On 13 May, the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development of Ukraine accepted proposals from “The League of the Strong” public association to expand the list of facilities subject to accessibility monitoring. The new list for 2026 has already been published on the Ministry’s website.
We previously reported that “The League of the Strong” had appealed to the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development of Ukraine to include in the monitoring not only buildings but also those facilities on whose accessibility the daily lives of people with disabilities and other mobility-impaired groups depend. These included shelters, temporary accommodation for internally displaced persons, public transport stops, service facilities and street infrastructure.
What happened previously?
The monitoring and assessment of the accessibility of the physical environment and services for people with disabilities and other groups with reduced mobility is an annual procedure for evaluating the accessibility of the physical environment and services, carried out in accordance with Resolution No. 537 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
In 2025, accessibility monitoring covered public buildings, accommodation for internally displaced persons, service sector facilities, transport infrastructure, streets, roads, public transport stops and certain public amenities. The list included, in particular, healthcare and educational establishments, administrative service centres, civil defence facilities, banks, shops, pharmacies, cafés and restaurants.
At the same time, the list of facility types to be monitored is drawn up separately each year. Therefore, civil society organisations have the opportunity to submit their proposals regarding which facilities should be included in the assessment. It is precisely this that determines what accessibility data communities will collect and which areas of accessibility will come under the state’s scrutiny.
What did “The League of the Strong” propose?
The organisation proposed expanding monitoring to include a wider range of facilities, in particular:
- public buildings: healthcare facilities (including rehabilitation wards), educational establishments, administrative service centres, employment centres, veterans’ centres, cultural and social welfare facilities;
- housing infrastructure: temporary accommodation for IDPs and evacuees, as well as hotels;
- service sector facilities: banks, post offices, shops, cafés, pharmacies, shopping centres, petrol stations;
- transport infrastructure: railway stations, bus stations, ports;
- street infrastructure: roads, streets and routes to healthcare facilities;
- public transport stops, including the underground and trams;
- public amenities: parks, squares, open spaces and inclusive playgrounds.
What has changed in 2026?
On 13 May 2026, the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development of Ukraine published an updated list of the types of premises subject to monitoring and assessment of accessibility in 2026. In particular, the following new types of premises have been added:
Public buildings:
- employment centres;
- veterans’ centres;
- resilience centres;
- mental health centres.
Residential buildings:
- multi-unit residential buildings.
This is one of the main changes for 2026. Previously, monitoring covered only temporary accommodation for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and hotels.
Service sector
- shopping and entertainment centres (SECs).
Streets and roads
- streets leading to educational establishments.
In 2025, only barrier-free routes, streets leading to healthcare facilities and roads of national importance were included.
Landscaping facilities
- botanical gardens
- zoos.
‘We can see that most of our proposals were taken into account when drawing up the list of sites to be monitored for accessibility in 2026. However, the list does not include ports, nor the underground and tram infrastructure sites that we had proposed for monitoring. Without assessing the accessibility of all key elements of the transport system, it is difficult to get a complete picture of the extent to which people with disabilities and other groups with reduced mobility can move around the city independently and safely,” said Daria Kukurika, Executive Director of the League of the Strong.
This is an important step, as accessibility cannot be assessed solely on the basis of the condition of individual buildings. People must be able to reach their destination, use transport, move safely along the street and access the services they need. That is why monitoring must cover the entire route, rather than just individual sections.