A barrier-free Ukraine: reconstruction and European experience for an inclusive future

Source: ‘Window of Recovery’

One of the key principles of Ukraine’s recovery is to build an inclusive environment where everyone feels comfortable — people with disabilities, their families, the elderly, and parents with children. This is a joint endeavour that requires the active involvement of civil society in shaping public policy. The Latvian experience will help better understand the basics of accessibility — where to start and how to monitor it.

Rebuilding Ukraine is an opportunity to shape a better future based on accessibility, energy efficiency and eco-friendliness principles in line with EU standards. From this list, barrier-free accessibility becomes a priority, as the number of people with disabilities is growing during the war. The more the environment changes, the more people think about barrier-free access. It becomes a social norm.

Accessibility is a fundamental human right. A truly inclusive environment is one in which people with disabilities can not only observe life but also participate in it. Thanks to the availability of special technical tools, such as Google Maps, specially created for blind people, or a walk with a trained dog, people with disabilities can be more independent from the support of others.

Society, of course, needs time to change. It is easy to create a special place, saying that people with disabilities will be safe by staying there. However, isolation and segregation are not real-life conditions. They are unacceptable, as the disability rights movement in Europe has shown.

When people returned from the front lines with disabilities after the Second World War, they appeared to be locked up in their homes. Governments were not ready for systemic changes. This led people to join demonstrations, demanding equal conditions for everyone to participate in public life and work. Ukraine now has a similar demand for inclusiveness. Therefore, it is crucial to start implementing changes now, without waiting for the war to end. Otherwise, Ukrainians will pay the price for the delay.

Gunta Anca, Vice President of the European Disability Forum, says that their organisation is calling on the global donor network to take into account the principles of inclusiveness in the reconstruction of Ukraine. European funding requires compliance with barrier-free standards, but it is not easy to influence investors from the US, Japan and other third countries. A strange situation arises when the same donors adhere to inclusive building standards in Sweden while they invest in non-inclusive buildings in Ukraine. Changing the building at later stages will cost much more.

It is noteworthy that barrier-free accessibility and inclusion depend not only on the state but also on society. There will be no change if no one states that it is essential. Even in the EU, countries have different levels of barrier-free accessibility. The leaders are the Netherlands and Spain. France has a passion for stairs in architecture, but there are always ramps nearby. The functioning of three different governments complicates the situation in Belgium. The closest examples for Ukraine in inclusive development are the Baltic States, especially Latvia.

We have a lot in common. After the Soviet occupation, both Ukraine and Latvia were left with limited financial resources and an understanding of accessibility. Latvia began to initiate certain changes, but the country’s accession to the European Union was the real push for transformation. About 60% of the legislation in the field of disability rights in the Member States comes from the EU. Regulations and conditionality of using EU funds do not allow countries to create ‘new barriers’. This means that all new buildings and roads must be barrier-free.

Latvia has made significant progress over the 20 years of its EU membership. Back in the 2000s, barrier-free accessibility seemed like a distant dream. Studying the experience of the Scandinavian countries, Latvians realised that achieving this level of inclusiveness was expensive and complicated. However, step by step, the country has begun the necessary transformation.

The best way to ensure equal opportunities for people with disabilities is to start from school. In Latvia, children with disabilities attend regular local schools. There are resource centres that provide schools with everything they need – from different methodologies or consultations to sending teachers with special training.

The logic here is simple. For example, if you have a blind child in your class, you know what it means. You know how to help and when. You know that they are just like other children. Because you have this experience, you can employ that child in the future or perhaps another person with a disability. This is a change in the system and the mindset.

The centre of Riga has inclusive infrastructure. The biggest problem was old buildings with stairs that are part of the historical heritage. To dismantle them, you need to create petitions and get a lot of permits. Therefore, Riga found a faster, simpler, and cheaper solution—mobile ramps. All establishments, such as cafes and shops, are required to have them.

In general, there are two ways to monitor inclusiveness in Latvia:

• If the building is new, the architect is responsible for ensuring it is inclusive.

This means the building project should include all the necessary elements – a ramp, inclusive doors, a lift, spacious toilets, etc. The Cabinet of Ministers has developed a legal framework that contains all the barrier-free standards. For example, doors must be 90 cm wide so people in wheelchairs can move freely. The standards are national, but they are consistent with EU norms.

The next step is the construction process, during which something can go wrong. The quality of the materials used can be dissatisfactory. For example, the surface of the tiles may be slippery. That is why every public project must involve independent experts who check the building’s inclusiveness, either accepting it or providing requirements for improvement. Putting the building into operation is impossible without making the necessary changes.

• If a building is old, it should be made inclusive during renovation.

Arguments that changes in old buildings are impossible because of age are inappropriate. Most old buildings have been changed—they have central heating, electricity, and the Internet. Similarly, minor changes can be made to entrances/exits to ensure equal opportunities for people. The main problem with many historic buildings is the lack of renovations for a long time, which postpones necessary changes, such as the installation of fixed ramps. This is where the solution with mobile ramps can help.

After all, the motto of people with disabilities in Europe is ‘Nothing about us without us!’. The active involvement and participation of people with disabilities in planning strategies and policies that affect their lives helps to create a better environment for everyone. Ultimately, an inclusive society is one in which all voices are heard.

Recently, the Riga Academy for the Rights of People with Disabilities started work in Latvia. The Academy aims to share Latvian experience and best practices in exercising the rights of people with disabilities. Representatives of Ukrainian NGOs of people with disabilities can participate in a regular week-long programme, consisting of a theoretical part, where the European Convention on Human Rights and its application are discussed, and a practical part, during which study visits to schools and universities are organised. After completing the training, participants receive certificates and can work on assessing the accessibility of buildings during the reconstruction of Ukraine.

The Latvians have also set up a special contact line for people with disabilities to ask any questions and get advice. In addition, Riga activists organise special support groups on a weekly basis to help displaced people with disabilities build a community, explain how the local healthcare system works, and facilitate their integration.

Overall, Latvia’s path to inclusivity and barrier-free access is remarkable and inspiring. Even if accessibility seems like a utopia, we can still make progress by implementing changes step by step. It will not happen overnight, but choosing and following the right path is crucial.

This publication has been prepared within the framework of the “The Recovery Spending Watchdog” project, funded by the EU. Previous issues are available here. The project is a collaborative effort involving the Centre for Economic Strategy, the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting, and the Technology for Progress NGO. All project participants are members of the RISE coalition.

Oleksandra Kobernik, Non-Resident Fellow at the Centre for Economic Strategy