From home to community: how Ukrainians can influence the accessibility of their environment

In the context of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, accessibility is becoming a real challenge. Our country is gradually moving toward accessibility, but this path requires time, effort, and responsibility from everyone-from individual families to local communities and the state. The example of communities that are actively working on accessibility makes it clear that interaction between citizens and authorities is the key to creating an inclusive environment for everyone.

UNN talked to Tetyana Lomakina, Advisor to the Presidential Commissioner for Accessibility, about accessibility at different levels - from a private or apartment building to the community and state levels. She also spoke about shared responsibility and mechanisms of influence for positive change.

Barrier-free in our home 

Almost every family faces this situation. Older family members gradually lose their strength and health, age-related diseases and impaired movement, vision, and hearing appear. And now the moment comes when grandparents can no longer move freely around the house that they once built with their own hands. 

What does the family do? There are actually many options. You can start repairs to remove thresholds that are difficult to cross, install an electric lift, buy a good wheeled chair, expand the door so that the chair passes, install handrails around the house, buy a special bath and toilet, convert the bed.all this will give an older person the opportunity to maintain independence and autonomy. But all this requires money and time. Even removing the thresholds is already a repair that can be unplanned in the family budget, not to mention buying a special bath or wheel chair. 

The family can go the other way and not invest in home improvement. Throw up your hands and say that there is no way to do anything right now. And older relatives remain locked in their room, because even the threshold between the rooms becomes a barrier.

Or the family gathers for a family meeting and chooses a compromise: we can't remodel the bathroom, but we can install grab bars. A high-quality wheelchair is not yet available, but we will buy a rollator from a neighbor.  Her mom used to use one, but now they don't need it. We will think about how to make the bedroom more comfortable, but for now, at least, we will buy a new mattress.

But in such situations, no one ever begins to wonder why the neighbor is in no hurry to donate his wheelchair, and  the mayor has not yet assembled a repair team to remodel our private house. 

how do I install a ramp in an apartment building?

Using the example of a family, we all clearly understand who is the owner of the House, who makes decisions about repairs and its scope, and who finances it. Yes, there are social programs that support the families of people who need rehabilitation assistance or additional care. But still, this is support, not solving problems for the family. 

But as soon as we move up from the family to the next level, we immediately forget about this logic for some reason. 

So, when it comes to an apartment building, instead of getting together and making a decision on installing ramps, people expect that the city administration or regional authorities will come and make a ramp. Although the house is the collective property of all residents, so they have to make decisions and implement it themselves. 

As in the case of a family home, everything is not so simple. A house can be inhabited by several hundred people with different interests. Someone needs a ramp because they have just had a child, someone has parents with limited mobility, a neighbor from Apartment 10 received a spinal injury at the front and now moves in a wheeled chair. Some people think that they personally do not need a ramp, but need repairs in the entrance so that the walls are clean and beautiful, or insulation to pay less for heating. 

And money, just like in a family, is limited. 

So we need to prioritize: what do we do first - paint the entrance, plant trees, insulate, or install ramps? 

The result depends on what decision the majority of residents of the House will make. Will they put in the first place the interests of the young mother Yana, who walks twice a day with little Sasha in a stroller, Andrey from Apartment 10, who volunteered on February 24, 2022 and returned with an injured back, Yevgenia Nikolaevna, who worked at a nearby school for 55 years and taught chemistry half of the House? 

This is a question of humanity, gratitude, maturity, and even foresight of the co-owners of the building. After all, residents of any apartment can find themselves in Yana's or Andriy's shoes at any time. And certainly most of them will someday find out how difficult it is for Yevheniia Mykolayivna to climb those damned stairs to sit outside for an hour in good weather. 

But this is the decision and responsibility of the residents of the house. 

how is the community's physical barrier created ? What about the local community?  

It has its own level of responsibility and its own questions,  but, oddly enough, the general principle remains. There is a communal property (from the word "commune", by the way, which comes from the Latin word "joint"): schools, hospitals, streets and sidewalks, municipal buildings, etc. Their condition and availability are already the responsibility of the community. 

If at the family level we had to take into account the opinions and interests of family members, at the level of an apartment building — already hundreds of people, now we are talking about completely different orders, thousands and even millions of people.   

The family gathered at dinner and made their decision, the apartment building has a condominium, and at the community level, this function is performed by elected bodies and local government. And they are obliged to make decisions not on their own, but based on the will of the citizens living in the community. Citizens pay taxes, forming the community budget, work in organizations and enterprises, and ensure the life of the community.

In this case, of course, it is more difficult to convey information about your needs to people who need support. The eldest lady in the family  simply tells the children and grandchildren that their feet hurt a lot, and her  children should organize an accessible space simply out of love and gratitude to the older family members, to their mother and grandmother. At the House level, everyone knows about the injury that Andrey received while defending them, and Yevgenia Nikolaevna can talk to former students. 

More sophisticated feedback mechanisms are needed at the community level. Barrier-free councils and representatives of various social groups in local councils, support for NGOs, the work of deputies, polls and public opinion surveys, project competitions, participatory budgeting, grants aimed at solving problems of certain groups, petitions, public hearings, and open discussions. In other words, everything that allows building meaningful communication between community residents, who are also co-owners of communal property and finance the community's activities from their taxes, and local authorities, i.e. people elected by citizens to manage common property. 

And whether there will be a result depends on these joint decisions on the prioritization and restructuring of urban spaces - streets, transport stops, public utilities, schools, hospitals and kindergartens. 

