Convenient lifts and ramps: how Brovary is addressing accessibility issues.

The issue of accessibility in the towns of Ukraine is not a new problem. However, it has unfortunately gained significant relevance recently due to the return of many defenders of Ukraine from the front lines with serious injuries. A routine trip to the store, clinic, or government institution can often become a true challenge for people with disabilities.

What measures should be taken to ensure that these individuals do not experience discomfort? Which cities in Ukraine can be considered leaders in accessibility? To discuss this, UNN spoke with Elena Akopyan, the advisor to the mayor of Brovary, who understands this issue firsthand as she has been using a wheelchair for many years.

Currently, the Brovary community is actively working on solutions to facilitate the individual access of persons with disabilities in multi-apartment residential buildings.

“Even before the full-scale invasion, we were considering this issue, studying the experiences of other cities, and now we are preparing a relevant program. We have many old buildings, and the stairs of some are impossible to equip with ramps. Installing rails is not a solution either, as wheelchairs come in different widths. Even the front and rear wheels can vary in width. Therefore, if a person is a bit heavier, the wheelchair becomes wider, and it won’t fit on those rails.

We decided to equip the entrances to buildings with electric lifts. A person with a disability who cannot independently leave or enter their home submits a request to social services; a relevant specialist evaluates the feasibility of installing a lift and its cost, after which the question of allocating funds will be addressed.

One such lift costs, on average, 100,000 hryvnias. It is now crucial to allocate budget funds for these needs for the next year. Additionally, we need to establish a centralized service for these lifts.

Unfortunately, we also encounter situations where residents of buildings do not want to permit the installation of lifts,” Elena Akopyan explains.

The woman sadly notes that due to the full-scale Russian aggression, the number of people with disabilities is increasing, and many veterans who have sustained serious injuries find it challenging to adapt to the new realities of life.

“We have a veterans' hub where psychologists work with them. I often visit there myself, demonstrating through my own example that after a serious injury, it is possible and necessary to live. Recently, I spoke with a wounded veteran who had both legs amputated, showing him how to get into a car.

After such interactions, people feel inspired and begin to view everything from a different perspective,” notes the advisor to the mayor of Brovary.

At the same time, she emphasizes that it is essential not to forget about children with musculoskeletal injuries and elderly individuals who cannot move independently due to various illnesses.

Elena Akopyan also points out that she has visited many cities in Ukraine and believes that compared to them, Brovary has made significant progress in terms of accessibility, providing specific examples.

“Six months ago, we raised the issue of the accessibility of our migration service department for persons with disabilities. Recently, I personally tested the ramp they installed. Overall, all government institutions are accessible. At Lyceum No. 4, a good lift was installed from the bomb shelter, which I also tested. There is a lift at the children's rehabilitation center. During the reconstruction, our park was adapted for people with disabilities.

As for commercial establishments, all major shopping centers are equipped with ramps, elevators, and hygiene facilities for persons with disabilities. We have also started to organize parking spaces for people with disabilities according to regulations. The issue arises, however, when those spaces are occupied by individuals without disabilities. To prevent such cases, we need to conduct raids with the police.

Various commercial institutions and organizations have increasingly approached us for consultations on how to properly arrange or redesign entrances to make them accessible for persons with disabilities.

Of course, there are shops, cafes, restaurants, and other establishments where there are either no ramps at all or they are unusable. Some owners openly state that they do not wish to be visited by persons with disabilities. It is important to understand that the city authorities do not have complete control over this issue. We need to actively involve the appropriate services that can impose fines or close establishments until they become accessible for persons with disabilities,” adds Elena Akopyan.

Additional Information

Elena Akopyan is a 55-year-old Paralympic champion in swimming from the Athens Olympics. She is a multiple medalist in swimming, cross-country skiing, and biathlon at the Paralympic Games.

At the age of 15, while studying at a music college, she sustained a severe knife wound to her back during a robbery, which rendered her unable to move independently without a wheelchair.

She graduated from the Dnipro State Institute of Physical Culture and Sports.

She is raising two children and lives in Brovary.