The League of the Strong presented the Catalogue of Solutions for the Implementation of Inclusive Employment in Ukraine, a tool for business, community and government developed jointly at facilitated meetings. The document contains practical steps to create an accessible and fair labour market in Ukraine. This was stated by Daria Kukurika (Sydorenko), Executive Director of the League of the Strong, at Ukraine Crisis Media Center on 6 May.
‘An important part of ensuring a decent life for people with disabilities is the ability to work and get paid for their work. With financial security, a person has the right to choose where to live, what to eat for breakfast and how to dress. This is an extremely important aspect of ensuring the rights of people with disabilities to be economically involved in the open labour market,’- says Daria Kukurika, executive director of the League of the Strong.
HOW WAS THE CATALOGUE CREATED?
According to Daria Kukurika, work on the topic of employment of people with disabilities began in 2022. Back then, the League of the Strong initiated an association of public and charitable organisations to create an effective model for the employment of people with disabilities in Ukraine. The members of the working group discussed for a long time the problems faced by people with disabilities in employment, analysed legislative initiatives, and contributed to the drafting of Law 5344-d, which was the first step towards creating an accessible labour market.
In February 2025, the League of the Strong team held a facilitated discussion with the public, government and business representatives to understand how to overcome the barriers that exist in the labour market today. Representatives of robota.ua, one of the most popular job search resources in Ukraine, joined the discussion.
‘On the one hand, we see that many employers are open to hiring people with disabilities. On the other hand, people need work and are ready to work. Another aspect is the need from the state. But as a result, neither business nor job seekers can meet,’ says Marina Golovko, HR Director at robota.ua.
Understanding how to solve this problem became one of the main tasks for the participants of the meeting.
WHAT DOES THE CATALOGUE CONTAIN?
The Catalogue is based on the joint work and research on the employment of people with disabilities. Key solutions to improve the access of persons with disabilities to employment are presented in blocks, according to the areas where barriers or room for improvement have been identified, namely
- social services, other administrative services that can help support employment;
- workplace adaptation, reasonable accommodation, accessibility, transport;
- employment services;
- legislation;
- benefits and incentives.
- Each of the blocks contains a list of priority problems, barriers to which solutions are proposed, and the result expected after their implementation.
Iryna Pocherniak, senior legal advisor and analyst at the League of the Strong, says that the Catalogue contains comprehensive solutions for employers and recommendations for public authorities.
‘The catalogue does not claim to be exhaustive – it is only a part of the possible steps that can be implemented, but each of the solutions contains a priority, justification and potential benefit for overcoming barriers. The experience of cooperation between the League of the Strong and its partners shows that all stakeholders – people with disabilities, employers, and the state – are interested in creating an open and inclusive labour market. Therefore, the proposals developed in this document can become the basis for real actions that will help us achieve our goals of increasing the percentage of employment of people with disabilities,’ adds Iryna Pocherniak.
The catalogue is available for download on the website of the League of the Strong. Organisations working in this area can use it to find solutions that they are ready to implement on their own or in cooperation with partners.
FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE
A separate section of the Catalogue is dedicated to supporting inclusive social entrepreneurship that creates jobs for people with disabilities. Alina Marnenko, the head of the 03:00 Foundation and the 03:00 Museum in the Dark, spoke about the challenges along the way.
‘One of the biggest barriers in the process of creating our Museum in the Dark was prejudice against people with visual impairments. Before the opening, when we were testing the format, we realised that people had such a distorted view of blind people that it prevented them from coming on a tour. They believed that it could not be professional and thought that the guides would cry on the tours and talk about their hard lives. This perception still exists today. But our reputation is already working for us and people are changing their views,’ says the head of the Museum in the Dark.
At the same time, Alina Marnenko stressed that employers often find the process of hiring people with disabilities almost impossible and expensive due to the complexity of adapting work processes.
‘Selection of candidates, adaptation of a person, communication in the team – this was not a problem for us. In 2017, we did it intuitively, but that didn’t stop us. Our example proves that it is possible. Of course, situations are different, you need to consider each case and figure out how to adapt processes and space. But it is absolutely possible.’
The Catalogue pays considerable attention to the need to develop social services. According to Larysa Tatarinova, deputy director of the Solomianskyi District Centre for Social Services in Kyiv, Ukraine currently has a sufficient list of social services, but most people with disabilities and their relatives are unaware of them.
‘In order for a person to ‘reach’ employment, a number of other actions are required. For example, a child has to go to kindergarten, then to school. They may need support services during inclusive education. A child who is not studying or cannot leave the house because of physical barriers will have a hard time in adulthood. Therefore, the system of social services must be clear, accessible and of high quality. However, parents of children with disabilities often do not know what services are available and how they can meet their needs,’ says Larysa Tatarinova.
To view the presentation of the Solutions Catalogue, please follow the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JcjtUtd3n8&t=4s