In Ukraine started the all-Ukrainian social change campaign “Barrier-free is when you can”, which is aimed at promoting the principles of barrier-free and involving people in the creation of Ukraine without barriers. The presentation of the campaign was attended by the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska and representatives of the ministries implementing flagship projects within the National Strategy for the Creation of a Barrier-Free Space.
“Barrier-free is not about restrictions, but about equality and dignity for everyone. For people with disabilities and people without disabilities, for the oldest and the smallest, for babies in strollers and for their parents, for those who have strength and those who do not feel very well physically or psychologically, because we all feel this way at some point in our lives. Barrier-free does not divide. It unites everyone.” – stressed Olena Zelenska.
According to a national study conducted in 2024 by the Center for Social Change and Behavioral Economics with the support of UNICEF, 87% of Ukrainians consider accessibility to be a value for society. At the same time, the understanding of the essence of barrier-freeness needs to be deepened: 26% of respondents do not understand this concept.
The first wave of the campaign started with the video manifesto “When you can” and is designed to explain the six key areas of barrier-free accessibility: physical, informational, digital, social-civic, educational and economic. The second wave will involve people in creating an accessible environment in their communities so that everyone, regardless of age, gender, social status, place of residence or any other characteristics, has equal access to participation in society.
Within the framework of the National Strategy for the creation of a barrier-free space in Ukraine, the ministries are implementing their flagship projects that change approaches to services, infrastructure, transport, education, employment, culture, sports and rehabilitation. These are steps towards a country where barrier-free is gradually becoming a standard — in state decisions, in communities, in everyday life.
From the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, Deputy Minister of Health for European Integration Maryna Slobodnichenko joined the presentation, who spoke about the flagship project of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine – “Development of the rehabilitation care system”, which forms a modern system of rehabilitation care in Ukraine, focused on the return to active life of both civilians and military personnel. The project combines a multidisciplinary approach, partnership with communities and international experience to make rehabilitation accessible, effective and free of charge for all who need it.
“This is a systemic reform. It is not about individual changes, but about building a new rehabilitation system – modern, proven, effective. 600,000 Ukrainians have already received free rehabilitation assistance over the past year and a half. The system provides 12,000 rehabilitation sessions every day – four times more than three years ago. Almost 11,000 specialists work for this – this is seven times more than in 2022. This means that more people receive help on time and in comfortable conditions.” – explained Maryna Slobodnichenko.
