Disability in Ukraine

First inclusive accessibility department in Kharkiv:

“The head of the city emphasized that it is not so much about certain technical shortcomings as about the need to start forming a completely different city philosophy with the creation of conditions under which everyone who lives in Kharkiv, regardless of age, gender, or health, will be able to have free access to any service or public places.” (Jul, Rubryka)

You can't just use the restroom: why Ukraine's capital is far from barrier-free. Interviews with officials and activists. (Jul, UNN)

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List of prostheses manufacturers compiled in Ukraine. (2023, Yahoo! News)

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People with disabilities face some of the most brutal conditions during war. We need urgent change. (May, The Independent)

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TV and Film

‘This is also about love!’: “Amputee war hero Oleksandr Budko will use his appearance as a contestant on The Bachelor to fight stigma – and hopefully find a partner”. (Aug, the Guardian)

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Media

UNDP helps develop methodological recommendations for ensuring accessibility in the media sector. (Aug, UNDP)

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Overview

New standard to make government websites and applications more user-friendly for everyone. (2022, Yahoo! News)

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Online Accessibility

One in five Ukrainian state websites now sufficiently accessible to people with disabilities. “In 2023, 22% of the government websites analysed were found to be sufficiently and highly accessible. Compared to 2021, this was a rise of 9%.” (Feb, UNDP)

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Social Media

Social media discourse on needs of people with disabilities. A report. “During the war, special attention is paid to men, while the issues of women and the elderly are not covered sufficiently”. (Apr, League of the Strong)

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Social Protection

Top medical official in Kyiv suspected of faking disability certificates for draft-age men (Oct, Kyiv Independent)

Medical and social expert commissions will be liquidated at end of the year, according to presidential decree. (Oct, NikVesti)

More than $450,000 in cash was found in the head of the MSEC held by the head of the MSEC of the Mykolaiv region. (Oct, NikVesti)

Hundreds of Instances of Clearly Unjustified Disabilities address by President Zelenskyy on fraudulent disability status:

“There are hundreds of such instances of clearly unjustified disabilities among officials in Customs, Tax Service, Pension Fund system, and local administrations. All of this needs to be dealt with thoroughly and swiftly. The MSEC system should be abolished.” (Oct, President of Ukraine)

Ukrainian prosecutor general resigns amid scandal over draft exemptions “after corruption scheme involving false disability diagnoses for draft exemptions is uncovered”:

“In early October, it emerged that dozens of public prosecutors in the western region of Khmelnytskyi had falsely been awarded disability permits and were receiving special pensions.” (Oct, Aljazeera)

Ukraine’s top prosecutor falls on sword amid fake disabilities scam:

“Overall, some 64 state medical commissioners have been issued with ‘notes of suspicion,’ the Ukraine equivalent of criminal charges that have not yet been tried in court. Some 4,000 disability certificates were canceled after the audit, SBU head Vasyl Malyuk said Tuesday.” (Oct, Politico)

Disability Certificates Scandal: What Led to the Prosecutor General’s Resignation and What’s Next? In-depth report. (Oct, Kyiv Post)

Acting head of MSEC detained in Kyiv for extorting $10,000:

“According to the police, the official set up an illegal scheme to extort bribes from citizens for passing medical examinations and assigning them a disability group. This would further enable persons liable for military service to avoid mobilization.” (Sep, UNN)

Doctor issued false disability documents for a reward:

“It is noted that she involved doctors from various health care institutions in Lviv in illegal activities. They issued false conclusions about the health status of "patients", on the basis of which men received disabilities.

The cost of "services" for one person was 7 thousand US dollars. According to available data, the scheme has been operating since last fall, and a large number of persons liable for military service were able to obtain a "fake" disability. The "clients" were not only from Lviv region, but also from all over Ukraine.” (Apr, UNN)

Everyone who has received disability since 2022 must undergo re-examination “After 24 February 2022, the number of people with Group II and III disabilities increased dramatically. And there are doubts whether all of them received this disability as a result of real injuries or illnesses.” (Mar, Censor.net)

Corruption scheme exposed in Zaporizhzhia: “police uncovered a corruption scheme to issue fake disability certificates to military personnel worth $3,500”. (Mar, UNN)

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Where does Ukraine stand on inclusive education?

“But things are getting better,” [says Mariia Nikitina] “Especially for kids. Children are more aware and informed of what disability is, and they are more accepting and inclusive. These are positive changes in attitudes toward people with disabilities.” (Jan, The New Voice of Ukraine)

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Ukrainian national network “TOGETHER” joins the Global Business and Disability Network. They have a guide for employers to involve disabled people and research on challenges and opportunities. (Jan, Confederation of Employers Ukraine)

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Overview

(No More) Places of Unfreedom “Thousands of Ukrainians with disabilities still live in closed institutions. Human rights defenders are trying to change that.” (Apr, Kyiv Post)

Best practice in deinstitutionalisation for children and young people with disabilities and high support needs. A project in one institution. (Feb, EDF)

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Conditions in Institutions

Behind closed doors: children’s dreams in institutional care, a report:

“The findings in this research highlight the neglect inherent in placing children in institutions, the prioritisation of the needs of the institutions over the needs of the children themselves, as well as the clear lack of an effective system or mechanism for institutional personnel or government inspectors to gather children’s opinions or feedback. Far from listening to these children and acting upon their views, a prevailing “medical model” of disability in Ukraine – in which disability is viewed as the result of one or more physical defects - often leads to the assumption amongst staff of institutions that these children cannot communicate or that they lack significant thoughts. Similarly, the children are commonly perceived as “uneducable” and therefore rarely included in any formal education.” (Oct, EDF, Save the Children)

Deinstitutionalization in Ukraine an online portal. (Fight for Right and DI Ukraine)

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Experts of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Appreciate Ukraine’s Efforts to Uphold the Rights of Persons with Disabilities during the War, Raise Questions on Children Forcibly Transported to Russian Controlled Areas and the Construction of New Institutions. (Aug, OHCHR)

Second-week update of 31st CRPD Committee Session. With reviews of Ghana, Belarus, Belgium, Denmark, Mauritius and Ukraine. (Aug, IDA)

