Barrier-free is about freedom: new opportunities for people with visual impairments
14.05.2025
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When space is accessible and movement is safe, confidence is built. Even in an unfamiliar city. Even if you are blind. This is what barrier-free accessibility is all about - not about benefits, but about the right to live independently, independently and with dignity.
Recently, an important decision was made: people with visual impairments will be able to receive higher compensation for self-purchased rehabilitation equipment. The maximum price for tactile canes (so-called white canes) has been raised three times to almost UAH 800. In addition, for the first time, compensation for rotary handpieces is provided - up to UAH 410.
These devices are not just tools. They are about safety, freedom of movement, the ability to navigate in space, and be active. And most importantly, they symbolise respect for the dignity of every person.
The Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, in partnership with UNDP in Ukraine and other organisations, continues to work systematically on modern support programmes for people with visual impairments. Last year, a special training ground was opened in Vinnytsia to teach people how to drive a wheelchair. And this year, training areas and digital spaces for people with visual impairments were created in the village of Liutizh.
They teach orientation, digital skills, self-care, and provide physical and psychological support. This is an example of how infrastructure can work for equality.
Because true barrier-free accessibility is not about special conditions. It is about creating equal opportunities for everyone.
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The law for equality on the road
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has taken an important step towards strengthening the rights of drivers with disabilities by approving a draft law initiated by the Ministry of Veterans Affairs. The document aims to regulate parking, identification and control of compliance with privileges for people with disabilities who drive vehicles. What will change? Despite existing fines, parking spaces for people with disabilities are often illegally occupied by those who are not entitled to them. The draft law proposes an effective mechanism for controlling the use of these spaces: A single identification mark, ‘Driver with a disability,’ with a QR code confirming the right to privileges will be introduced. The requirements for the arrangement of parking spaces for vehicles driven by or transporting persons with disabilities are clarified. The procedure for presenting documents , both in paper and electronic form, is defined. Control over compliance with the rules is strengthened , which will prevent abuse. The bill amends two key laws: ‘On the Fundamentals of Social Protection of Persons with Disabilities in Ukraine’ — details the rules for the arrangement of parking spaces and requirements for identification marks. ‘On Road Traffic’ — introduces the mandatory use of a new sign when transporting or driving a car by a person with a disability. The law was created in partnership with the veteran community The document was developed in response to numerous appeals from veterans who became disabled after injuries or concussions but want to remain mobile and independent. Their request formed the basis of the initiative. What's next? The next stage is the consideration of the bill in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. This decision is not only about regulating road traffic, but also about recognising the real needs of those who defended the country and want to continue living a full life. Information and photos were taken from open Internet sources
28.05.2025
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Barrier-Free Week - why not a month? Why not a year? Why not a life without barriers?
