The Ministry of Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine has developed and approved methodological recommendations to ensure the accessibility of buildings, premises, and other infrastructure of educational institutions for people with reduced mobility.
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These recommendations aim to assist building owners and maintainers of educational institutions in creating an accessible environment that ensures equal opportunities for all participants in the educational process, including students, staff, parents, and other visitors. The guide is proposed as a tool for identifying key problems and barriers in creating a barrier-free space and finding solutions to eliminate them.
One of the priorities of state policy in Ukraine is to create conditions for inclusive education and ensure access to education for all groups of the population, including people with disabilities. This includes not only providing conditions for students but also ensuring comfortable conditions for the staff of educational institutions and parents.
Priority actions for ensuring accessibility
The methodological recommendations define priority actions necessary for ensuring the accessibility of educational institutions. Among them are:
- arranging pedestrian pathways to educational institutions;
- organizing parking spaces;
- creating accessible entrance groups, ramps, and elevators;
- arranging corridors, rooms, and sanitary facilities.
Special attention is paid to ensuring accessibility in various levels of education, such as lecture halls, laboratories, classrooms, libraries, and playrooms for preschool education institutions.
Ensuring accessibility for all participants in the educational process
An important aspect is the arrangement of accessible spaces not only for students but also for teaching and other staff, including educators, teachers, instructors, researchers, and other personnel who belong to groups with reduced mobility.
Educational institutions have been identified as one of the main priorities in creating barrier-free spaces in settlements. Therefore, it is important that all educational institutions meet the requirements for accessibility and inclusivity, which will promote equal opportunities for everyone.
Implementation of the national strategy for creating a barrier-free space
These methodological recommendations were developed as part of the implementation of the Action Plan for 2023-2024, which is part of the National Strategy for Creating a Barrier-Free Space in Ukraine by 2030. The strategy is aimed at improving the conditions for people with reduced mobility and ensuring access to essential services and infrastructure across the country.
Familiarization with the guide
For a detailed overview of the methodological recommendations, please refer to the official website of the Ministry of Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine at this link.
This guide is an important step in implementing the accessibility and inclusion policy for all groups of the population of Ukraine, contributing to the creation of a barrier-free space in the field of education.