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Ukraine's Paralympics success "shapes the consciousness" of Ukrainian society and the authorities when it comes to the equal rights and opportunities for disabled people, the president of its Paralympic Committee told AFP. (Sep, France 24)

Disability sport in Ukraine has 'died' thanks to the Russian invasion the country's Paralympic boss says. Ukraine came second in the overall medal table in this year's Winter Paralympics. (2022, Business Insider)

Equal opportunities for girls with intellectual disabilities
(2021, UNFPA)

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Overview

Report on the situation of persons with disabilities in the context of the war of aggression by Russia against Ukraine. “This report focuses on the voices of persons with disabilities themselves, through extensive personal testimony from persons with disabilities and some of their representative organizations with the aim of encouraging more disability- inclusive rights protection and humanitarian response.” (2023, IDA)

Bridging the Gaps - four studies on Ukrainian children with disabilities. (2023, EDF)

Ukraine's war through the voices of persons with disabilities and their families. (2023, EDF)

Rights of persons with disabilities during the war in Ukraine. Summary of monitoring report. (2023, EDF)

Russia Mobilizing Disabled Locals to Fight in Failing Donetsk Campaign. (2023, Newsweek)

A summary of the first 100 days: Ukrainians with intellectual disabilities and their families surviving the war (2022, Inclusion Europe)

Ongoing updates on the situation of people with intellectual disabilities and their families in Ukraine. Includes a concern about what a future after the conflict will look like: given stoppages of day-care services, “A new wave of institutionalisation is a great danger specifically for persons with intellectual disability.” (2022, Inclusion Europe)

A video feature on What support do people with disabilities need? (2022, Aljazeera)

On the war in Ukraine Debrief feature one month after the February 2022 invasion, updating on news, and the art to understand it. (2022, Disability Debrief)

People with disabilities and mobility issues find themselves trapped in Kyiv a profile on a family unable to evacuate or get to the shelters (2022, CNN)

People with intellectual disabilities mustn't be abandoned A page with rolling updates, noting that current priorities include provision of basic supplies, especially medicine, and ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the 80,000 children and adults with disabilities in care homes. (2022, Inclusion Europe)

An open letter appealing for protection and safety of persons with disabilities in Ukraine See also a page with resources on inclusive emergency response. (2022, EDF)

When a man can leave Ukraine under marial law (2022, Visit Ukraine)

As conflict reignites, a Ukrainian family knows all too well 'the collateral damage of war' a case study of a family affected by the previous violence. (2022, CTV News)

IPC calls for peace ahead of Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games (2022, IPC)

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Before the 2022 invasion

Impact of COVID-19 on People with Disabilities: Perspectives of Organisations of People with Disabilities. Describes inaccessibility of healthcare, increased social isolation, restricted mobility and deepening poverty. While some organizations of persons with disabilities reported new partnerships, many had funding reduced. (2022, Kiril Sharapov et al)

Survey of more than 1,500 over-60s: Older people on the edge of survival "Older people make up a third of all people in need of assistance in Ukraine, making this conflict the ‘oldest’ humanitarian crisis in the world. One in four people in Ukraine are over 60-years-old and Ukraine has the largest percentage of older people affected by conflict in a single country in the world." (2022)

Disability and Socialism in Eastern Europe. Recent Historiographical Trends in Scholarship. A good overview of how research shows the place of disabled people and their relationships with socialism:

"In state socialist countries, disabled persons and associations frequently articulated emancipatory claims and sought to prove their productivity and eagerness to participate in the workforce. However, these egalitarian aspirations had troublesome implications since integration into socialist societies was strictly conditional on their contribution to the labour force. Social security programmes were primarily formed as a reward system for work, not as a way to meet the needs of the disabled. While those recognised as partially disabled were to be integrated through work placement in regular or sheltered workplaces, this system ultimately had the opposite effect and created a segregated system of work." (2022, Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research)

For more detailed ethnographic research on persons with disabilities, Sarah Phillips 2010 book is Disability and Mobile Citizenship in Postsocialist Ukraine. See a detailed review by Cassandra Hartblay. (2022)

Policy Recommendations to the Ukraine government. The document notes that as the government develops plans to implement its Strategy for Barrier-Free society:

"At the same time, many Ukrainians living with disabilities remain trapped in their homes, restricted in their access to transportation, health care, social services and public buildings. Ukraine continues to apply medical and charitable approaches to persons with disabilities, rather than the human rights-based approach of creating favourable conditions to the enjoyment of all human rights on an equal basis." (2021, UN)

Ukraine frontline: disabled and elderly people threatened after 7 years of conflict (2021, Fair Planet)

National Strategy for a Barrier-Free Environment in Ukraine presented "We set extremely ambitious goals". See also the government reporting on the first steps towards a barrier free environment in Oct 2021. (2021, Cabinet of Ministers)

Ukraine's inaccessible cities "Ukraine’s urban accessibility issues are part of the country’s Soviet inheritance." (2021, Atlantic Council)

Situation assessment of rehabilitation in Ukraine As of September 2020: "The rehabilitation sector in Ukraine is rapidly evolving and many examples of good practice are emerging." (2021, WHO)

Access to health-care services for older persons and persons with disabilities living in Eastern Ukraine along the "line of contact". "In the two oblasts of Luhansk and Donetsk, where health indicators were among the lowest even before the conflict, the situation has grown worse, leaving those living in the area to face increased health expenditure, including transport costs and out-of-pocket payments for services that are supposed to be free." (2021, WHO)

Briefing Note: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on persons with disabilities. "The COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated existing institutional, attitudinal and environmental barriers that persons with disabilities face in exercising their rights and accessing basic services." (2020, UN)

Advocacy Note on Assisting Displaced and Conflict-Affected Older People (link to pdf, 2020, Protection Cluster)

“We Live Like We Are Homeless” The Consequences of Conflict for Displaced People with Disabilities in Eastern Ukraine (2020, Human Rights Watch)

People with Limited Mobility Can’t Access Pensions Challenges those who live in nongovernment-controlled areas had to access their benefits. (2020, Human Rights Watch)

How People with Disabilities Live in the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts Based on a survey in both government and nongovernment-controlled areas. (2019)

Disability in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union: History, policy and everyday life. It includes a chapter with Sarah Phillips research in Ukraine, who gives the then-position of disabled people. At a very outside view, it seems that the presence on the political stage may have increased since she wrote:

