The project was born after the municipal team took part in the training provided by U-LEAD with Europe Programme. As part of the training activities, together with U-LEAD experts, the Board’s regulations, job descriptions and an action plan were developed, and the Board’s expert member was assigned to be in charge of the accessibility direction.
“It was practical work rather than theory. We immediately defined procedures for the Board’s functioning, those responsible for coordination and our initial priorities. This way, after finishing our training, we didn’t have to start from scratch, but could jump right into setting up the Board itself,” recalls Olha Pavliuchenko, the Deputy Head of the municipality and the Deputy Head of the Accessibility Board.
The Board has 29 members who represent executive bodies, two NGOs, a charity, all 14 starosta districts, as well as internally displaced persons, people with disabilities, military personnel and other residents.
From words to actions
During the first months of work, the Board held three meetings, some of them online to engage residents of remote villages. A separate Accessibility section was created on the municipality council website with news, audit results and plans. The Facebook page now runs an Accessibility Tuesday section with useful materials from the Accessibility Handbook.
In 2024, the municipality inspected 100% of municipal properties, as well as routes, including rural roads and the railway station. For the first time, the plan of activities for the next year was discussed with the public and amended based on the feedback received.
“The barrier-free route of the municipality has already been approved. The entrance to Blyzniuky Lyceum is being renovated. We are building an underground school next to it, as well as an ‘underground kindergarten’ with full barrier-free access for preschoolers,” says Olha Pavliuchenko.
According to her, the central hospital of the municipality is currently the only completely barrier-free facility. The future plans include a renovated outpatient department and the construction of an underground hospital.
More than just ramps
In addition to physical accessibility, Blyzniuky municipality is working on digital accessibility. Social workers are undergoing training in digital literacy to find information faster, issue documents online and help residents use electronic services.
The University of the Third Age programme is being devised for older people who want to study and stay active. Blyzniuky also introduces tools for early identification of children who need additional support. For this, an early intervention room is being equipped on the barrier-free route.
“Thanks to NGOs, the municipality also received inclusive transport, so children and persons with disabilities, veterans and other low-mobility groups of people can safely get to any point in the municipality,” said the Deputy head of the municipality.
The case of Blyzniuky shows that being barrier-free means accessibility in everything, from education and healthcare to communication and digital services. This was stated by Maryna Honcharenko, the Head of the Regional Office of U-LEAD in Kharkiv Oblast:
“The municipality did its homework while still in training: they planned everything, appointed responsible persons and prepared documents. Now we can see these plans being implemented. Moreover and most importantly, it is a collaboration between the authorities, the community and public activists.”
