The Administrative Service Center in Cherkasy is a place visited by hundreds of citizens every day. There are people with disabilities, mothers with baby strollers, the elderly, and veterans among them.
They all strive to feel comfortable and have free access to services. Therefore, the issue of accessibility and barrier-free ASCs is the cornerstone of easy interaction with the institution for all categories of citizens who visit the institution on a daily basis.
Why is it important to turn the ASC into an accessible space for everyone? What practices can be used to ensure barrier-free access to services for all categories of citizens? And what role does accessibility monitoring play in this? “Ukrayinska Pravda. Zhyttia” together with the League of the Strong were looking for answers.
What do we mean when we talk about accessible space?
Accessible space is not just about people with disabilities. It’s about everyone who has ever encountered barriers: high thresholds, uncomfortable stairs, lack of tactile paths or elevators.
“When we talk about accessibility, we mean an environment in which each of us feels comfortable. This applies to people who have children, it applies to older people, it applies to ordinary young people who can, for example, return home and jump over obstacles with a huge bag of canned food at the train station,” explains Daria Sydorenko, executive director of the League of the Strong.
According to her, true accessibility is about the conditions when everyone can move freely and do their daily activities without facing obstacles.
“True accessibility means that a person can get inside any institution and use the services without assistance. When there are no thresholds, there is a convenient ramp, automatic doors – this is a guarantee of comfort for everyone.
However, accessibility is not only about architectural solutions, but also about changing attitudes. When a person with a disability can receive a service without hindrance, he or she feels part of society. Ukraine is already moving in this direction, and initiatives such as Empower Ukraine by the League of the Strong are a great example of how communities can change,” explains Sofia Brehm, an accessibility expert.
Within the framework of the Empower Ukraine project implemented by the League of the Strong, experts work with communities to improve the living conditions of people from vulnerable groups and their families in Cherkasy, Ternopil, and Ivano-Frankivsk regions, says Daria Sydorenko, the organization’s executive director.
“We help internally displaced persons (IDPs), people who have returned from places of temporary refuge abroad, veterans, the elderly, single parents, adults and children in boarding schools, as well as residents of host communities with and without disabilities.
Our task is not only to help people with disabilities with their most basic needs, but also to change the communities themselves. We strive to make them more accessible and inclusive, as well as to strengthen the professional knowledge and empathic communication skills of those who work with people most often,” she says.
According to Daria, one of the most effective activities aimed at supporting communities in implementing barrier-free solutions is accessibility monitoring, which is the first, basic step to improving the situation.
Why do communities need accessibility monitoring?
The Cherkasy ASC started operating in 2011 on the territory of a former tobacco factory. The premises used to be a production facility, so it was not easy, but not impossible, to turn it into a barrier-free space.
The management of the ASC calls accessibility a key priority in providing services.
“We strive to make our institution an example for the entire local community. It’s not just about serving citizens, but also about our responsibility to create a barrier-free environment for every visitor,” says Oleh Tkachenko, the Head of the Center.
The idea is being implemented gradually, as much of the work requires both funding and expert support. Therefore, representatives of public organizations are actively involved in monitoring the accessibility of the premises.
In order to create a barrier-free environment, it is necessary to regularly check the accessibility of facilities in the community, says Daria Sydorenko, executive director of the League of the Strong.
She says that within the framework of the Empower Ukraine project, important social institutions are selected for monitoring: from hospitals, city councils to employment centers, service providers, etc. They approach the management with a proposal to conduct monitoring. It is carried out only if the management agrees and promises to implement the recommendations. After all, the purpose of monitoring is not to record violations, but to provide a clear algorithm on how to improve the situation.
“We believe that such work with local governments allows us to systematically implement changes. After monitoring and making recommendations, we pass these documents on to local governments so that they can make decisions and correct the shortcomings that exist in the accessibility of facilities. This allows us to create a barrier-free environment, which ultimately expands general access for all members of the community,” explains Daria Sydorenko.
Sofia Brehm, an accessibility monitoring expert, explains that in this work, experts use the checklist “Barrier-Free Community 2.0” developed by the League of the Strong. It is a specific tool for assessing the accessibility of buildings, public spaces, and services.
Accessibility Test in Cherkasy: What criteria should a barrier-free space meet?
This time, Sofia Brehm, an expert in monitoring the accessibility of the environment, visited the ASC in Cherkasy to conduct a monitoring visit. She assesses the space according to key criteria: accessibility of the entrance, width of doorways, availability of elevators or lifts, contrast of visual signs, tactile and sound cues.
The expert analyzes not only physical accessibility, but also the level of service: whether the staff knows how to help a person with a disability, whether the ASC has accessible information materials.
“It is important that every person can cope with the institution on their own without the need for outside help. All elements should be intuitively understandable, from the entrance to the service,” says Sofia Brehm.
With a list of criteria and requirements, the expert went to the ASC to first assess how convenient it would be for people with different needs to get into the building.
The first thing Sofia noticed was parking spaces for people with disabilities. They are equipped and labeled on the territory of the ASC. However, to improve visibility, there is a lack of a proper road sign that would warn drivers about the availability of such spaces, the expert emphasizes.
“We have already solved the problem of people constantly parking in the spaces for people with disabilities by placing appropriate warning signs about the prohibition of parking in these areas. Once the monitoring is completed, we will also resolve the issue with the parking sign,” promises Oleh Tkachenko, the Head of the Center.
Next, the accessibility monitoring expert inspects the porch of the ASC. Despite the fact that winter is coming to an end, there is still snow in some places in Cherkasy, and the surface of the porch is slippery. Sofia notes that slippery surfaces and the lack of handrails can lead to injuries to ASC visitors.
