Oschadbank Supported a Project That Offers People with Visual Impairments More Opportunities to Explore Ukrainian Literature

A presentation of two inclusive formats of the fantasy bestseller “Khort. The First Cossack Sorcerer”, an audiobook and a Braille edition, took place in Lviv. The project was implemented by the creators of the “Chronicles of Power” universe, Olha Navrotska and Alan Badoiev, in collaboration with general partners Oschadbank and Mastercard. The new formats offer people with visual impairments more opportunities to explore contemporary Ukrainian literature.

The presentation took place at Lviv’s Sensoteka, Ukraine’s first inclusive space for informal education. The “Silent Reading” event brought participants together around the topic of equal access to culture and opportunities for people with visual impairments.

“At Oschadbank, we clearly understand that accessibility begins with practical solutions that give people more opportunities in their daily lives. This isn’t just about access to banking services, but also about the chance to learn, discover new things, and read favorite books. That is precisely why we supported the project “Khort. The First Cossack Sorcerer” in audio format and Braille. Ukrainian literature should be accessible to people with visual impairments, and the choice between reading and listening to a book should depend on a person’s preferences, not on barriers. It’s important to us that this story finds its readers and listeners,” noted Anton Tiutiun, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of Oschadbank and leader of the “My Accessibility” project.

The “Chronicles of Power” team sought to make the story of Khort accessible to a wider audience while preserving the richness of the cultural experience. Ukrainian film and voice actor Yevhen Lisnychyi joined the project to record the audio version of the novel.

“When the novel ‘Khort. The First Cossack Sorcerer” became a bestseller and we saw how deeply this story resonates with both adults and children, our team had a great dream, to make it accessible to as wide an audience as possible. We’re creating this universe amid the realities of war and realize that today, more and more people are losing their sight completely or partially. Therefore, cultural accessibility can no longer be an issue we put off until the future. We need to think about this today and find new ways to attract people with disabilities to Ukrainian cultural life, which continues to develop despite all the challenges.

It is fundamentally important to us that inclusivity does not mean compromising on quality. We sought to create not just an accessible format, but a full-fledged cultural product that will allow everyone to experience the atmosphere and magic of our universe,” noted Olha Navrotska and Alan Badoiev, the creators of the “Chronicles of Power.”

An essential part of the project is ensuring effective access to the content produced. Oschadbank is offering customers with visual impairments the opportunity to listen to the full audiobook “Khort. The First Cossack Sorcerer” for free. To this end, the Bank will send personalized promo codes with a 100% discount via email and through the Oschadbank app each month.

Copies of the book in Braille will be donated to libraries and special-purpose institutions across various cities in Ukraine following the presentation. The audiobook is also available to the general public: the first chapter is available for free on Spotify, and the full version can be purchased on the official “Chronicles of Power” website.