Barrier-Free Week - why not a month? Why not a year? Why not a life without barriers? A trip from Lviv to Kyiv. For some people, it's a familiar journey. For others, it is a journey through hundreds of obstacles. This text is not about a campaign. It is about an experience that makes us rethink the very word “accessibility.” Barriers do not disappear in a week. They remain - every day. In the city. In transportation. In a mobile application. In silence. Barrier-free is not a week. It is a lifetime. And a choice: to see a person or not. We are not asking. We just want to leave. To get on the train. To get there. To see our family. To go to work. To have a meeting. But if you use a wheelchair, “just” ends immediately. The realities Unequal access to the ticket Yes, you can order a ticket. And even through the official Ukrzaliznytsia app. But the problem is not the availability of a button. The problem is how it actually works. To order a special compartment in a special carriage accessible to people with disabilities who use a wheelchair or other special rehabilitation equipment, and their accompanying persons, you need to choose a train (but you do not know which one has an adapted compartment) fill out a special application; attach documents confirming the disability; indicate the type of rehabilitation device; enter the train number (at your own risk, as it is not indicated where the required carriage is located); wait for a response, usually by e-mail. As stated on the Ukrzaliznytsia website, the application can be submitted at least 5 days before the scheduled travel date. Keep in mind that the application processing time is up to 24 hours. But let's be honest - in 2025, in a full-scale war, are all your trips planned in advance? Someone leaves suddenly for medical treatment. Someone urgently needs to appear in court, draw up documents, go to a wounded relative or evacuate. This is not tourism. This is the reality of wartime. And this reality is not compatible with a system that requires you to foresee everything in advance and wait for a response. Such an approach cuts off everyone who does not live in a conditional peace. And these people are the most vulnerable. They are not comfortable waiting. They need to leave. Here and now. There are markers for everyone. Except for us. In the interface of Ukrzaliznytsia: trains are marked as “Intercity+”, “children's”, “women's”, “flagship”; but not a single icon indicates the presence of a carriage with an adapted compartment. Then he receives a call from a UZ employee: "There is no special car in this train. It's not suitable for you. We can offer you another flight... on another day..." And the game of “guess when you will be taken” begins: Which train is equipped? When is it leaving? Why isn't it stated right away? This is not a service. This is improvisation. This is not planning. This is blind telephone coordination. And even when the system is formally working, it does not take into account basic needs. A person cannot check in advance which train has an adapted compartment. The absence of this information creates a trap: to apply, you need to know the train number. And to find out which train is suitable, you have to apply. The technology exists. But not for everyone. The UZ platform is one. But the experience is different. Someone buys a ticket in two minutes. Others submit an application, attach documents, and wait for confirmation. And then they call to find out if “their carriage” even exists. Equality is not about having a button, but about it working equally for everyone. Barrier-free access is not a “special service” It is when you can just go. Without permission. Without being asked. Without humiliation. Getting to the station - if you're lucky When the trip is urgent and the ticket is still “paused,” another quest begins: how can a person who uses a wheelchair get to the station? Public transportation . Low-floor buses? They are in the schedules - but not in reality. Villages, suburbs, even the outskirts of big cities - without a single accessible bus. Taxis. The most expensive fare: Inclusive - 396 UAH. Yes, the one that should not be a privilege but a necessity. Because if your body doesn't fit in a regular car, you pay more. We don't pay for comfort. We pay to be transported at all. Is the station a point of connection or a point of despair? The trip hasn't started yet, but the costs and barriers are already at their maximum. When you arrive at the station, you start a new quest: to find out if there is even a train that suits you. You need to buy a ticket. - The ticket office. You need to find out which train has an adapted carriage and whether it even runs in the right direction. - application. You need to write an application on the spot, which is sent to the central office of UZ for approval. The waiting time is 30-40 minutes, sometimes more. - Purchase of a ticket. After approval from the central office, you get permission to issue a ticket. This is not instantaneous, but the procedure is provided - and, subject to availability, it works. - Registration for assistance. Don't forget to inform about the need for an escort - without this, assistance is not guaranteed. - Taxi #2. To get back home. Or to the hotel. Or somewhere else - because the train is not until tomorrow. The cost is another 400 UAH. On the day of departure, it's all over again. Another taxi to get to the train station. Because there is no other transportation. Another 400 UAH. When the right to travel turns into “convincing