"Interviews with persons with disabilities in Ukraine and a review of the available literature indicate that quality of life for most mobility disabled people has improved considerably since perestroika and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Some improvements in infrastructure and life possibilities, however, are accompanied by a range of injustices that compel many people with disabilities in Ukraine to feel as if they live in a “parallel world” where their rights to full citizenship in the new Ukrainian state are circumscribed (Phillips 2002, 2011). This parallel world is constructed at the intersection of public discourse and institutional infrastructure. The “unknown population” of the disabled is made further invisible by a hegemonic discourse that refuses to acknowledge the presence of the disabled on the political stage." (2016)

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Appeals, Statements and Opinion

Joint statement on the forcible transfer, deportation, and adoption of children from Ukraine by Russia. (2023, EDF)

UN experts call for urgent action to protect Ukrainian children with disabilities in residential care institutions. (2022, OHCHR)

Joint Statement on the Situation of Older Persons in Ukraine. “Those older persons who have relocated to other areas within Ukraine have undertaken arduous journeys, beset with risk, lacking access to basic health care and other needs while on the move—all while being away from their families and loved ones. Many of those who have remained in their own towns have also experienced limited access to services and a breakdown of their social networks.” (2022, HelpAge and others)

UN Human Rights experts on the Millions of displaced traumatised and urgently need help (2022, OHCHR)

UN Committee warns that 2.7 million people with disabilities at risk (2022, OHCHR)

European Network on Independent Living War in Ukraine: Leave No One Behind (2022, ENIL)

CRPD Committee opens first full session since 2019: The situation of persons with disabilities in Ukraine in focus. (2022, IDA) See also detailed report of the Committee Meeting.

International Disability Alliance: Through this conflict in Ukraine, what happens to persons with disabilities? (2022, IDA)

Discrimination against people with disabilities is one example of how Russia operates outside rule of law (2022, Canada's National Observer: News & Analysis) Sure, I guess, I wonder what it is an example of when other countries do it though.

World Blind Union stands united with Ukraine and is taking action to help (2022, WBU)

the UN Head of Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine on the situation in Ukraine: (2022, OHCHR)

European Disability Forum Resolution on Protection and safety of persons with disabilities in the war in Ukraine. Recommendations to the European Union and Member States. (link to pdf, 2022)

Sarah Phillips has been researching with disabled people in the Ukraine for around 20 years. Refusal to Die is an essay revisiting the current situation of those she knows.

"Back in his Kyiv hotel, Dmitrii keeps his good humor. He sends me jokes and memes on Telegram. He claims he’s glad he got stranded with the other hotel guests, who rely on his cool head and jokes to get through each day. He won’t answer my questions about his supplies of food and medicines. Dmitrii has survived everything else: Can he survive a war? I hope he will keep up his streak and refuse to die." (2022, Cultural Anthropology)

Diakonia International Humanitarian Law Centre calls to Protect persons with disabilities in the Ukraine conflict (2022)

Ukraine Crisis: CBM Global Statement (2022)

War in Ukraine shows devastating impact of heavy bombing and shelling on civilian population. "Explosive weapons kill and/or cause complex injuries. They are the cause of massive forced displacement. Entire communities suffer extensive psychological trauma, with particularly acute consequences on children." (2022, Humanity and Inclusion)

UN Human Rights Experts: Protecting life must be a priority "Many more risk dying as a result of the destruction of essential infrastructure, including health care facilities and institutions for older persons with disabilities." (2022, OHCHR) See also statement on older people and those with disabilities face heightened risks (4 March).

The European Blind Union Protect blind and partially sighted people "Stop War Immediately" (link to pdf, 2022)

Autism Europe Call to ensure the protection of Ukrainian autistic people "autistic people and their families are largely invisible and underserved by humanitarian aid dedicated to supporting the people of Ukraine" (2022, Autism Europe)

Covid and Disability project Letter from Kiril Sharapov

"Organisations of persons with disabilities remain one of the last remaining systems of support for people they have been taking care of within the context of the pandemic and now within the context of this catastrophic war. They continue, where and when they can, to provide support to the most vulnerable individuals and their families. Their knowledge and expertise must inform all current and future relief efforts provided by the Government of Ukraine and by the international donors and humanitarian agencies." (2022)

Appeal from the National Assembly of People with Disabilities of Ukraine for help to "defend peace in our country", which speaks to the active role disabled people and their organizations are playing:

"Today in Ukraine, people with disabilities and disabled people’s organizations are helping our State and are standing shoulder to shoulder with our defenders. Everyone is trying to help as best they can: by cooking meals, working as dispatchers, delivering medicines, helping in hospitals, offering shelter to displaced people within the country, joining territorial civilian defence forces, or making Molotov cocktails. Yesterday we received information that a son, father and husband was killed near Kiev when defending his family, his home. He used a wheelchair but also joined the defence forces. Our world-famous paralympic athletes took up arms. We are united. " (2022, EDF)

Down Syndrome International statement on Ukraine conflict (2022)

G3ict and IAAP Statement: Protection and Safety of Persons with Disabilities in Ukraine (2022)

In war disabled people cannot be left behind. Quotes a Paralympian saying in 2016, "Ukraine has already won 37 medals in the Paralympics, 12 of them are gold… We have more medals than wheelchair ramps in an average Ukrainian town." (2022, The Once and Future Cripple)

Q&A with Ilya Kaminsky, Ukrainian-American poet a beautiful wide-ranging issues that touches on Deaf Gain and its contribution to the larger world.

