The Ministry of Community and Territorial Development of Ukraine has fully incorporated the proposals from “The League of the Strong” public organisation into the draft of the new State Building Regulations (DBN) concerning the design of pre-school education facilities. The changes proposed by the organisation’s experts are aimed at creating a barrier-free environment for children with disabilities, children with special educational needs and other groups with reduced mobility.
“We wanted accessibility to be not a separate add-on, but an integral part of the design of nurseries. Fully incorporating our proposals means that new facilities will be more comfortable and safer for all children, regardless of their needs,” said Volodymyr Vysotskyi, an accessibility and inclusive practices specialist at “The League of the Strong”.
In June 2026, “The League of the Strong” submitted a set of proposals to the Ministry regarding State Building Standard V.2.2-4:202X “Pre-school Education Institutions”. These covered requirements for the accessibility of grounds, pedestrian routes, ramps, staircases, wayfinding signage, corridors, doors and handrails, as well as orientation and safety measures within nursery premises.
Among the key changes now enshrined in the DBN are:
- pre-school education establishments must ensure unimpeded access to buildings and grounds for children with disabilities and other people with reduced mobility;
- kindergartens must have designated areas for the safe boarding and alighting of children, particularly from specialised transport;
- clear requirements have been set out for pedestrian routes: their width, surfacing, permissible gradients, as well as for ramps, stairs, handrails and barriers;
- requirements for clear wayfinding have been introduced: high-contrast marking of stairs and doors, tactile elements, information signs in Braille and accessible call buttons;
- minimum standards have been set for the width of corridors, doors and passageways, as well as requirements for threshold-free entrances and user-friendly door fittings;
- provision has been made for equipping premises with accessible information systems, tactile navigation and other solutions that help children find their way around and move about safely.
Taking all proposals into account is an important step towards creating safe and accessible pre-school education establishments and establishing modern accessibility standards as Ukraine rebuilds.
All the proposed changes have been incorporated into the new national building regulations DBN V.2.2-4:2026 “Buildings and Structures. Pre-school Education Institutions”, which were approved by Order No. 1387 of the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development of Ukraine dated 15 July 2026 and come into force on 1 October 2026. For more details, follow the link: https://dbn.co.ua/load/normativy/dbn/v_2_2_4/1-1-0-1803.