Overcoming barriers: how to ensure equal rights for people with disabilities in Ukraine.  

Over two years of full-scale war, the number of people with disabilities in Ukraine increased by 300,000. Ukrinform cites such data with reference to the words of Olena Zelenska. And this means that we must actively implement inclusive solutions, taking care of an equal and inclusive society.

However, unfortunately, we usually do not think about many problems until we face them personally – with a barrier in our way, with a stereotype that distorts our identity in the media. And also with economic, educational, informational, digital, social barriers. But people with disabilities face them every day. Will barrier-freeness be achieved in our society, how to change the perception of people with disabilities, how to correctly present information about this vulnerable category to journalists – we discuss these questions with media expert Olga Polumysna. Ms. Olga recently defended her doctoral dissertation on the topic of tolerance for people with disabilities in the media of Ukraine. Has a number of scientific publications. He has been taking care of this topic for a long time and not only in the scientific, but also in the social dimension.

– Olga Oleksiivna, according to your observations, what barriers do people with disabilities in Ukraine most often face?

– There are many different barriers in the lives of people with disabilities: informational, economic, educational, digital. But most often people with disabilities face communication barriers, which can be both social and psychological in nature. First, people with disabilities perceive the world in a slightly different way because they face different challenges than people without disabilities. For example, you cannot leave your apartment, go down the stairs in a wheelchair, the elevator is not designed for this means of transportation to be placed in it, and get to the destination without obstacles by transport. You get the feeling that you are fighting these barriers, and not society is removing them from your path. Secondly, we believe that communication barriers have a psychological nature. For example, you go to the classroom with fellow students, not everyone wants to talk to you, because you have a different appearance, some kind of disorder. And this affects the psychological state of a person with a disability, he is even more ashamed, tries to hide his appearance, closes himself from the outside world. A big role in this, in particular, is played by the media, which spread stereotypes about people with disabilities, show them as “different”, do not use, for example, names or descriptions of personal merits, and emphasize the hyper-specific features of the same Paralympians. This forces people with disabilities to hide and stay away from society.

– Because of the war, the number of people with disabilities is constantly increasing. What should the state do today so that all its citizens feel equally comfortable?

– It is necessary for the state to comply with the implementation of the legislation regarding people with disabilities and to strictly implement it, since the laws in our country are written in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, which Ukraine ratified back in 2009. But based on our research, we see that there is a conflict in the Ukrainian legal system: legislative norms are introduced, but they are not systematically implemented. Therefore, criminal punishment should be provided for those who do not comply with the regulations. And, accordingly, the media have no right to ignore the fact that the number of people with disabilities is increasing, not to be indifferent to them, to include information about people with disabilities as much as possible in the agenda.

– Are there positive changes in ensuring the rights and opportunities of people with disabilities in recent years?

– Before the start of the full-scale war, a positive trend regarding the inclusion of people with disabilities spread, they began to be taken as experts on various issues related to the accessibility of construction objects and in other areas. In accordance with the European strategy, in some media, in particular, “Suspilny”, the emphasis was placed on the inclusion of people with disabilities in life in society. During the war, the issues of social protection and accessibility for people with disabilities became a priority.

– Which institution in our country takes care of people with disabilities to the greatest extent?

– In our opinion, public associations, charitable, volunteer, religious associations and organizations play an important role in the care of people with disabilities in Ukraine. I want to draw special attention to such an institution as the Church, in particular to the activities of the UGCC (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church). It has several subordinate organizations that systematically work on solutions to various issues, and communities that provide communication between people with disabilities and society. All these institutions are integrated with each other (Church – person with disabilities – communities of people with disabilities – organizations caring for people with disabilities – educational institutions (UKU)), which ultimately gives a positive result. The coverage of these processes on the media resource of the Church contributes to the fact that people with disabilities begin to be noticed by journalists of other publications and spread information about them. Of course, other religious organizations also work with people with disabilities, but it is in the Greek-Catholic organization that these actions are coordinated and interconnected.

– Why the Church?

– Actually, this is determined historically, since the Church was one of the first to shelter people with disabilities back in 369 in Byzantium, then such actions were supported in Kievan Rus. At a time when such people were discarded, considered the culprits of all troubles, locked up, hidden from the human eye or, on the contrary, exposed to ridicule, it was in the Church that people with disabilities were next to others and it was the Church that considered it its duty to care about them.

