As part of an on-site meeting of the Barrier-Free Council, chaired by Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko, First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, along with other participants, reviewed the implementation of barrier-free projects in Borodyanka and Bucha.
They visited, in particular, the Bucha Sports Complex “Academy of Sport,” which houses a modern gym and training facilities for various sports.
Minister of Youth and Sports Matvii Bidnyi presented the development of adaptive sports at the complex. This year, a club for archery was established for war veterans, combatants, and people with disabilities, as well as a sitting volleyball club for war veterans.
“Sports improve not only physical but also mental well-being. That is why accessible sports are as strategically important as accessible healthcare and rehabilitation,” the First Lady emphasized.
Olena Zelenska also visited Borodyanka, where the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development’s “Movement Without Barriers” project is being implemented. The project focuses on creating barrier-free routes connecting streets, buildings, and public facilities.
According to Deputy Minister for Communities and Territories Development Nataliia Kozlovska, the project is being carried out in 15 pilot communities (13 cities and 2 settlements), covering renovations of Administrative Service Centers, government buildings, housing, and cultural institutions.
“In Borodyanka, the first barrier-free route runs along Central Street, which suffered damage during the Russian occupation. So the task here is not just to rebuild, but to create better, more humane conditions for residents than ever before. As everyone has the right to move freely,” Olena Zelenska noted.
The First Lady also visited the Lithuanian-Ukrainian Lyceum of the Borodyanka settlement council, rebuilt after destruction by Russian occupiers.
Minister of Education and Science Oksen Lisovyi noted that the learning space was designed from the outset according to barrier-free standards: with a curb ramp and handrail, a wheelchair-accessible entrance, tactile strips and informational signs along routes, and an inclusive elevator to the shelter.
The lyceum also has two inclusive classrooms, attended by six children who have special educational needs.
Participants of the Barrier-Free Council also visited the Borodyanka Center for Social and Psychological Rehabilitation, which was shelled by Russian occupiers from a tank in March 2022. To restore this facility, the President allocated the funds awarded to him by the U.S. National Constitution Center along with the Liberty Medal.
The renovated center reopened in March 2024 and includes a shelter, an inclusive and fully equipped space with therapy rooms, gyms, massage rooms, and an innovation technology room with virtual reality helmets, stress measurement devices, and sensory equipment to relieve tension.
Minister for Veterans Affairs Nataliia Kalmykova explained that, under the Ministry’s project, the center provides social and psychological barrier-free support for war veterans, people with special merits to the Motherland, victims of the Revolution of Dignity, and families of fallen and deceased defenders of Ukraine.
“Turning trauma into growth – the Borodyanka Center is a living example that this is possible, because this is exactly what has happened to it,” Olena Zelenska noted.