The High School hosted an online meeting with Tetyana Lomakina, Advisor to the Presidential Commissioner for Barrier-Free Access, for the students of the School of Strategic Training. The meeting facilitated the exchange of experience and deepened understanding of how to make Ukraine more inclusive.

As a reminder, 32 civil servants of category A are currently enrolled in the School of Strategic Training. The discussion of such a strategic direction of the state’s development as barrier-free access is relevant, as the senior civil service plays a key role in its implementation.

Ukraine is steadily moving towards creating a society where everyone feels comfortable. This path is in line with European aspirations and values. According to Tetyana Lomakina, barrier-free accessibility is a priority for the Government and all state agencies. “This is an important part of the large-scale changes we are making to ensure that everyone can fully participate in society. The ideas of barrier-free accessibility need to be actively promoted and implemented at all levels.”

The participants discussed modern approaches to creating a barrier-free environment and concrete steps to implement them in their institutions. Particular attention was paid to an integrated approach that covers not only physical accessibility, but also information, communication, social and digital accessibility.

The “No Barriers” initiative was launched by the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska. In 2021, the Government approved the National Strategy for Creating a Barrier-Free Space until 2030 and the Action Plan for 2023-2024 to implement the Barrier-Free Strategy.+