Less than 8% of shelters are barrier-free
The lowest barrier-free rate among those studied (8%) is for civil protection structures.
Such data are provided in the results of the implementation of the 2023-2024 Action Plan for the implementation of the National Strategy for the creation of a barrier-free space in Ukraine for the period up to 2030, published on the website of the Ministry of Communities and Territories Development (Ministry of Reconstruction) on Monday.
According to the results of 2024, some 90,000 facilities were inspected, which is a significant increase compared to last year, when about 54,000 were inspected. During the 2024 monitoring, the condition of streets, public transport stops and improvement facilities were also studied.
The overall results of the monitoring showed that only 20% of the objects studied are barrier-free. The best barrier-free rate is shown by healthcare facilities some 43% barrier-free, administrative service centers some 41% barrier-free, and banks some 36% barrier-free. The lowest rate is shown by civil protection structures only 8% of barrier-free facilities.
The ministry is systematically working to create a modern and inclusive environment, introducing new building codes and standards. In particular, an amendment to the State Building Standards "Healthcare Facilities. Basic Provisions" and an amendment to the State Building Standards "Civil Protection's Protective Structures" aimed at improving the safety of people with limited mobility in the face of modern challenges were approved. Amendment No. 2 to the State Building Standards "Inclusiveness of Buildings and Structures. Basic Provisions" was also approved, updating the State Building Standards in accordance with international standards and accessibility requirements, introducing new terminology, and improving the requirements for visual and tactile accessibility elements.
The European standard EN 17210 "Accessibility and usability of the built environment" regulating the accessibility of existing buildings and structures has also been implemented in Ukraine.
The ministry has developed and approved Methodological Guideline for ensuring accessibility of educational buildings and infrastructure for people with limited mobility. The Guideline is proposed to be used as auxiliary tool in identifying key problems/barriers in creating a barrier-free space in an educational institution and formulating solutions for solving/eliminating them.
In 2024, the Ministry of Reconstruction implemented a number of projects to develop barrier-free access at the local level.
The first of these projects was the introduction of Priorities for creating barrier-free space in populated areas. The ministry has defined priorities for large, medium, and small communities in terms of the sequence of bringing administrative buildings, social buildings, and public spaces into compliance with inclusiveness requirements.
Currently, about 700 territorial communities have included barrier-free priorities in their strategies, local barrier-free action plans, development plans, socio-economic development programs, and other strategic documents.
It has also become important to achieve public and social accessibility to create local Barrier-Free Councils. The ministry has developed methodological guidelines and approximate regulations for local Barrier-Free Councils. Currently, more than 500 territorial communities have already decided to create local Barrier-Free Councils.