Daria Sydorenko, Executive Director of the League of the Strong NGO, presented the results of a survey on the challenges and prospects for barrier-free accessibility under martial law. This took place during a meeting of the Barrier-Free Council in Vinnytsia.
More than 100 respondents from 16 regions of Ukraine took part in the survey. It was conducted from 19 to 24 July this year. According to Daria Sydorenko, the biggest concern is the inaccessibility of shelters.
“A critical majority of survey participants rated the accessibility of shelters and bomb shelters located near their homes at 1 point, meaning they are completely dissatisfied with their accessibility. Almost 87 per cent of respondents said that there is no help for people with musculoskeletal injuries to get to shelters. Therefore, we ask the Barrier-Free Council to recommend to local authorities to introduce the practice of escorting and assisting people with disabilities to enter shelters upon their request by those responsible for opening them. Additionally, recommendations should be provided on how to do this correctly. We also ask that local authorities be encouraged to inspect shelters not only for their working condition, but also for their accessibility,” said Daria Sydorenko.
In addition, the inclusion of accessibility issues in community recovery plans is also a cause for concern. The vast majority of respondents are unaware of the existence of documents regulating municipal accessibility policy in their community, with 24 respondents believing that there are no such documents.
“Currently, the majority of respondents have not encountered any form of consultation on the needs of people with disabilities. 39 respondents believe that no such consultations have been held in their community. Therefore, we are asking for recommendations for local governments on steps to include accessibility issues, as well as to recommend including accessibility requirements as indicators for assessing the implementation of tasks, events and regional (local) development projects,” said Daria Sydorenko, Executive Director of the League of the Strong.
As a reminder, Daria Sydorenko, Executive Director of the League of the Strong, joined the Barrier-Free Council in February 2023. The Barrier-Free Council is a temporary advisory body of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine established to create a barrier-free space.