"We must remember that even in the most difficult situations, people are still able to retain their humanity. They fall in love, they marry, and they have children. We must honor that too, and not just speak of the darkness of war. We must honor human survival, because if we don’t do this, if we don’t pay attention to every aspect, we dehumanize the suffering." (2022, Daily Princetonian)

The United States International Council on Disabilities Calls for the Protection And Safety of Ukrainians with Disabilities (link to pdf, 2022)

An open letter from social scientists of disability call to Stop the War in Ukraine (2022)

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Evacuating or Leaving Ukraine

Ukraine denies rumors of border closure for men with 3rd group disability

“Rumors have circulated on Ukrainian social media that men of conscription age with group 3 disabilities have been denied the right to leave Ukraine, despite being exempt from conscription. A recent scandal on the matter erupted following the removal of 20 individuals from a Poland-bound Ukrainian train.” (2023, Yahoo! News)

Experience of Evacuating People with Disabilities a rapid assessment study of evacuation in 2022. (2023, UNDP)

Ensuring the protection of persons with disabilities fleeing from Ukraine. Report that “provides an overview of the situation in Ukraine, highlights the five priority actions to strengthen support to persons with disabilities fleeing from Ukraine.” (2023, EDF)

Surviving the Russo-Ukraine War with disability – a feature with Tetyana Herasymova of Fight for Right. (2022, Ink Stick Media)

Evacuating the Vulnerable Amid the Terror of War photos and descriptions of the work of Vostok-SOS, evacuating people from Eastern Ukraine. (2022, NYT)

‘Calls kept coming’: Ukraine’s network for the blind shelters displaced people: factories predominantly staffed by people with visual impairments provide shelter. (2022, the Guardian)

How Misha, a 19-Year-Old With Down Syndrome, Escaped Ukraine (2022, WSJ)

I fled Ukraine with a disability. “In this state of war, you start to think differently. You understand that HIV therapy is your life, and you understand just how badly you need access to this therapy.” (2022, Business Insider)

A rescue was organized from Russian occupied territory for a Ukrainian mother and disabled daughter (2022, Info Migrants)

Here’s what Ukrainians with disabilities face as we cope with war A first-hand account of the first days of invasion and leaving Kharkiv to Western Ukraine by a blind woman with other disabled family members. (2022, The New Humanitarian)

Rules and documents from the Ministry of Social policy on who can accompany children and people with disabilities when crossing the border (in Ukrainian, I used google translate, 2022, HB)

Ministry of Social Policy reports on the evacuation of About 5,000 children from vulnerable categories being brought up in institutional care facilities (2022, Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine)

The hearing impaired Ukrainians fighting to survive war (2022, La Prensa Latina)

BBC Ouch podcast 'I think of my wheelchair more than myself now' with Tanya from Fight for your Right, and a disabled Russian journalist who left Moscow after her article denouncing the Ukraine war went viral. (no transcript I think, 2022, BBC)

Refugees on the Moldova-Ukraine border "We saw a fairly large number of older people arriving, as well as some people with disabilities who were being assisted in their journey. But the number is disproportionately low, compared to the population of Ukraine." (2022, HelpAge)

In Touch podcast on the blind people and organizations supporting people in Poland and children with visual impairments in Lviv. As with so much of the response, these are individual, ad-hoc measures. (with transcript, 2022, BBC)

In-depth conversation with Tanya Herasymova, of Fight for your Right (2022, Natasha Lipman)

The Global Effort To Evacuate Children With Cancer (2022, Forbes)

Escaping the horror in Ukraine is not an option for many disabled children and their families One parent, stuck near the Polish border for several days described their daughter's need to resume physical therapy:

"Vika has been without rehabilitation for a very long time, her condition is deteriorating," Chuiska said. "She is constantly growing and her muscles do not develop at the same pace, so she is starting to lose the progress. She has started falling while walking and her legs are not developing well, she has pain in her legs now." (2022, CNN)

As Millions Flee, Disabled Ukrainians Forced to Fend for Themselves (2022, New Mobility)

The Disabled Ukrainians Doing What the UN Can’t (or Won’t?) Behind the scenes on the ad-hoc connections within the disability community and lack of support from humanitarian organizations.

'But as we made these connections, reaching the highest heights of the “who’s who” of the humanitarian field, we were turned down every time. The typical line was that the organization lacked the ability to evacuate “personnel with those needs” – in other words, people with disabilities.

How fascinating (read: infuriating), given that every single one claims to serve the disability community in their promotional materials and appeals for funding. ' [...]

'Notice a pattern here? The disability community, already under-resourced and struggling, is consistently the only one to step in to help.' (2022, FP2P)

Chaos, upheaval and exhaustion for Ukraine's disabled children. Evacuation of children with disabilities from one centre. "The bus to the Polish border was a capsule of exhaustion, grief and tender mercies." (2022, BBC)

Humanitarian efforts aren't doing enough to evacuate Ukrainians with disabilities A deeper look at the barriers disabled people are facing to leave, including being stopped at the border.

"Despite collective condemnation of Russia and support for Ukraine's sovereignty among the international community, the humanitarian response has lacked inclusivity and accessibility for many. From inaccessible evacuation centers to a lack of information in accessible formats such as braille or sign language, the lack of proper resources for people with disabilities has had devastating consequences." (2022, MSNBC)

Disabled children fleeing Kyiv received by Poles, Hungarians. Evacuation of residents of orphanages for children with disabilities. (2022, KTAR News)

Ukrainian woman says people with disabilities 'left behind' after 'almost impossible' journey across the border. The experience of Tanya Herasymova, project coordinator of Fight For Our Right. "The only people who offered support is volunteers. Without people, such people, it couldn't be possible to evacuate for us." (2022, Irish Mirror)

Rapid needs assessment of displaced older people. The most widely reported need is cash support. (2022, HelpAge) See also on Age International.

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Situation in Ukraine

“Valia, That’s It, We Need to Run”: The Story of a Couple with Disabilities on the Russian Border and Their Evacuation through the Countryside. (Aug, INKuLtur)

A Resilient Picture: Experiences of Persons with Disabilities (Jun, SeeD, UNDP et al)

'Abandon all hope:' Ukraine’s wounded warriors compare military medical system to the Inferno. One

“The Ukrainian military medical bureaucracy seemed determined to add insult to injury, making [Sluchynskyi] fight for adequate treatments, his combat pay, and his freedom every step of the way.”

“‘Sometimes people say war is hell,’ Sluchynskyi told the Kyiv Independent. ‘The hell is when you return from the war (to face) the indifference. It is very demotivating.’” (Mar, Kyiv Independent)

Accessible house is a top priority: how soldier Oleksandr Popyk returns to normal life after being wounded.

