Dialogue principle: how people with disabilities can influence the decisions of local authorities

On September 9, a five-day seminar on «A Systematic Approach to Addressing the Needs of People with Disabilities in Local Policy» in Lviv Oblast ended. The event was organized by the Resource Center of the National Assembly of People with Disabilities of Ukraine (NAPWD) as part of the Rehabilitation in Ukraine (Rehab4U) project.

The main goal of the meeting was to create conditions for dialogue and cooperation between local authorities and public organizations of people with disabilities, to take into account their interests and needs when developing local policies.

The seminar was attended by representatives of local governments and activists of public organizations of people with disabilities from Vinnytsia, Volyn, Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Poltava, Cherkasy, and Chernivtsi regions.

The participants reviewed the main provisions of international and national legislation on the protection of the rights of people with disabilities, which allows to ensure the observance of the rights of all community members. They also analyzed the most common problems of creating a barrier-free environment in healthcare, education, and transportation. They also discussed issues of non-discriminatory employment, workplace adaptation, and the development of social entrepreneurship.

Public leaders from among people with disabilities emphasized the importance of forming local budgets that take into account the interests of all population groups. And most importantly, the implementation of measures to achieve barrier-free accessibility and create an accessible environment.

The participants stated that effective results in protecting the rights of people with disabilities can only be achieved through established cross-sectoral cooperation, through the coordination of actions of the government, business, NGOs and active members of society.

According to the participants, they gained the necessary knowledge that they will implement in their activities.

- "This seminar is the next stage of our cooperation with the National Assembly of People with Disabilities of Ukraine," said Igor Yesin, head of the Labor and Social Protection Department of the Korosten City Council, Zhytomyr Oblast.

According to him, the legal and organizational support that the community has been receiving from the NAPD for a long time has now been supplemented by theoretical training that will be used in the work of the local government. The first steps will be proposals to increase spending on improving access to public infrastructure for people with disabilities during the formation of the local budget for 2026. Specific plans include lowering the height of ramps at some facilities, installing traffic lights with sound signals, opening barrier-free playgrounds, and reconstructing some roads and public places.

And although, as Mr. Yesin said, their community has effective social protection programs for people with disabilities, a UTSO, and budget funds for benefits, treatment, and the purchase of expensive equipment, the local authorities will try to do even more. And the knowledge gained during the seminar will become a tool for implementing these plans.

- I think this event is very useful for all public organizations that protect the rights of people with disabilities,« said Natalia Kapustian, head of the Kaniv Organization of People with Disabilities «Renaissance» (Cherkasy region).

In her opinion, during the training, the participants received a lot of valuable information about the requirements and changes to the current legislation, learned how to establish contacts with local authorities and build joint work. Today, it is impossible to implement measures to improve accessibility in communities without the participation of public organizations and people with disabilities. In Kaniv, with their assistance, work on two barrier-free routes is being finalized, and an accessibility audit of certain public facilities is being conducted. The exchange of experience and understanding of how similar problems are solved in other regions will help to intensify this work and achieve better results.

Public participation in the process of formulating local policies and ensuring the principle of accessibility can make the lives of people with disabilities much more comfortable, and can effectively involve all our citizens in the reconstruction of post-war Ukraine. What our country will look like in the near future depends on each of us - active citizens, professionals, and the government.

NAPD Resource Centre::

•      Address: Office 109, 8/5A Reitarska St., Kyiv
•      Appointments can be made by phone at: +38 (044) 279 6182, +38 (095) 909 1413 
•      or by email: hubnapd@gmail.com  

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