The issue of accessibility in bomb shelters for people with limited mobility remains critical even after three years of war. Despite numerous statements about inclusion, the reality looks very different.
“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 don’t see intensive work by government institutions to make all shelters inclusive and accessible. So that you and I could enter equally, so that you and I could meet our basic physiological needs,” said Valeriy Sushkevych, President of the National Committee of Sports for the Disabled of Ukraine, in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine, reports Humanitarian Media Hub.
According to him, the lack of a systematic approach leads to tragic situations. People in wheelchairs are lowered into shelters without proper equipment, which sometimes results in falls and injuries. There is photographic evidence of a blind person lying 15 meters from the entrance to a bomb shelter because they simply couldn’t get inside during an air raid. The country still lacks an information system to coordinate assistance for such individuals in specific areas. The issue of registering and escorting people with disabilities remains unresolved.
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