In Cherkasy City, Officials of Government Agencies and Municipal Institutions Underwent “Accessibility: Proper Communication” Training Session Offered by Oschadbank

Cherkasy has become the 14th city to host the two-day training session “Accessibility: Proper Communication” as part of a large-scale educational program initiated and implemented by Oschadbank.

More than 30 representatives of the local community, local government bodies, government agencies, and municipal enterprises, including those in social protection, healthcare, Administrative Service Centers, public transportation, housing and utilities, and urban improvement, participated in the training.

“One of the elements of Oschadbank’s strategy and philosophy is contributing to the development of a barrier-free society. We have been working on this for over 10 years. Following the full-scale invasion, we updated our strategy, and now it fully aligns with the needs of Ukrainian society, taking into account expert opinions, customer expectations, and the experience of countries that have already faced similar challenges. That is why, when we say ‘Oschadbank is my Bank, my country,’ these words reflect a clear understanding of the future we are shaping,” noted Anton Tiutiun, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of Oschadbank, when opening the training session.

Over the two-day course, the training participants - service providers - studied the government’s strategy for creating an accessible environment and the ethics of communication, such as rules for interacting with people with visual, hearing, and musculoskeletal impairments, as well as mental health conditions, and the specifics of communicating with veterans and individuals with combat experience. The practical component was of great interest - rehearsing scenarios for providing services in government agencies in cases where customers are people with disabilities or in emergency situations, such as when assisting a person experiencing an epileptic seizure.

In Cherkasy, accessibility is already a vital part of the city’s development. The participation of the city’s service agencies in the training course is a way to enhance the service quality and implement standards for information accessibility.

“Our Administrative Service Centers are equipped with parking lots for people with disabilities, ramps, staff call buttons, Braille signs, visual and auditory cues for people with visual impairments, informational signage, accessible restrooms, specially designated chairs and self-service stations, sliding doors, no thresholds, and lifts. However, accessibility also involves a culture of communication. We are constantly learning and striving to make our services accessible to everyone, so mastering the skills of accessible language is another step toward improving our service standards. “We thank Oschadbank for taking the initiative to provide such valuable training. It helps us become better for the people,” emphasized Ihor Voloshyn, Deputy Director of the Administrative Services Center Department.

More than 430 people in Kyiv, Rivne, Odesa, Poltava, Chernivtsi, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil, Chernihiv, and Mykolaiv have already undergone such training programs, and they are now sharing the knowledge they’ve gained within their communities and institutions.

The strategic goal of the project is to establish a sustainable network of local trainers specializing in barrier-free communication. The initiative is being implemented as part of First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska’s program “Barrier-Free Means When You CAN” supported by Tetiana Lomakina, Presidential Commissioner for Barrier-Free Environment.

Upon completion of the program, these specialists will ensure the implementation of inclusive standards in the daily operations of local government agencies and municipal institutions.

Oschad is an inclusive, nationwide Bank that adheres to high ethical standards and prioritizes social transformation, with people at the heart of its services and products.  That is why this large-scale training program was launched, so that best practices, knowledge, and expertise could be shared with local government partners, who are directly interacting with citizens.

Today, Oschadbank is a leader in the financial sector in terms of developing barrier-free infrastructure. Currently, over 750 of the Bank's branches meet all state standards for physical accessibility. In addition, 38 inclusive branches have been designed in-house with enhanced accessibility standards, and 15 mobile branches are operating to provide financial services in frontline and hard-to-reach communities.