“A “walking” person would not be able to give such objective advice as a person in a wheelchair with his own experience”. (Mar, League of the Strong)

For disabled boy in Ukraine's war-ravaged east, volunteers are a lifeline. (Feb, Reuters)

They live in the dark a report on the situation of older people and people with disabilities:

“Russia’s invasion has fuelled a crisis in Ukraine’s already overburdened care system. In many communities, younger relatives who previously supported older people with disabilities have fled or enlisted in the military, while older people have stayed behind. Despite the individual heroism of social and healthcare workers, who have continued providing support to older people and people with disabilities in the face of great personal risks and often with minimal pay, there are simply not enough workers – nor enough transportation – to serve this growing need. Because most temporary shelters are physically inaccessible to older people with disabilities, and private accommodation is unaffordable to them due to extremely low pensions and rising rents, older people in Ukraine are often placed in segregated institutional settings, where they are isolated from their communities and loved ones.” (2023, Amnesty)

The impact of the war in Ukraine on the rights of persons with disabilities a monitoring report from “League of Strong”, together with the KRF “Public Alternative”. (2023, EDF)

Ukraine’s Recruiters Use Harsh Tactics to Fill Ranks “Recruiters have confiscated passports, taken people from their jobs and, in at least one case, tried to send a mentally disabled person to military training” (2023, NYT)

Life for Disabled Ukrainians Amid Russian War “From victimhood to activism for a more inclusive Ukraine – a severely injured veteran tells of his struggle to overcome his disability no more so than in other peoples’ minds.” (2023, Kyiv Post)

Ukraine’s Children With Special Needs Suffer the ‘Huge Pressure’ of War “Children with conditions like ADHD and autism have been particularly affected by the traumas and uncertainties of the war and the disruptions to daily life, families and experts say.” (2023, New York Times)

‘I had my chance to die – but I made my choice’: meet the young Ukrainian soldier fighting for amputee visibility. (2023, the Guardian)

Most Ukrainian Defenders with a disability “come back home to find that their cities are completely not adapted for their basic needs. Let’s see what it takes me, and Vlad (An Azovstal veteran with a prosthetic leg) to get to a memorial for his friends and pay our respects.” (Short video on Twitter, 2023)

Ukrainian soldiers who were blinded in combat face the new battle of navigating the world again. (2023, AP)

Ukraine investigates corruption in medical exemptions from military duty “Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy says bribes of between $3,000 and $15,000 paid for medical exemptions from military duty.” (2023, Aljazeera)

The Rights of Persons with Disabilities who are Institutionalised in Wartime Research findings. (2023, Kharkiv Institute for Social Research) See also a blog from EDF.

Families Find a Way: report on families and children in the midst of war. (2023, Disability Rights International)

Amputation is like graduating from school an interview with a veteran who lost two limbs. (2023, NAIU)

Impossible Choices A photoessay: “Life was a struggle for families of Ukrainians with disabilities before the war. It’s even harder now” (2023, CNN)

Perils of War for Children in Institutions.

“The Ukraine war has had traumatic and devastating consequences for children in residential institutions, including forcible transfers to Russia and separation from their families. The impact on institutionalized children points out the urgency of the need to remove them from institutions and provide support for family and community care.” (2023, Human Rights Watch)

‘They’re dying in large numbers’: Disabled Ukrainians face abuse, neglect in institutions. (2023, EuroNews)

Harder than ever: How power outages affect people with disabilities in Ukraine. (2023, Kyiv Independent)

“I used to have a home”: Older people’s experience of war, displacement, and access to housing, sometimes driving them into institutions.

“After older people were displaced from their homes, many struggled to find suitable accommodation. Pushed out of the private market by poverty, many older people turned to temporary shelters in schools, administrative buildings, train stations, former medical facilities, and sanitoriums. However, shelters were largely physically inaccessible to older people with disabilities and did not have staff with the capacity or skills to support people with disabilities. Sometimes, shelters said they could only take an older person with a disability if they were with somebody who could support them. Capacity at shelters that did have support services was extremely limited.” (2022, Amnesty)

What the war means for Ukrainians with disabilities “Rights activists and carers are filling the gap as the war creates huge challenges in accessing disability support.” (2022, Aljazeera)

Photo-essay on how War Amputees Find Camaraderia in Recovery. (2022, New York Times)

Ukraine: UN committee ‘gravely concerned’ over treatment of people with disabilities. “Some people with disabilities in Ukraine remain trapped in life-threatening situations and must be evacuated to ensure they can access basic needs like food and heating as winter approaches,” (2022, UN)

For a Deaf Family in Ukraine, the Bombs Came Without Warning (2022, New York Times)

'Left behind': How war is hitting the disabled in Ukraine. (2022, Euronews.)

Children with disabilities disproportionately impacted by war in Ukraine. One concern raised is that “Ukraine seems to require third countries receiving children with disabilities to place them in facilities – even States that have successfully moved away from institutionalization for their own citizens.” (2022, UN)

People with disabilities left behind during the war in Ukraine (2022, Devex)

As Russia’s invasion continues, Ukraine’s elderly and disabled struggle to survive “After a recent visit to hard-hit northeastern Ukraine, unarmed civilian protectors are exposing the lack of humanitarian engagement with the country’s most vulnerable populations.” (2022, Waging Nonviolence)

Ukraine orphanages: Children tied up and men in cots: “A BBC News investigation exposes the abuse and neglect of disabled people locked away in institutions across Ukraine.” BBC iPlayer has a feature Locked Away. (2022, BBC)

Ukrainian care center for disabled deals with the trauma of occupation. A story of being under attack, evacuating, and the subsequent return. (2022, Washington Post)

War in Ukraine takes heavy toll on those with disabilities, and many can't leave (2022, ABC News)

Complex injuries from explosive weapons in Ukraine (2022, Humanity and Inclusion)

Left Behind in the War: “Ukraine’s children with disabilities with the greatest support needs are living in atrocious conditions – entirely overlooked by major international relief agencies and receiving little support from abroad.” (2022, DRI) See also a short video with footage from the visit, or a short BBC report. Both have distressing images.

