A specialized training session, “Barrier-Free Approach and Assessment of Accessibility in the Provision of Local Services: Practical Work with Assessment Tools and Analysis of Community Cases” was held in Kyiv on August 13–14. The event brought together representatives of municipalities participating in the pilot project aimed at strengthening the accessibility of public services and communications.
Trostyanets is one of the communities participating in the pilot project “Strengthening the Accessibility of Public Services and Communications in Communities” launched at the initiative of the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine.
Trostyanets city hromada was represented at the training by Karyna Saіenko, a veteran and demobilized persons support specialist at the Municipal Non-Profit Enterprise “Trostyanets City Hospital,” and Iryna Martynovska, a veteran and demobilized persons support specialist at the Municipal Institution “Center for the Provision of Social Services.”
The training focused on strengthening practical knowledge and skills necessary to create an accessible and barrier-free environment in the community. Participants practiced approaches to communication and interaction with people with different types of disabilities, including people with hearing, visual, mobility, and mental health impairments.
The participants worked through practical cases, analyzed existing barriers, and jointly developed solutions aimed at ensuring equal access to services for people with disabilities, veterans, internally displaced persons, and other population groups.
In addition, participants learned about international experience and practices in organizing the delivery of public services, mastered a methodology for identifying the needs of different population groups, and explored specific aspects of procuring services from providers of different ownership structures to help plan effective changes in their communities.
The “Strengthening the Accessibility of Public Services and Communications in Communities” project is designed to improve access to public services — including transportation, administrative, educational, legal, healthcare, and other services — as well as information about these services for all residents. Particular attention is paid to the needs of people with disabilities, parents with children, older people, and other population groups.
The “Strengthening the Accessibility of Public Services and Communications in Communities” project is implemented by the NGO Center for Expert Solutions and Advocacy (CERA) with the support of the Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine (PFRU), funded by the governments of the United Kingdom, Estonia, Canada, Norway, Finland, Switzerland, and Sweden.
The Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine (PFRU) helps strengthen Ukraine’s resilience in the face of Russian aggression by supporting hromadas most affected by the war. Funded by some of Ukraine’s closest international partners and working closely with the Government of Ukraine, we help people, local institutions and hromadas continue functioning under pressure while laying the foundations for long-term recovery.
War affects far more than physical infrastructure. It disrupts public services, weakens local economies, strains trust and makes long-term planning more difficult. We therefore work across several interconnected areas, including restoring critical infrastructure and essential public services, supporting local governance and recovery planning, strengthening safety and protection, sustaining economic activity, advancing accessibility and inclusion, preserving memory, and reinforcing culture, identity and social cohesion.