Accessibility for all: why Ukraine needs to strengthen control over new buildingsOct 29 2024, 11:46 AM • 185729 views

and where is the state in this process? 

It has two functions. the first is very similar to all previous levels: with the help of taxpayer contributions, manage common state property, taking into account the interests of all citizens. 

The second one is system-based. The state defines general rules and regulations, passes laws that regulate certain aspects, for example, State Building Codes, and there - the same angle of inclination of the ramp or the availability of information for people with hearing impairments.

The state determines the general vector of development and creates tools for it. But it's like in the old parable of a horse that can be brought to a pond, but it's impossible to make it drink water.

There are already all the necessary documents that regulate physical accessibility. There are updated building codes that describe in detail what buildings and spaces should be available. Thanks to the initiative of First Lady Olena Zelenskaya, an album of barrier-free solutions was created, which collected the best Ukrainian and international practices in implementing these building codes in pictures. The National barrier-free strategy has been adopted and is being implemented, which has launched the creation of documents and programs.

But whether there is a normal ramp and adaptive toilets in the school that a child plans to attend in a wheeled chair depends not on the Cabinet of ministers or on the Office of the President. It depends on the mayor as the person who leads the community. This depends on the deputies of the city as people who represent the interests of citizens. This depends on the principal of the school as the person who influences the priority of tasks. To some extent, this depends on the parent committee of the school. And also from all citizens of the city. 

If there is a ramp in the school, it means that everyone in their places worked properly. If it is not there, then you need to look at the level of the error. Either parents don't insist on a barrier-free school, or the principal doesn't consider it a priority, or the city government doesn't allocate money.

What is a mature society?

We must understand that any object has a certain form of ownership. This is either private property, municipal or state property. And each case has its own mechanisms of influence and decision-making. Sometimes they are slow and heavy, making them work is not easy, it takes time and effort. 

But we are already seeing the first steps towards barrier-free access in communities. Vinnytsia, Slavutich, Poltava, Dnipro, Bucha, Rivne, Ternopil, Oposhnya — they clearly demonstrate how these mechanisms are launched and how certain barrier-free solutions appear. The authorities and citizens are discussing  and looking for common solutions in matters of barrier-free and fair attitude of the community to all its residents: to older people who have lived and worked here for many years, and to parents of small children who cherish a new generation of Ukrainians and Ukrainian women in this difficult time, and to  defenders and defenders who returned from the front with injuries and injuries. And to all other cities that are equal members of the community and should enjoy equal rights and opportunities, and not overcome artificial obstacles on a daily basis.

Is this process fast? No, it is not. Is it easy? Not at all.

What is the current situation with physical accessibility in Ukraine?  

Bad, due to the fact that a full — scale war has been going on for more than two and a half years and an actual one for more than ten years. And every destroyed house, every sleepless night, every loss brings new barriers and challenges.

Bad because we have to overcome the legacy of a time when accessibility, inclusivity, and barrier-free were words that don't make any sense.

It's bad because we have limited resources  and thousands of things to do at the same time.

But the situation is getting better than yesterday, than a year ago, than five or ten years ago. 

There is a clear vector of state policy, there is a national barrier — free strategy, there are tools, there are projects, there are positive examples, and most importantly-there are people who understand why this is important and are ready to invest their resources in it: time, effort, knowledge, perseverance, money.

We have to understand that the path to barrier-free access for most countries took 30-40-50 years, they were walking by feel where we are now running along a path with bright lights. But even this path requires effort and time. And most importantly, a responsible adult position.

After all, only a small child can afford to cry and shout "I want-I want-I want" in a toy store, waiting for the desired doll or car to be in his hands simply because he wants it. Growing up, the child begins to see other ways — to negotiate, collect pocket money, work after school. And an adult understands that he can buy this toy at any time, but there are other items of expenditure of the family budget. 

As a society, we are already growing up. To replace the children's "I want-I want-I want, make me!"the question goes:" What Can I do? What is my area of responsibility? What tools do I have to influence the situation?" 

Returning to the example with the school, anyone can raise the issue of the availability or quality of the ramp at a parent-teacher meeting. He can come to the director and ask why there is still no ramp. May apply to the municipal deputy with a request to facilitate the allocation of funds. Can collect signatures from parents for installing the ramp. You can contact a public organization and ask for help finding solutions and resources. Can start an information campaign. 

Yes, it takes time, effort and perseverance. But this is how it works in a mature society.

Recall 

Experts interviewed by UNNhave repeatedly stressed that the central government should pay due attention to barrier-free conditions in Ukraine , especially now, in the context of a full-scale war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine. However, local authorities should not be excluded from this process, which, by virtue of their capabilities, should ensure accessibility in localities.

One example of how managers hear the needs of local residents and respond to them is the city of Brovary.

Earlier UNN reported that the city government of Brovary is developing a program for 4-5 years to improve the accessibility and comfortable movement of people with disabilities. In particular, the Brovarsky community plans to equip special lifts for people with disabilities in apartment buildings. According to the Mayor Igor Sapozhko, this option is optimal for old apartment buildings of the community.

Olena Hakobyan , an adviser to the mayor of Brovary, told UNNthat all state institutions in Brovary are available for people with disabilities. All major shopping centers are equipped with ramps, elevators, and hygiene rooms for people with disabilities. Various commercial institutions and organizations have become more likely to seek advice on how to properly equip or redo entrances so that they are accessible to people with disabilities.

In addition, a diving rehabilitation project is being implemented in the city for Ukrainian soldiers who lost limbs defending Ukraine from Russian occupiers, family members of the victims, internally displaced persons, and veterans.