Alone under siege: how older women are being left behind in Ukraine. “I wonder why some young people evacuate their cats and hamsters, but leave their parents behind,” says Roman Vodyanyk, head doctor at Severodonetsk hospital in Luhansk (2022, the Guardian)

Older People No Longer Invisible Casualties of War in Ukraine (2022, Human Rights Watch)

An unfolding horror story: Ukraine's disabled population has been left behind (2022, iNews)

‘I feel so lost’: The elderly in Ukraine, left behind, mourn (2022, AP News)

‘We have to go’: nursing home residents await evacuation in Donbas (2022, the Guardian)

Interview with Child With Future on the situation of children with autism (2022, EDF)

Stories from the ground in Ukraine collected testimonies from persons with disabilities.

"I move with the aid of a stroller. My mother lives with me, 78 years old and has suffered a stroke. We stayed at home. We run to our 'shelter' to the toilet, taped door and towels, with a bath of water in case it turns off, with pillows on the floor. I never thought bread and drinking water, chocolate, I will store in the washing machine. Near the washing machine there is a backpack with medicines, clothes. My mom and I went to our shelter nine times today. When there is no bombing, I call persons with disabilities, I ask whether all is well, what help is needed.' - person in Zhytomyr on 4th March (2022, EDF)

One month of the Russian war on Ukraine in the words of families of people with intellectual disabilities. Photos and testimonies from around the country in this vital collection. (2022, Inclusion Europe)

Public Health Catastrophe Looms in Ukraine “Even before the war, the country struggled with epidemics of H.I.V., tuberculosis and hepatitis. The conflict threatens to undo decades of progress.” (2022, NYT) See also in the Independent.

People with disabilities cannot escape the terrors of war (2022, Huckmag)

The War in Ukraine Is a Reproductive Health Crisis for Millions "Russia's invasion is making it harder to deliver babies and provide birth control, abortion services, and other essential care." (2022, Wired)

For an overall view, see this UNDP warning that 30% of the population are likely to require life-saving humanitarian assistance and 90% of the population could be facing poverty and vulnerability to poverty. Does not mention persons with disabilities. (2022)

Press Conference on experiences of persons with disabilities Act Now to Support Ukrainians with Disabilities and their Families. As well as giving context, gave testimonies of people in Ukraine:

“I am in Kyiv in the capital together with my adult daughter who is autistic and has behavioral disorders. Currently we cannot possibly leave the city of Kyiv. I also have my mother who is 82 years old. She cannot move. We cannot go downstairs to the bomb shelter. Please believe me and we are not alone in this situation. There are many of us in this situation, all over the city of Kyiv, all over Ukraine.” -- Yuliaa Klepets

“one of our NGO leaders has a son with autism and cannot leave him for more than one hour. Which means that she cannot queue for the pharmacy, for the supermarket, for the bank machine and therefore cannot get the drugs, the food, the money she needs. She needs help for even these basic amenities. We also know that those with severe disabilities, and those whose parents are older, they do not leave Ukraine. The trip is so difficult and so long.” -- Raisa Kravchenko (2022, EASPD)

A plea from disabled Ukrainians: ‘We have no chance without help’ (2022, Washington Post)

Millions with disabilities ‘abandoned’ in Ukraine, charities fear “We have had disabled people who have called medical humanitarian-oriented agencies, have called their crisis hotline and said, ‘Hi, I’m a wheelchair user, with pressure sores. I need help’, and have been told: ‘Oh, we don’t help people with disabilities, you should call the Department of Social Protection’. If they manage to reach the borders, the refugee centres and buses are 'not wheelchair accessible'". (2022, Independent)

Under Shelling in Kharkiv People with Disabilities Need to Evacuate Safely. (2022, Human Rights Watch)

Professor fears for elderly immobile mother in Mariupol. "Her feeling is, it will just take too much time and effort to evacuate her out of her home and out of the war zone, and her plans are basically to stay put for as long as she can because she feels that really the world belongs to the future, to the women and children and the younger generations." (2022, BBC)

First Days of War: A Report from Bucha, Kyiv Oblast

"Everyone is either running — out of buildings, into buildings — or is standing still in shock. And on the top floor of our five-story apartment building, one man stands alone on his balcony, leaning on the railing, apathetically smoking and watching the fire." (does not mention disability, 2022, LA Review of Books)

Updates on People with intellectual disabilities and families in Ukraine affected by Russian war. (2022, Inclusion Europe) Includes the testimony of a mother with a 9-year-old son with autism:

"With the start of the war, we moved to another area, a city close to the border, but it did not last long, only 5 days.

My son was always nervous, resolving to dissatisfied kicking. The neighbours often complained about the noise. Any walk was accompanied by screaming, crying, the child’s lips trembled and his face lost colour.

When we left the apartment, we had to take out all our belongings, he ran and packed his bags, anxiously inspected whether we had forgotten anything. Eventually we returned home, I felt calmer and so did my son.

But the sirens and the basement became the next problem. Dragging him there was not easy, he did not understand why we were there and what was happening.

Then we decided to live improve it a bit in our basement, brought some things, goodies. Everything seemed to be fine, because the time in the basement lasted up to an hour. But later we had to stay there until 6 o’clock, we can’t get used to it.

We also have a curfew and at 20.00 the light should go out. This has become another problem for the child he can not understand. Because when you turn off the light, you need to sleep, and his biological clock says it’s not time. We are faced with self-aggression, he began to bite his hands and cry, lying on the ground. There was no way of a hug, the child did not want it categorically.

There was little light from the TV and nightlights and then we lit candles. For now, it’s calm.

I believe that everything will end soon, but my son has autism, and some things will become a habit for him. For example, we had dinner in the basement several times, and now he takes his dinner and demands to go downstairs, even if the sirens are not on." (16 March)

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Attacks on disabled people and facilities

Russia Targeted and Deported Disabled Children From Ukraine reporting on 84 disabled people, both children and adults, forcibly moved by Russia from the Oleshky Specialized Boarding School. (Oct, New Lines Magazine)

Russia told Ukrainians with disabilities they were visiting the seaside - but they were kidnapped and disappeared:

“Maksym and Inna are among at least 500 Ukrainians with disabilities – including children – that have likely been forcibly removed to Russian-held territory and Russia, according to an 18-month investigation by The Independent. The whereabouts of many of those we have documented remain unknown: of the people taken from Makysm’s facility, only 10 people have reappeared. None has been located from Inna’s.” (May, The Independent)

