More than 1000 community representatives joined the first nationwide meeting of accessibility officers

How can Ukrainian communities be made more accessible and convenient for everyone? This was discussed during the first nationwide online meeting of accessibility officers. More than 1000 community representatives from across Ukraine joined the discussion.

Together with Ukraine’s Minister for Communities, Territories and Internally Displaced Persons Vitalii Bezghin (Vitaliy Bezgin), Deputy Minister for Restoration, Infrastructure and Transport of Ukraine Nataliia Kozlovska, Adviser and Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for Accessibility Tetiana Lomakina, international partners and ambassadors of the Movement Without Barriers project, participants discussed how communities can develop an accessible environment and which solutions are already working in Ukraine and other countries.

“A local accessibility officer is first and foremost about a change in philosophy and approach — a person in the community who embodies a modern, conscious approach to people’s needs and fairness. We understand that today we need more than legislative provisions, which the Ministry is already working on, or the creation of accessible routes. We need skilled professionals who will systematically address these issues locally. The true measure of a community’s capacity lies in very simple things: whether a child with special educational needs receives the necessary services, whether a veteran can get from the city centre to an administrative service centre, a hospital or a social service institution. The Ministry will help ensure that accessibility officers work effectively in every administrative and territorial unit,” Minister Vitalii Bezghin told participants.

Around 1300 accessibility officers have already been appointed in communities across the country. The next task is to organise their joint work, provide methodological support and create a unified professional network.

Participants also discussed how the network will work in coordination with the Ministry and the opportunities to put successful international experience into practice. The meeting also continued the Ukrainian-Austrian exchange of accessibility experience launched at the initiative of First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska.

The National Strategy for Creating an Accessible Environment in Ukraine through 2030 established a common framework for the state, regions and communities. It is now important that these principles work directly at the local level.

The officer’s key role is to coordinate accessibility work in the community so that different areas work together and take people’s needs into account.

In particular, the officer should:

▪️include accessibility in community development plans and programmes;

▪️participate in preparing decisions and projects from the outset to avoid creating new barriers and spending money on removing them later;

▪️take a broader view of accessibility than just buildings and streets, also considering access to services, information, communication and digital services;

▪️turn monitoring results into specific decisions: identify which barrier needs to be removed, who is responsible, and what resources and timelines are required;

▪️involve community residents themselves — veterans, people with disabilities, parents with young children, older people and others — so that decisions meet their actual needs.