Barrier-free access is not only about building codes. A person may enter a building without difficulty yet not receive information in an accessible format, face discrimination when seeking employment, or be unable to study in a convenient mode. This is why barrier-free policy treats the environment, services and social relations as a single system.
Six areas of accessibility
Physical. Accessibility of buildings, territories, public space, transport, routes of movement and evacuation.
Informational. Clear messages, information through different channels, accessible document formats, subtitles, alternative text and correct navigation.
Digital. The ability to use websites and services with assistive technologies, a keyboard, mobile devices and under varying connection quality.
Educational. Equal access to lifelong learning, adapted methods and assessment, and support for students and learners.
Economic. Access to professional development, employment, entrepreneurship and fair participation in the economy.
Social and civic. Participation in community life, decision-making, and cultural and sporting events without prejudice or isolation.
How to make the right decisions
It is worth starting not with the purchase of equipment, but with the question: what task can a person not perform, and why? After that, an analysis of the user’s pathway, a check of regulatory requirements, consultation with people of different experience, a design solution and testing in real conditions are needed.
University expertise is especially important for communities where decisions on the reconstruction of an educational institution, an administrative services centre (TsNAP) or a public space affect the lives of many people for decades.
Accessibility and veterans
Veterans return to civilian life with different professional plans and individual needs. Among them are people with amputations, vision or hearing impairments, the consequences of injuries, experience of long-term treatment, and also people without disabilities. There is no single universal “veteran need”; it is necessary to create pathways of choice rather than impose one model of support.
Regulatory basis
Ukraine has the National Strategy for Creating a Barrier-Free Space until 2030 (Order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 366-r of 14 April 2021, as amended). For physical accessibility, the current state building codes apply, and for digital accessibility, the international WCAG guidelines. Norms and their editions must be verified directly at the date of design or assessment.