‘Mom, I went to hell’ A disabled Ukrainian man was nearly tortured to death in occupied Melitopol. Now he’s back in Russian captivity. (2023)

Russians deported elderly, disabled Ukrainians “Russian invaders transported elderly citizens and representatives of vulnerable categories from Ukraine to the territory of the Russian Federation, where they were deprived of citizenship, forced to become blood donors, and did not provide assistance after unsuccessful medical procedures.” (2023, UKRinform)

The Ukrainian Psychiatric Hospital That Endured Russian Occupation – photo-essay account from the director of an institution near Kyiv for people with mental and physical disabilities. “In the summer, the patients returned to their psychiatric home. Now they sometimes ask anxiously if the Russians will return. Many hold on to the idea that they need to stock up on bread. They hide it in their nightstands.” (2022, Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty)

Near Kherson, orphanage staff hid Ukrainian children from Russian occupiers. (2022, Washington Post)

Russian attack in Vinnytsia: “Among them was a four-year-old girl with Down syndrome, Liza, who never made it home from her speech therapy session.” (2022, EDF)

Social media posts chart life and death of girl in Russian strike (2022, the Guardian)

‘Thank You for Not Killing Us’ An ordeal at a mental health facility in Ukraine illuminated the horrors of the Russian occupation, as the facility was taken hostage:

“The siege at the mental health facility dragged on for weeks, during which the building lost heat, water and electricity, and more than a dozen patients lost their lives. What unfolded there represents the depths of despair and at the same time amazing pluck under a brief but harrowing Russian occupation.“ (2022, NYT)

Ukrainians With Disabilities At Breaking Point As Russian Onslaught Bears Down (2022, Forbes)

Russian troops shoot dead disabled Ukrainian volunteer "The Governor claimed that Kononov, who voluntarily provided food, water, medicines, etc., to Ukrainian soldiers fighting pro-Moscow militants in Luhansk, was killed whilst he sat in his wheelchair at his home" (2022, Republic World) See more in Hromadske, in Ukranian. And a tribute from Fight for Right.

Russia hit a psychoneurological institution in Pushcha-Vodytsya, Kyiv Patients and staff were evacuated in advance. (2022, Spravdi)

Russia Shells Kharkiv Care Home for Adults, Children With Disabilities 73 were evacuated and no casualties were reported of the 330 residents. (2022, Business Insider)

A school for the deaf hit, no injuries reported, on weekend of 5th/6th March. (2022, World Federation of the Deaf)

Russian forces take over psychiatric hospital in central Ukraine "Russian forces have taken control of a psychiatric hospital in the town of Borodyanka in Ukraine's Kyiv region, with 670 people inside, the regional governor Oleksiy Kuleba told local media." (2022, Reuters)

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Response and Resources

Recommendations for Mainstream Disability in Humanitarian Response in 2025 summary of collected views. (Link to pdf, Oct, National Assembly of Persons with Disabilities)

Disability equality for Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction ”UNESCO sensitizes and guides dozens of Ukrainian media in this pivotal transformation for the country’s recovery and reconstruction process.” (Oct, UNESCO)

A main priority in rebuilding Ukraine will be designing for disability “Approximately 300,000 Ukrainians registered for disability in the first 18 months of the war.” (Sep, The Architect's Newspaper)

How to Improve International Support for People with Disabilities in Ukraine. (Aug, GPPI)

Inclusive cities: rebuilding Ukraine to be truly accessible. (Jun, EU Neighbours East)

Soviet-era attitudes to disability hinder Ukrainian fighters’ recovery “Injured soldiers face social stigma … and their numbers have soared.” (May, Politico)

A disability activist who rescued locals from occupied Kherson.

"My childhood hardships inspired me to be an activist and help youth with disabilities," Viktor says, "I use prosthetics, and I know what it’s like trying to integrate into society after leaving the orphanage. I know that nobody owns us anything, but it is very hard to adjust. Children struggle immensely whenever they leave the institution It is great whenever you meet people willing to help you and let you flourish and become the person you want to be." (Feb, Ukrainska Pravda)

Ukraine prepares to serve veterans with disabilities · Global Voices The country faces a dramatic demand for disability-friendly services amid the Russian war (Jan, Global Voices)

Ukrainian reconstruction efforts lack commitment to accessibility. (2023, Euractiv)

Inclusive reconstruction of Ukraine: What’s at stake? “War destruction offers a ‘chance’ to rebuild Ukraine in a way that considers its changing identity — and with special attention for people with disabilities such as soldiers and amputees” (2023, Euractiv)

They understand me like no one else: peer support for injured Ukrainian soldier. (2023, EDF)

Uzhhorod Centre for Persons with Disabilities (2023, EDF)

Decolonising disability and other ableism reflections. “Decolonising aid, and in particular decolonising disability, is a battle worth fighting. We want to address discriminatory and ableist practices within the humanitarian response in Ukraine. Funding needs to reach people with disabilities and their representative organisations.” (2023, EDF)

Ukrainian soldiers benefit from U.S. prosthetics expertise but their war is different. (2023, NPR)

Frontline Defenders of Disability Rights: Our Stories. (2023, EDF)

UNICEF urges a humanitarian response that includes all children with disabilities (2022, UNICEF)

Humanitarian needs of older men and women IDPs in Lviv and Lvivska oblast. (2022, HelpAge)

Ukraine, where sirens sound day and night: a factsheet on persons with disabilities and emergency health services. (2022, Humanity and Inclusion)

Do not use Ukraine recovery money for institutions, but for support to independent living - Raisa Kravchenko. (2022, Inclusion Europe)

We must not neglect rehabilitation in Ukraine “The damage and disruption to usual health services, coupled with conflict related traumatic injuries and the forced displacement of millions of people, will create an enormous surge in rehabilitation needs.” (2022, eClinicalMedicine)

Cash Feasibility Assessment conducted on adult internally displaced people (IDPs) with disabilities in Ukraine in May/June. “The assessment shows that cash and emergency livelihoods support is highly needed and appropriate given the income loss all IDPs with disabilities have experienced since their displacement.” (2022, NAIU)

Reflections from HelpAge on six months in: delivery, impact and challenges. (2022)

No One Should be Left Behind Disabled People in the Russia-Ukraine War and Armed Conflicts (2022, Politics Today)

