Ukrainian reconstruction efforts lack commitment to accessibility

The needs of persons with disabilities have been largely neglected in Ukraine, even though their number has greatly increased during the Russian invasion, and efforts to reconstruct the country should address this, European disability rights activists told Euractiv.

“What we are afraid that it’s not going to be addressed, it’s a clear mention to no new funding going to rebuilding, renovating residential institutions,” Giulia Traversi, a humanitarian policy officer for the European Disability Forum (EDF), said.

Residential institutions – where persons with disabilities are sent to live long-term – are “common practice” in Ukraine, and they feel like hospitals one hardly ever leaves, according to Gunta Anca, EDF vice-president and chairperson of The Latvian Umbrella Body for disability organisations SUSTENTO.

“We believe very strongly that they are harmful,” Traversi added.

“To accelerate the transition from residential institutions towards family or community-based care, it’s really one of our key demands that I’m not seeing right now.”

‘…if his house is destroyed, he cannot move’

Aside from being dysfunctional and harmful to the individuals they house, many residential institutions in Ukraine are also lacking in other ways. They are often overcrowded and understaffed and do not have bomb shelters large or stable enough for their residents. 

Around 73% of bomb shelters in Ukraine – which includes those within residential facilities – are not accessible to those with mobility problems, according to a study conducted by the EU, Ukraine’s government, the World Bank, and the UN.

“A person with a disability cannot live in such premises, if their house is destroyed, they cannot move,” the study said. “When evacuation organisations face the issue of accommodation, it is impossible to find a solution.”

Independent living

Independent living – or the right for people to have a choice over their living conditions and not be separated from their communities – is guaranteed to EU citizens by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). 

EU countries are not permitted to fund residential institutions, according to Article 19 (b) of the law. Rather, “all support services must be designed to support living within the community, preventing isolation and segregation from others, and must in actuality be suitable for this purpose”.

The UNCRPD cites resources invested in residential institutions as leading to “abandonment, dependence on family, institutionalisation, isolation and segregation” of persons with disabilities.

There is already legislation set in Ukraine in transitioning toward community-based care, Anca said, though the laws do not work well and should be monitored better.

The proposal for the Ukraine Facility – a funding scheme for the reconstruction of the country which the European Parliament approved on 5 October – does not explicitly mention residential facilities. 

Parliament voted to modify and endorse the proposal for the Ukraine Facility on 17 October, promising €50 billion to support Ukrainian recovery and reconstruction from 2024-2027.

The funds from the Ukraine Facility will go toward “short-term state and recovery needs and medium-term reconstruction and modernisation of Ukraine,” according to a European Commission spokesperson. 

“The implementation of the Facility should be in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and ensure accessibility in its investments and technical assistance,” the spokesperson added.

Accessibility on the backburner

In response to the proposals that have passed between the European Commission and Parliament, the EDF published an article reiterating their demand for an outright prohibition of using EU funds for “segregating residential institutions.”

One goal Anca hopes to see realised with the Ukraine Facility is to avoid creating new obstacles for persons with disabilities.

Already, life for persons with disabilities feels like watching life happen through a window rather than living it, Anca explained. Many buildings in Ukraine, for example, remain inaccessible to those with disabilities, according to Anca.

“Sometimes it is easier to ignore accessibility because it will require further effort to understand the tools and methods of implementation,” said Denys Savchenko, a project manager in the Ukrainian disability rights association The League of the Strong.

“However, that is exactly why our organisation and our colleagues exist.” 

Since Ukraine will eventually be required to follow EU law in its entirety, it should abide by EU law with how it uses EU funds from the Ukraine Facility, Traversi said. 

‘Factual, not declarative’ inclusivity

In 2022 alone, 130,000 people acquired disability status in Ukraine, according to a damage and needs assessment by the World Bank Group. One-quarter of internally displaced persons – or around 1.3 million people – reported having one or more household members with a disability, the assessment also found.

The number of people with disabilities is increasing and will continue to increase as the war goes on, according to the same study.

“Most barriers existed even before the full-scale war started, but the war made them more visible,” Savchenko said. “And we need to prioritize people’s needs in the reconstruction process.”

Data on persons with disabilities leaving the country is not available. Still, another UN report found more than 20% of families have at least one person with specific needs, and 13% of families fleeing Ukraine have at least one relative with a disability.

Plans to help persons with disabilities in Ukraine are in the works, though how effective they will be is debatable.

“Inclusivity should be factual, not declarative,” Savchenko said. “We have a clear national strategy, but it should also be supported by plans for local authorities. Because currently, local authorities who are supposed to implement this strategy do not have an understanding of how to act.”

“The focal point of the reconstruction should be the people and their needs,” Savchenko said. “The emphasis of these changes should be on prioritizing human-centeredness.”

“Making a society resilient, accessible and inclusive would benefit everyone,” Traversi said. “It’s really something that we should consider and make sure that the decision is, like our [EDF’s] motto, ‘nothing about us without us.”’

[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic]

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