you that you have the right,” it's not about service. It's about survival. Every step requires time, contact, waiting, explanations. Every action is not automatic, but “agreed upon”. And all of this is just to get the right to be where others have long gone. Time as a privilege Even if a person with a disability manages to get to the station, overcome all the previous barriers, and physically get to the ticket office, it is not a guarantee that they will be able to buy a ticket. This is a real story. Kyiv. A person in a wheelchair with an attendant is already at the train station, waiting for a train to Lviv. Suddenly, an urgent need arises: in two days, they need to go to Dnipro. The logical thing to do is to buy a ticket right away, while you have time and presence. But the specialized ticket office for people with disabilities at the Kyiv railway station informs him that it is impossible to get a special ticket - the employee who deals with this only works until 19:00. The advice is to contact the ticket office of the Lviv Railway upon arrival. And here's what we have in practice: The train arrives in Lviv at 6:30 am. And the ticket office that serves people with disabilities is still closed at that time. That is, instead of solving the issue in Kyiv, where it arose, the person is sent to another city, where... again it is impossible to solve this issue immediately . Because "it's too early" . Because the cash desk "works later" . Because a person with a disability has to either wait for several hours right at the train station or come back again on purpose, spending time, money, and effort. In other words, the service is formally accessible, but not when the person needs it. It is available when it is convenient for the system. And this is called "inclusion"? It's a barrier with a sign that says “Opening hours”. Barrier-free accessibility is not about “individualized approach according to a schedule”. It's about accessibility at the moment it's needed . As for everyone. No exceptions. No redirections. No waiting "until the opening". Boarding the train: the rise that may not be The ticket is bought. The taxi has been hailed. The day of the trip has arrived. And then the question is: how to get to the platform and into the car? Elevators At many train stations, elevators are either out of service or not installed at all. The alternative? Stairs. Or... the station staff carrying a person with a wheelchair manually. This is not a service. This is charity on the verge of injury. But even when a person can get to the platform using an elevator, a ramp, or even without any obstacles at all, it only works if their train departs from the first platform. If not, a real quest begins: Ground crossings, which in 90% of Ukrainian railway stations do not meet the requirements of a safe pedestrian crossing over the railroad tracks. For people who use wheelchairs, this is often the only way to get on a train. And this option is dangerous, uncomfortable, and humiliating. Especially in the rain or snow, when everything is wet, slippery, and frozen. The wheels slip. Hands freeze. Your clothes are wet. And you still have to drive. In the same clothes. If you can't change your clothes, the trip turns into survival. And now let's add the dark time of day. Poor lighting. And then there's the train that stopped right at the crossing and blocked the way. What's next? The alternative? Again, the station staff. And again - lifting in your arms. Getting to the car (there is a car for people with disabilities, accessible to people who use a wheelchair) At first glance, everything seems fine. But no. Very often, the car you need stops where there are obstacles on the platforms: underpasses, sales kiosks, technical supports. In such cases, it is simply impossible to safely unfold the ramp. The old-style cars used to have compact lifts instead of folding ramps, which were more convenient for both conductors and passengers. And, as a result, it was back to hand lifting. Sometimes with the help of a conductor. Often - with the participation of outsiders. Help that is not always available The situation is gradually changing, and this is worth noting. More and more stations are trying to respond quickly, to help, to care. However, not all actions are still systematic. And even if you report a need for help, it is not always a guarantee that someone will come out to meet you, lift you up, or escort you to your place. This is not so much the fault of individual employees as the result of the fact that help depends on the human factor, not a built-in and guaranteed system. It also happens that you ask for an elevator to be turned on for a person with a disability to get to the platform - or ask for other assistance - and you hear: “not at the moment”, or even: “why is this person there?”