STATE POLICY OF CREATING A BARRIER-FREE ENVIRONMENT IN UKRAINE: DIRECTIONS AND REALITIES

Abstract

The article examines the barrier-free policy in accordance with its directions and current realities in Ukraine, when the problems of martial law are already barriers to the development of a democratic Ukraine. The directions of such a policy, defined by the National Strategy for the Creation of a Barrier-Free Space, which boil down to the realization of human rights to participate in public life, regardless of their differences – physical, age, gender, ethnic, religious, etc. – are analyzed in detail. It was determined that this implementation provides unimpeded access to all spheres of life – physical (infrastructure, transport), information and digital (familiarization with services and opportunities), social and economic (equal employment and work career), educational (increasing the duration of education in average in the country). The situation of people with disabilities as the most vulnerable category of the population is also analyzed, in particular in the educational direction, where inclusive education is declared, which gives such persons the opportunity to develop their intellectual potential, dignity and self-respect, mental and physical abilities, for full participation in society. The conclusions were drawn that the state policy of barrier-free access in order to ensure and guarantee equal access to public facilities for all citizens of Ukraine provides an opportunity to participate in socio-political, economic, educational and cultural life regardless of their physical and intellectual condition. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to implement a set of measures, including monitoring, informing citizens, control over implementation (by the state and society), implementation of international standards in normative and legal acts of the state, raising the level of qualifications of specialists in each of the directions of barrier-free policy, etc.