First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska took part in a meeting of the Accessibility Council chaired by Oleksii Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine – Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine.
The President's wife noted that, according to a recent survey conducted by the Center for Social Change and Behavioral Economics at the initiative of UNICEF, accessibility is one of the new social values for 87% of Ukrainians.
“This marks a tremendous shift in public awareness. Such motivation among people should be preserved. That is why I would like to focus our attention on this – a public demand is finally here, and it cannot be ignored. Restoring lost motivation is even more difficult than developing it from scratch,” the First Lady said.
Oleksii Kuleba emphasized the high priority of barrier-free approaches in the process of supporting and developing the resilience of Ukrainian society.
“Yesterday, the Government approved the updated Action Plan for 2025-2026. This document is the result of joint work between ministries, regional administrations, experts and public organizations. We have taken into account previous experience and new challenges related to martial law. The plan contains concrete tasks and deadlines,” the Deputy Prime Minister added.
The National Strategy for Creating a Barrier-Free Environment in Ukraine is executed by 16 ministries. They are implementing 30 projects and have already achieved results.
In particular, the State Building Regulations and Standards have been updated to ensure the accessibility of public spaces, including shelters.
Over the past two years, the State Employment Service has created more than 2,000 jobs for people with disabilities. Retraining and vocational programs are in place. More than 2,000 veterans and their family members have received grants to start their own businesses. The total amount of support is almost UAH 1.3 billion.
The Ministry of Culture has conducted training in plain language for government organizations. Accessibility recommendations have been adopted for all Ukrainian media companies.
State digital platforms are already being adapted for people with visual and hearing impairments. More than 3 million Ukrainians have taken training courses on Diia.Osvita. Digital literacy is being promoted by 5,000 hubs across the country.
Nearly 100,000 students are covered by inclusive education. Shelters have been arranged for 12,000 schools. In the last two years, 60,000 modern textbooks in Braille have been printed.
Multidisciplinary teams are working in all rehabilitation units. A total of 280,000 patients underwent free rehabilitation last year.
During the year, 85 adaptive clubs were established under the project of the Ministry of Youth and Sports. More than a hundred coaches work with war veterans with disabilities. The Veterans Sports Program was launched. Combatants will receive a sports allowance every three months.
Seven driving schools of the Ministry of Internal Affairs teach people with disabilities, including veterans, how to drive. More than a hundred people, one-third of whom are warriors, have already received driver's licenses.
The Ministry of Social Policy is implementing an early intervention service, which has already been provided to nearly 3,000 families.
During the meeting, representatives of the ministries and other central executive authorities presented new priority projects on accessibility:
“Movement without Barriers”: developing mechanisms for barrier-free routes in 15 pilot communities.
“Barrier-Free Administrative Service Centers”: adapting these spaces and training their staff to provide dignified service to people from various social groups.
“Barrier-Free Labor Market”: creating conditions for integrating diverse social groups (young professionals, specialists with disabilities, older individuals, etc.) into the labor market, along with providing support and guidance throughout their employment process.
“Formula for a Dignified Return to Civilian Life”: launching a service system to support the reintegration of veterans into civilian life.
“Services for the Wounded” and “Recovery and Health Centers”: providing a service package for wounded servicemembers in the early stages of hospitalization; establishing a network of modern military medical rehabilitation and mental health centers.
“Supported Living”: developing a supported living system for elderly internally displaced persons and people with disabilities.
“Accessibility of Emergency Services and Ministry of Internal Affairs' Public Services for Different Social Groups.”
“Barrier-Free Culture”: ensuring accessibility in cultural spaces.
“Barrier-Free Education: Opening New Horizons”: ensuring quality inclusive education for all.
“Barrier-Free Environment in Public Administration”.
“At different periods of history, various traits, inventions, and innovations have defined the level of human civilization. Today, I believe such markers are security and accessibility. Genuine equality and fair inclusivity for absolutely everyone,” Olena Zelenska concluded.