a way that their disability does not hinder them at all from being successful in their jobs, starting a family or doing any activity. We asked Armin how difficult it is to achieve the kind of self-confidence that they possess.
“Simply by working in the company and the center, they actually bring their mobility to a much higher level compared to the one they had. Here we had a girl who unfortunately had to leave her temporary workplace due to treatment, because she has a chance to recover at least part of her sight. She had a problem navigating the space at such a level that it was too difficult for her to go to the toilet alone. That girl was so well rehabilitated with us in a year, it was unrecognizable how much she had progressed. It’s the same with everyone who comes, some more – some less have that self-confidence, but mobility is what is very, very important for blind people. In general, they regain their self-confidence through work,” says Hadžić.
What was to be expected is the expansion of the center, which will begin soon, Armin tells us.
“We have hired craftsmen and a company that will expand the center for us, and it is planned to start this week. The space will be increased by about 60 square meters. We are also planning to hire new people, but first of all, the space must be expanded. We are also following new trends in physical medicine and rehabilitation.
The TMP center is as busy as ever, with a waiting room full of patients waiting for their massage appointments. We managed to briefly talk to Kenan Isaković, who has been working at the TMP center for two years, as an administrator and assistant to blind and visually impaired physiotherapists.
“I am also a visually impaired person and 90 percent of the people here are severely visually impaired, 100 percent of the blind and visually impaired work. We have two colleagues who can see and have no impairments and are a great help to us. I am 31 years old and I have visual impairment, but thank God I have the remains of my sight so that I can read from the device and help my colleagues”.
He says that the atmosphere is best described by their patients.
“They say that she is maximally positive, there are a lot of jokes and teasing. We always have a happy atmosphere and everyone when they go out says that we are very positive. People may come with prejudices, otherwise many in society have prejudices against us blind people, but when they come to an institution where such people work and when they see that positive energy and jokes, as well as black humor at our expense, they gain energy and leave with a smile. .In addition to physical therapy, we also have psychological therapy, where people leave here happier, says Isaković.
Everyone can confirm this, including members of the Peacebuilding Network who use the services at the TMP center. Finally, we asked our interlocutors whether they also wait a long time for a massage appointment or if they still get an appointment through a connection.
“You know what they say in Bosnia, but it’s generally like that, the worst house is in the master’s house. But thank God we still find that period to make arrangements with our colleagues, either outside of working hours, or before. We come earlier to get a massage,” Kenan Isaković tells us.
Even executive director Hadžić tells us that he doesn’t get an appointment through the phone line.
“I’ve been waiting since Saturday and I only have an appointment today at half past five. So that’s it, even though I work there, patients, that is, service users, are our priority. So I don’t want any concessions or exceptions to be made, so I’m waiting like everyone else,” Hadžić points out.
Written by: Maja Popović
This story was made possible through the generous support of the American people through the Local Works program of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The author and the Peacebuilding Network are solely responsible for the content of this story. The views expressed in this story do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
