Olena Zelenska, the First Lady of Ukraine, participated in a pivotal meeting of ambassadors of accessibility, gathering over 70 representatives from various sectors including business, community, and government.
«Five years ago, when we started this topic, many Ukrainians thought that accessibility meant only physical barriers like ramps. We worked hard to explain that accessibility encompasses social, economic, and informational dimensions as well. These six aspects became the foundation of our government strategy,» said Olena Zelenska.
According to her, the program for accessible routes in cities has begun, alongside collaboration with major employers through the initiative «Business without Barriers». An interactive «Guide to Accessibility» has been created to help people understand the principles of accessibility and communicate appropriately with diverse social groups.
«Today’s meeting takes place within the framework of the nationwide campaign “Accessibility is Opportunity”. Everyone should feel that accessibility is about them personally, not just someone else,» the First Lady emphasized.
Ambassadors of accessibility have also been appointed to represent flagship projects of ministries, aimed at improving interagency cooperation and promoting accessibility principles across all areas of life.
Participants of the event took part in a training session by the NGO «Accessibility» and collaboratively developed individual project implementation plans for their communities, including steps such as monitoring the accessibility of public spaces and businesses, creating a map of accessible locations, and disseminating the requirements of building codes.
Social accessibility involves advocacy for the establishment of accessibility councils and training for professionals working with veterans and individuals with disabilities.
In the field of educational accessibility, plans are underway to work with teachers, parents, and students while informing individuals with disabilities about their rights in education.
Moreover, in the realm of informational accessibility, ambassadors plan to conduct audits on the accessibility of information.