. This is the real experience of passengers at Kyiv International Airport. And this is not an exception, but a symptom of a lack of systemic attitude. All this logistics is just to get into the car. And we have not yet sat down. And we haven't even started yet. Barrier three: the absence of a special car at all If there is no special car in the train, and you need to go, boarding becomes even more difficult. No ordinary carriage is adapted for a person who uses a wheelchair or other rehabilitation device. And even if they manage to get inside, it does not mean that they are a passenger on equal terms. Often it is just a physical presence in a space that does not take into account their needs. Minimum space In a regular railroad car: there is not enough width to maneuver the chair, there is no space for an attendant, there are no locking systems for safe travel. The person is asked to “move” and the wheelchair is left in the vestibule or pushed against the wall. This means a loss of control over their own movement. Inaccessible toilets The toilet may be located at the other end of the carriage or may not be usable at all. A person is forced to endure the entire trip - 7-10 hours - without access to basic hygiene. Lack of control The car may not have a button to call the conductor. The temperature and lighting are not regulated. A person does not have access to any element of control over the environment. What does this mean in practice? The person cannot use the toilet. They cannot turn in their chair. They cannot call for help. They cannot change anything because everything is out of their control. This is not a trip. This is isolation in motion. New railcars: comfort in words or in reality? Yes, Ukrzaliznytsia claims to be renewing its railcar fleet. And in recent years, new special cars have indeed appeared that are equipped to transport people who use wheelchairs. This is a step forward. But the issue is not just the availability of cars. It's about how and where these cars run, how systematic the approach is, and how convenient they really are in reality. These cars are available only on certain trains. They are critically lacking. And this is not just a statistic - it is a daily complication for hundreds of passengers. Why not make sure that each car has at least one attached compartment? And given our realities, at least every train should have a car with such a compartment? This should be the standard, not the exception. What works Folding ramps A comfortable seat with fixation. Convenient bathroom, which can be accessed in a wheelchair. A button to call the staff. Space for an attendant. It looks like a standard - but in Ukrainian realities, it is still an exception. What still doesn't work The presentation of information on the availability of special cars is inconvenient and unobvious: the filter in the UZ app exists, but it is not intuitive, difficult to find, and does not allow you to quickly understand which train has an adapted compartment. A person has to search manually or call. It would be logical, as it is done for Intercity+, women's or children's cars, to mark such trains directly in the list of trains. A new car is not everything. Without a system, it is only a single improvement. Without access to information, this is an example of how a good thing is hidden from those who need it. Barrier-free accessibility is not a point of arrival. It has to be the road itself. Arrival : the same thing, only in the opposite direction The journey ends, but the barriers do not disappear. Everything that a person overcame at the beginning of the journey is repeated upon arrival: You need to find an employee again to help you get out; if the special lift does not work or has not been prepared, they have to walk again; if the platform is not the first one, it's another transition between the tracks through questionable ground crossings; if there is no transportation, it's back to looking for a taxi with an “inclusive” fare or waiting for hours. Nothing new here. Just a new city with the same old barriers. And then you call a taxi, again at an inclusive fare. For example, the average cost of such a taxi in Kyiv is about 200 UAH, which is much higher than the standard fare. The inclusive fare is higher than all the others, even in the evening. And one more nuance: the inclusive taxi operates from 6:00 to 22:00, but only accepts orders until 21:00. If the train arrives later, it becomes more difficult and expensive to get there. Another important point is that if a hotel or accommodation does not have an accessible entrance, this is a new barrier in a new city. In addition, accommodation is added to the cost of travel: the average price per day in a hotel with basic accessibility is from 2700 to 3200 UAH. This is another factor that makes the trip unaffordable for many people. That is, the trip is not complete - it simply flows into the next quest with the same obstacles. The price of accessibility One trip from Lviv to Kyiv, including taxi, accommodation, tickets, if you have an escort, will cost 3800-4400 hryvnias. And this is at a reduced rate. For comparison, the pension of a person with a group I disability is UAH 2361. That is, one trip means two pensions. (And this is just travel, without overnight accommodations or meals). For comparison, the pension of a person with a group I disability in Ukraine in 2025 is 100% of the subsistence level for people who have lost their ability to work. This is UAH 2,361 per month. That is, one trip means two pensions . And sometimes even more. This raises a rhetorical but bitter question for those who calculate and approve social benefits: How to live on this money if even one necessary trip is no longer an affordable luxury?
25.05.2025
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The status of a person with a disability as a result of war: who is eligible and how to apply
Both military personnel and civilians who suffered as a result of hostilities can obtain the status of a person with a disability as a result of war. You can apply at the ASC or online. We tell you how to do it in this infographic Information and photos were taken from open Internet sources
15.05.2025
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