– What public initiatives or organizations do you consider to be the most successful in the field of disability?

– Since it is difficult for each individual public organization to fight for the rights of people with disabilities, a successful decision was to unite in a union consisting of 6 organizations, which are aimed at changing the rules of the game in Ukrainian society, controlling and stimulating other organizations to work in their interests people with disabilities: NGO “Family for Persons with Disabilities” – provision of social and development services to children and youth with disabilities, NGO “Seeing with the Heart” – assistance in the socialization of children and youth with disabilities, NGO “Public Alternative” – ​​promotion of the values ​​of inclusion and anti-discrimination, “Active Rehabilitation Group” – preparation for independent life of people with spinal cord injuries and protection of their rights, “Feel” – social adaptation of people with hearing impairment, BF “AIK” – embodiment of ideas of inclusion and representation of interests of people with disabilities. Each of the organizations is represented in the social network “Facebook”, where it actively interacts with authorities and mass media, which gives them powerful leverage in solving many issues.

– What social services are important for people with disabilities, but are currently not sufficiently provided for?

– For example, for parents who raise children with disabilities, it is important to open day care centers, and such a service should be comprehensive, because due to children’s disabilities, parents are often left alone with them, without support. And there are many such social services that are incomplete or not provided at all.

– According to the current legislation, the expression “person with a disability” is normative in the information space, nevertheless, in the media at both the national and regional levels, we encounter statements that discriminate against this vulnerable category of people. How can this be explained and how can it be countered?

– Yes, quite often people with disabilities are discriminated against by the media themselves, who allegedly know how to write or how to shoot stories about people with disabilities, but at the same time comment that “the person is chained to a wheelchair” or do not call him by name. I’m a person, but they only focus on disability, pointing out health problems, overdramatize the situation, or generally treat people with disabilities with indifference, not noticing them. Therefore, a culture of communication with people with disabilities, their coverage in the media should be developed. For this, it is necessary to teach journalists how to write about vulnerable categories of the population, conduct trainings, and develop the so-called inclusive journalism. In addition, experts with disabilities should be present in the editorial offices, who will monitor the implementation of all principles and requirements.

– What media strategies are most often used when covering the topic of disability?

– People with disabilities are most often paid attention to through social networks: this is the use of social advertising, implementation of public relations, people with disabilities themselves work on creating a favorable image of the individual, form their own positive image. It is through social networks that special events are announced with the aim of drawing public attention to this category of people.

– At the Academy of Human Rights for Journalists, where I did an internship, the lecturer – a person with a disability – emphasized that the media should proceed from the principle “Nothing about us without us” when covering the topic of disability. What other principles do you think journalists should follow?

– I would say that it is necessary to adhere to such principles as “Not a day without news about people with disabilities”, “Not a week without an article or story about the achievements of people with disabilities.” It is necessary to develop a systematic approach to the coverage of information about people with disabilities, this can be done if you follow the European strategy and implement the directions proposed by it for implementation. Therefore, it is worthwhile for each media to develop a schedule for the following areas: accessibility, social protection, involvement in life in society, equality, employment, education and training, health and external influence – and note which of the areas is not developed and needs to be refined.

– What practices from other countries could be borrowed to improve the situation in Ukraine?

– To improve the situation in Ukraine, I would suggest an approach organized by Mushen (North America). Its founders, Omar Suleiman and Juhi Tazir, whose families have faced great challenges in life due to their disabilities, have created an inclusive environment for people with disabilities, have taken an active role in training and implementing programs and services across North America to improve the mosque experience. , at various congresses and events. The Muhsen website highlights how people with disabilities can spend their free time with the help of this organization. They are offered Pilates classes to maintain physical health, receive useful recommendations from nutritionists, adapt educational classes to opportunities and needs, get involved in work in various social organizations, and acquire various vital skills. In addition, it is quite well organized on one platform in the form of separate pages of the story of each person with a disability registered in Mushen with a call to their Instagram page. About 1,000 families are currently registered in Mushen, up to 300 volunteers are involved, and 16 weekend schools have been opened. Therefore, I believe that such experience would be extremely useful for Ukraine.

– And finally, a personal question. What motivates you to work in this field?

– I am motivated by parents of children with disabilities, especially those who actively defend their child’s rights to education, to various services, unite, discuss problems, find a way out of difficult, seemingly hopeless situations and try to enjoy life at the same time.