When sounds of war can't be heard: How one group is helping deaf Ukrainians survive (2022, USA Today)

Open letter to US administration to Protect the Rights of People with Disabilities and Older People (2022, Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies and others)

UNICEF launched project to support children with disabilities and their families (2022, Disability Insider)

Sound of Silence “Now, a non-profit organization [Off The Grid Missions] is helping people who are deaf or hard of hearing learn of the danger.” (2022, The News with Shepard Smith)

The reconstruction of Ukraine must take into account human diversity — human rights defender Yuliya Sachuk (2022, Fight For Right)

Disabled children and the war against Ukraine “The EU should ensure its humanitarian aid involves this vulnerable group while also supporting community-based disability support,” (2022, Euractiv)

How To Help Disabled Ukrainian Children Left Behind During War (2022, Today)

‘I just can’t stand aside if I know that I can help’ “Disability rights activist Tetiana Barantsova escaped the war in Ukraine in a wheelchair. Now she’s helping others with disabilities to do the same.“ (2022, UNHCR)

Ukraine highlights efforts to close digital divide for people with disabilities (2022, Relief Web)

Support for the remaining disabled people in Ukraine as Nippon Foundation launches new initiative for those who are ‘trapped or abandoned’ (2022, Valuable 500)

People with disabilities in Ukraine are being left behind. “It's time for concerted humanitarian action” (2022, World Economic Forum)

Key Principles and Recommendations for Inclusive Cash and Voucher Assistance in Ukraine (2022, EDF)

In the humanitarian response, the Age and Disability Technical Working Group is a forum for exchange and working to “effective mainstreaming of age and disability into the humanitarian response” since 2015. (2022, OCHA Humanitarian Response)

Protection Monitoring Highlights on how organizations are supporting displaced persons, including persons with disabilities. See the protection snapshot of 7th April for brief notes on support to those remaining in institutions. (2022, Protection Cluster Ukraine)

Generations Beat Online had put together news links on the situation of older persons in Ukraine (2022, GBO News)

HelpAge have a series of blogs on the situation of older people in the war. (2022, HelpAge)

Short video montage on Off-The-Grid Missions supporting Deaf and Hard of Hearing people in Ukraine. (2022, Off-The-Grid Missions)

EDF Position Paper, the Recommended response to children from institutions in Ukraine. (2022, EDF)

Facebook group helps Ukrainian refugees with autistic children (2022, InfoMigrants)

People with intellectual disabilities, families in Ukraine April Updates (2022, Inclusion Europe)

A Ukrainian translation of the WG Short Set on Functioning is now available. (2022, The Washington Group on Disability Statistics)

Why we must not forget older people and people with disabilities in Ukraine (2022, LSHTM)

Luhansk Association of Organizations of People with Disabilities A nice photoessay on the work they did before the most recent invasion as well as how they are responding now. (2022, UNDP)

World Federation of the Deaf Updates on Ukraine. "Several deaf associations throughout the country dispersed these announcements. Interpreters have also been at work to ensure that government announcements are accessible, and a 24/7 video relay network still works to guarantee deaf people their right to make phone calls at all hours as necessary." (2022)

Update from the National Assembly of People with Disabilities of Ukraine on how they are responding (scroll down for English text, 2022, NAIU)

Armed conflict and displacement heightens risks of all forms of sexual violence including trafficking in persons. Calls for responses to risks of trafficking in persons to be inclusive and ensure the rights of persons with disabilities. (2022, OHCHR)

Persons with disabilities in Ukraine face a ‘crisis within a crisis’ "Civil society calls on the EU, national governments and humanitarian organisations to step up efforts to protect Ukraine’s 2.7 million persons with disabilities who risk abandonment, death or a lack of shelter amid Russia’s invasion." (2022, Euractiv)

A rapid review: Can social protection be sustained and support a humanitarian response? "the Ukrainian Government has moved with remarkable speed to adapt systems to ensure the delivery of existing programmes." Includes mention of disability-related benefits. (2022, CIDT)

Webinar discussion from GADRA and Fight for Right Ukrainians with disabilities In-depth discussion on the response. Include insights into the volunteer networks coordinating the response, some of the organizations supporting, and the challenges being faced. (2022) See also the webinar transcript.

Disability Inclusion Helpdesk Report Impacts of the Ukraine invasion for persons with disabilities and priority entry points in humanitarian response. (2022, Inclusive Futures)

Psychoeducational resources on PTSD and trauma translated into Ukrainian, Polish and Russian. (2022, Psychology Tools)

Disabled people in Ukraine at risk of being abandoned and forgotten (2022, Eye Witness News)

Fight for Right's Call to Action Prioritize Ukrainians with Disabilities. Relates experiences and calls for inclusion in response. (2022, The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies) See also practical information for people with disabilities seeking to evacuate.

Advice and support for those affected by the Ukrainian crisis Overview of organizations and resources in relation to older people, people with dementia and their families. (2022, Alzheimer's Disease International)

UNHCR portal on the Ukraine Refugee Situation which gives an indication of overall numbers in destination countries as well as the flash reports on the situation of displacement and refugees. (2022, UNHCR)

European Disability Forum page on Ukraine War providing updates, testimonies of disabled people, resources, and further links. (2022)

HelpAge page on Supporting older people in the Ukraine crisis (2022)

The National Assembly of People with Disabilities has frequent updates on the evolving situation, in Ukrainian. (2022)

The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies Ukraine Crisis. Practical information and resources. (2022)

Autism Europe Support for autistic people in Ukraine includes link for a facebook group supporting the autistic community in Ukraine. (2022)

Resources on the Protection of Persons with Disabilities during Armed Conflict (link to docx, 2022, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities)

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Ukraine resources. As of 16th March, estimates are almost 6.5 million internally disabled people. (2022, OCHA)

The UN High Commission for Refugees Summary of Regional Refugee Response Plan. Mentions the need to target and adapt services for persons with disabilities. (2022, UNHCR)

Relief Web hub on the Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis. Overall information and key documents from the international humanitarian response. (2022)

Updates from Inclusion Europe (2022)

Resources, particularly from Germany and Slovakia, on Support for Sick, Disabled and Deaf People affected by the war. (2022, Nowar.Help)

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