Head of National Assembly of Persons with Disabilities sees no intensive work by Ukrainian authorities to make all shelters inclusive, accessible

Chairman of the National Assembly of Persons with Disabilities of Ukraine, Valeriy Sushkevych, says he does not see intensive efforts by government institutions to ensure that all shelters are inclusive and accessible.

"Neither the state nor society was prepared for this invasion by a killer country. When we talk about war and people with disabilities, there are two aspects. The first is that during wartime the most vulnerable category includes people with hearing and visual impairments, limited mobility, or mental and intellectual disabilities. They face enormous challenges related to how to protect themselves, how to escape when bombs, missiles, and drones are flying, when an enemy army is advancing on populated areas," Sushkevych said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

He also noted that the war is globalizing the problems faced by people with disabilities, whose numbers are steadily increasing.

Answering a question about how effectively the issue of shelter accessibility is being addressed, Sushkevych said there have been some shifts in this direction, but, in his observation, they are not systemic.

"Will a person with a disability get into a shelter, into a bomb shelter? No, they won't! Shelters were absolutely unprepared for war, and today, unfortunately, I do not see intensive work by government institutions to make all shelters inclusive and accessible. So that you and I could both get there in the same way, so that you and I could meet our physiological needs there. I know cases where people in wheelchairs were lowered into bomb shelters and fell on the steps, sustaining additional injuries. I saw photos of a blind person lying 15 meters from the entrance to a bomb shelter because they simply could not get inside during an air attack," he added.

The head of the National Assembly noted that there is no clear information system that would help such people in a specific district.

"And is there any accounting of these people at all? Or is anyone focused on finding solutions for escorting them to shelters? These problems are practically not being addressed," Sushkevych stated.

He also drew attention to the fact that today, out of all Kyiv metro stations, which also serve as shelters, only twelve are accessible.

"Today, what is needed is not just political will. There must be an imperative provision that implements the idea of so-called barrier-free access and inclusivity not only in legislation," he emphasized.

As reported, in December 2024 the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development published statistics on the implementation of the 2023–2024 Action Plan for the National Strategy on Creating a Barrier-Free Environment in Ukraine through 2030, according to which fewer than 8% of shelters were barrier-free.