Author: Мартиненко Олексій

23 September marks International Sign Language Day. This is an opportunity to learn more about Ukrainian Sign Language (USL) and how to make communication with its users more comfortable. Sign language is a fully-fledged language with its own structure, grammar and vocabulary. It is not universal: different countries use different sign languages. At the same… Continue reading Sign language: how to communicate appropriately with Ukrainian Sign Language users and where to find the right signs

The President of Ukraine has signed Law No. 14191, which strengthens state support for children with disabilities, people with disabilities from childhood, and their families. The law provides for a transition from piecemeal assistance to a comprehensive support system — combining cash payments with social, medical and educational services. Among the key changes is an… Continue reading The President has signed Law No. 14191 on comprehensive support for children and people with disabilities from childhood

Eight-year-old Davyd Mykhanchuk from Pryluky dreams of becoming a footballer. He also loves doing tricks on his scooter and drawing. And he does all this despite having a rare illness. To improve at the things he loves and get closer to realising his dream, Davyd, overcoming pain and fatigue, constantly does therapeutic exercises. — My… Continue reading 17 plaster casts, 4 operations and one big dream of playing football — the story of 8-year-old Davyd

“The League of the Strong” has joined the KOVA working group, which will carry out a comprehensive assessment of the needs of people with disabilities and older people living in residential care homes in the Kyiv region. The working group was established by the Kyiv Regional Military Administration by Order No. 991 of 17 June… Continue reading An assessment of the needs of people with disabilities in residential care homes is to be carried out in the Kyiv region: “The League of the Strong” has joined the working group

“The League of the Strong” will carry out a comprehensive study into the information and digital accessibility of services for people with disabilities. The study will cover the administrative, medical, financial, social and educational sectors. Its aim is to identify the information and digital barriers people face when accessing services, how these barriers affect their… Continue reading What information barriers prevent people with disabilities from accessing administrative, medical, financial, social and educational services: “The League of the Strong” to conduct a study

In Ukraine, 230 cases have already been documented where people were unable to access the social services they needed. Often, the reason is the lack of a suitable specialist in the community, whilst the refusal itself remains verbal and is not formally recorded. Daria Kukurika, Executive Director of “The League of the Strong”, spoke about… Continue reading “We don’t have that sort of specialist” is not an answer: 230 cases of refusals to provide social services have been documented in Ukraine

European experience shows that accessibility does not always require large-scale infrastructure projects. Communities can implement some solutions gradually — through digital services, on-demand transport, adapting workplaces or involving people with disabilities in the planning process. Some of these practices can already be adapted to Ukrainian conditions today. In the first part of this article, we… Continue reading From digital services to accessible transport: what Ukrainian local authorities can learn from Europe

Renat Potichev dances, swims, walks the catwalk, travels, helps out at home and is gradually becoming more and more independent. His mum, Svitlana, explains why she never forced her son to be ‘like everyone else’ and which parenting principles helped him to realise his strengths. This is Renat Potichev. He is 16 years old, has… Continue reading “It’s a daily struggle, but it’s paying off”: the story of Renat, who has Down’s syndrome, dances, works as a model and dreams of owning a car

“The League of the Strong” conducted a three-day training session on monitoring human rights compliance for representatives of 10 organizations that have joined a joint initiative to monitor the rights of people with disabilities in Ukraine. The training took place on August 19–21 in Kyiv. The training served as a practical step in preparing the… Continue reading 10 Organizations Learned How to Monitor Compliance with the Rights of People with Disabilities