The expert advises removing the grating mats that greet ASC visitors at the entrance. She recommends replacing them with those that are mounted in the floor and have a solid surface. “Large holes in the mat are a risk for canes, heels, crutches. People can get stuck and get injured,” explains the expert.
The entrance ramp, according to the expert, also needs intervention. Its slope is slightly higher than the norm – 9% instead of the permissible 8%. In addition, the handrails do not extend beyond the edge of the ramp, which also poses a risk of injury to ASC visitors.
The expert then proceeds to inspect the entrance to the ASC. She praises the fact that it is equipped with tactile stickers and sound guides that make it easier to navigate for people with visual impairments.
However, the entrance door is not fixed, so it is quite difficult to open it. In addition, they turned out to be too massive, weighing about 4-5 kg instead of the recommended 3 kg. The accessibility expert advises adding locks to the doors to make the entrance more accessible to visitors.
The inclusiveness inspection moves on to the ASC hall. At the reception desk, the tables are of a convenient height for wheelchair users.
The tables for serving wheelchair users are also comfortable in height. However, the expert draws attention to the windows near the tables – not all the edges of the through holes are marked for people with visual impairments.
“A person with a visual impairment may not notice the edge and will not be able to push the documents through the dispensing window. It is worth updating the signs, marking them with contrasting colors – and this problem is solved,” Sofia notes.
The remark about the signs was not the only one. During the monitoring, Sofia noted that the ASC premises are equipped with markings for visually impaired people. Contrasting lines that serve as signs for ASC visitors help them better navigate the premises. However, they currently have low contrast.
The expert notes that yellow signs on a dark background are sometimes difficult to perceive, especially for people with visual impairments. The expert advises choosing brighter ribbons and stickers: red, blue, purple – to maintain good contrast and make them more visible.
In the waiting area near the reception, there is a children’s corner with an educational board and toys. Sofia Brehm, an accessibility monitoring expert, emphasizes that this is a great solution that contributes to the accessibility of the space.
“The children’s corner not only creates conditions for children, but also allows parents who visit the ASC to spend time in comfort while waiting for services,” she notes.
The most problematic place during the accessibility monitoring was the bathrooms. They are located in a separate room, and the handrails at the entrance are not quite comfortable. One is too thin, while the other is too rough and massive. According to the expert, this can be a real challenge for people with disabilities, as this design does not allow them to have good support when moving around.
“The room should be equipped with proper handrails, and the bathrooms should be renovated to meet barrier-free standards. So far, this is the most problematic place in the institution,” says the specialist.
The ASC management recognizes the problem and is already preparing a tender for the overhaul of the sanitary rooms. They hope to raise funds this year.
Barrier-free accessibility is not only about physical space, but also about readiness for contact
Accessibility is not only about physical space. The readiness of social service workers to interact with people with different needs is also a guarantee of inclusiveness.
The Cherkasy ASC is aware of this, so they organize regular trainings for staff, which are organized jointly with NGOs.
“When ASC staff notice that a visitor has certain disabilities, they try to provide additional support. We are currently preparing sign language training for employees so that they can communicate with people who need it. In addition, we are already using tablets for written communication,” says Oleh Tkachenko, the Head of the Center.
He emphasizes that the ASC does not have a separate category of services for people with disabilities: “They use all of our services, which are included in the list. We do not allocate separate categories of services for them, because it would contradict the very concept of equality.”
However, there are certain cases when, due to limited mobility, age or other factors, a person cannot come to the ASC personally. In Cherkasy, they found a way out of the situation and provided an opportunity to receive services from a “mobile administrator”. In this case, the ASC employee accepts the application, processes the documents and provides services at the person’s place of residence – at home or in the hospital.
“This allows us to bring the service closer to everyone. We visit people and provide them with the full range of services, of which we have more than 340, right on the spot,” says Oleh Tkachenko.
In addition, the Administrative Service Center in Cherkasy employs a former military man who served on the front line and now takes care of veterans’ affairs in the ASC structure.
“This man worked for us before he served in the army. Later he was mobilized. He received a concussion at the front and returned to the ASC as an administrator. Such a person can better understand and support veterans because he has similar experience and knows what it’s like to be at the front line,” explains Oleh Tkachenko, the Head of the ASC.
How the monitoring results will affect the institution’s accessibility
Based on the monitoring results, both the accessibility expert and the institution’s management agreed that the ASC space has potential for improvement. The residents of Cherkasy are already making plans to change the institution for the better.
“The results of monitoring the accessibility of our ASC will serve as a basis for change. We didn’t notice some little things or mistakenly thought they were correct, but now that we have heard the expert’s recommendations, we understand where to move forward and what else we can improve,” says Oleh Tkachenko, the Head of the Center.
According to him, cooperation with the public sector on barrier-free issues has significantly improved the accessibility of the ASC.
“NGOs also tell us what aspects of the space need to be improved. We receive feedback from activists who, in particular, monitor the situation with parking spaces for people with disabilities. Thanks to them, we also received recommendations on the height of the furniture, listened to them, and now we can guarantee comfort for visitors with different needs,” says the Head of the ASC in Cherkasy.
According to Daria Sydorenko, executive director of the League of the Strong, cooperation between social institutions and the public sector is crucial for improving accessibility.
“We work with local governments because we clearly understand that it is their area of responsibility that determines how accessible the community will be. Our research has shown that 80% of citizens expect changes from local governments. Analysis of the legislation confirms that most of these changes should be implemented by local authorities. That is why we are open to active cooperation, as we want everyone, with or without disabilities, to feel comfortable and confident in public spaces,” says Daria Sydorenko.
This material was created with the financial support of the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO), CBM, and the European Forum of People with Disabilities. The views expressed in this material are those of the authors and therefore can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the funding partner and the European Disability Forum.