Barrier-free accessibility is not a special project but a new reality

According to official data, there are about 3 million people with disabilities in Ukraine. Experts estimate this figure as twice as high.

You get an important message on your phone, but you only see the darkness. You are called to confirm the data for the loan, but you will not hear it. For people with visual or hearing impairments, or those who use a wheelchair, little things, which for many are solved in minutes, become real barriers.

That is, it is one in five. And in the conditions of a full-scale invasion, this number will only grow every year. And it will not be statistics, not somewhere there; it will be our colleagues, neighbors, and clients.

Inclusivity ceases to be a separate project. It becomes part of the economic and service reality.

It is important to understand that barrier-free accessibility is not a light that turns on for someone separately. This is a light that should evenly illuminate the room for everyone. This is not a spare «door for special», but the only convenient entrance.

What does success depend on?

Firstly, from non-standard thinking. Often, we encounter habits and myths that interfere. For example, the one that that tactile tiles should be yellow for the convenience of people with visual impairments. In fact, the main thing is that it is contrasting and leads from point A to point B.

Secondly, from the willingness to learn from mistakes. Ukrainian initiatives in this area prove that criticism can become a point of development. For example, when we held the first amputation football competition, where veterans, stars, and our girls and boys with disabilities played together on prostheses, it turned out that, according to the rules, they should have been on crutches. We fixed it up. The competition developed into a tournament and later into regular championships.

Thirdly, from changing the culture of communication. Barrier-free accessibility is not only about ramps and elevators. This is an understanding of how to communicate with a client who does not hear or with a colleague who moves in a wheelchair so that both are comfortable.

What's next?

The biggest challenge now is scaling. That is, the transfer of the principles of barrier-free outside individual companies to municipalities, schools, hospitals, and state services. Ultimately, the existence of an ATM is rendered meaningless if it is inaccessible due to the stairs in the polyclinic or the cobblestones on the square. Scaling and joining forces. This is both a challenge and a huge chance to make our cities and villages convenient for everyone.

We at Oschad have already started sharing our experience. As part of the "My Accessibility" project, our bank held training sessions for everyone, from branch managers to division heads. We then started holding trainings in the regions for local authorities. We are glad that we can share our experience. After all, our common goal is to make barrier-free accessibility a new value and a new reality.