Before 2022, around 3 million Ukrainians lived with disabilities, a number that has surged due to the full-scale war
For over two decades, Valentyna Dobrydina has been an advocate for the rights of people with disabilities. She is a representative of the National Association of Persons with Disabilities of Ukraine of the National Association of Persons with Disabilities of Ukraine, working in her native Chernivtsi regionin the South-West of the country. Her work has taken on new urgency since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which has left an estimated 8 million people internally displaced, including a significant number of individuals with disabilities.
According to the pre-2022 census, around 3 million Ukrainians live with disabilities, a number that has surged due to the full-scale war. Anna Romandash interviewed Valentina Dobrydina for Global Voices.
Activism as a social necessity
It’s been almost thirty years since Valentyna started using a wheelchair. She admits: at first, it was very difficult to adjust, both mentally and physically. She struggled with this new reality where her capacity to move freely was very limited — mostly by the lack of accessible infrastructure on the streets, but also by the absence of information and communities of support.
“It took me three years to adapt to my new life,” she reflects. “But when I could confidently move around in a wheelchair, I returned to that promise I made to myself. I started helping others.”
She united like-minded individuals to create a civil organization focused on advocating for the rights of people with disabilities.
“There are a lot of young people with disabilities in villages and remote towns who often stay at home,” she notes. “My job is to show them they can be active and defend their rights. They don’t need to wait for someone to show up and fix things for them; because if they know their rights, they can act and demand more from their communities — and generate change themselves.”
The war has exacerbated the challenges faced by this community in Ukraine.
“The number of people with disabilities has increased due to injuries from the war,” Valentyna explains. “The ability to provide assistance at the state level has decreased because of military spending.”
Statistics from the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine indicate thatas of early 2023, approximately 2 million people have been injured due to the invasion, many suffering permanent disabilities.
“The needs of this community are vast and growing,” Valentyna asserts. “We must act swiftly to address them.”
Advocating for inclusion
“Accessibility issues are everywhere in my daily life,” Valentyna states. “Public transportation, medical facilities, and architectural objects still need significant improvement.”
Despite the challenges, she believes in gradual change.
“We have to work on the human factor so that ordinary Ukrainians understand why inclusion is necessary everywhere and always,” Valentyna says, “It is crucial to make inclusion a part of Ukraine’s reconstruction and an irreplaceable aspect of all social programs and initiatives.”
Starting from 2023, Valentyna has been coordinating the Empower Project in her native Chernivtsi region. The project, launched by the European Disability Forum and implemented by the National Association for Persons with Disabilities, provides urgent support to those who require it through financial assistance and other aid. For instance, it supports internally displaced people and veterans with disabilities by giving them assistive technologies; the initiative also focuses on advocacy work and mental health support for people with disabilities affected by the war.
“Last year, we trained local government representatives on ethical communication,” Valentyna recounts. “We created a video showcasing personal stories of discrimination, addressing the use of incorrect terminology when talking about disability.”
We also conducted an accessibility audit of pedestrian crossings in rural communities, involving local authorities and citizens with disabilities. Thanks to this, funds were allocated to improve accessibility, so now, wheelchair users and other people with mobility issues can move more freely in their communities.
Through advocacy campaigns, Valentyna seeks to foster a positive attitude toward people with disabilities — as well as empower them to be more proactive in their home communities. This way, the activist hopes to make the needs of people with disabilities more mainstream, so inclusion and accessibility become a common trend even in rural areas.
There are already some positive changes from this work: Valentyna highlights how in one rural community, a playground was adapted so children with disabilities could play alongside their peers.
“These changes are not just about physical spaces,” she says. “They’re about building a society that values inclusivity.”
A call to action
“Our initiative helps people not only from a financial point of view, but also provide them with knowledge and more confidence in themselves,” Valentyna continues, “This is very valuable.”
As a person with disability, I know that your engagement and will to fight depends only on you. It stems from your own willingness to be the changemaker. I can only set an example and provide necessary information to others, but the rest depends on them. I hope that my example will inspire others to take action in their own communities.
Currently, Ukraine struggles to address the needs of people with disabilities — for instance, there are no updates statistics on how many people with disabilities live in the country amid the war, or where they are located and under what circumstances. Valentyna in her work contributes to filling some of these gaps, through actions such as collecting the relevant data and supporting people who may not have a disability status, but who also struggle with accessibility or other health-related issues.
She highlights challenges in this work: while the number of people with disabilities is on the rise, the number of volunteers and professionals in this field is decreasing. For instance, many of Valentyna’s colleagues fled the country due to the ongoing war, so local organizations and NGOs lack resources to deliver aid or connect with people with disabilities in remote areas.
Further, there is more insecurity as the Russian war continues. Many people who had some savings in the early months of the full-scale invasion are now in a more precarious situation, so there is a greater demand for financial assistance and other support.
In addition, there is the war trauma and the psychological effects of living in an invaded country for a long time. Valentyna admits that this especially affects veterans who returned to their homes after an injury, and who struggle adjusting to their lives as persons with disabilities. They miss their fellow soldiers who are still on the frontlines, and they struggle adjusting to their communities or finding work as a result of disability.
As Ukraine embarks on its war reconstruction, Valentyna keeps on pushing for more inclusion in every step of the process.
“A nation can only rebuild itself when it includes every voice and every story,” she asserts. “With united effort, Ukraine can emerge stronger — where we cherish individuals with disabilities, support wounded veterans, and treat all people with dignity.”
Джерело: Global Voices https://uk.globalvoices.org/2025/02/24/11721/
Автор Anna Romandash
Перекладач Alisa Zelenina
English 
Українська