Oschadbank continues to train communities in accessible communication: workshop held in Ivano-Frankivsk

Oschadbank continues its series of regional training sessions on barrier-free communication for communities across Ukraine. The latest two-day training workshop, “Accessibility. Proper Communication” took place on March 25–26 in Ivano-Frankivsk.

About 30 representatives of local government bodies and state institutions who work with community residents on a daily basis participated in the event. A war veteran, the deputy mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk, and Yuriy Haponchuk, the head of the department for support of veterans and demobilized persons, were among the participants.

The initiative aims to make accessibility a practical tool in the work of government agencies—not only in terms of infrastructure but also in daily interactions with people. The focus is on developing proper communication skills that directly impact the accessibility of services for various groups of citizens.

The training format combines theoretical modules with intensive practical exercises: participants analyze real-life cases and practice scenarios for interacting with people with disabilities (including those with visual, hearing, musculoskeletal, or mental impairments), as well as learn the specifics of communicating with veterans and people with combat experience. The program allows for a detailed analysis of the typical barriers that government officials encounter in their daily work and helps identify effective ways to eliminate them to ensure maximum accessibility of services.

“At Oschadbank, we believe that accessibility begins not with a ramp, but with people and how we treat them. Our goal is not simply to share our experience but to help communities build a culture of interaction where every customer or visitor feels comfortable. Oschad systematically implements inclusive standards in its branches, and we strive to make this experience the norm for the entire country,” noted Anton Tiutiun, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Oschadbank.

Oschad remains the only bank in Ukraine implementing a regional educational program on barrier-free communication for communities. The series of training sessions covers all regions of Ukraine and includes 21 two-day workshops—one in each regional center. Ivano-Frankivsk became the latest city to join the initiative. Previously, training sessions were held in Rivne, Odesa, Poltava, Chernivtsi, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, and Khmelnytskyi.

The program is being implemented with the support of Tetyana Lomakina, the President of Ukraine’s Advisor on Accessibility, as part of First Lady Olena Zelenska’s initiative “Accessibility Is When You CAN.”

The ultimate goal of the initiative is to build local communities of experts who will systematically implement accessibility principles in government and municipal services and promote a culture of respect and inclusivity in communities.

Oschadbank is consistently developing expertise in the field of accessibility and sharing it with communities. Today, 33 of the bank’s branches are fully accessible, over 740 comply with state building codes on inclusivity, and all employees have undergone training in barrier-free communication. The next step is to scale this experience to the level of local authorities.