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, writes Anna Romandash.

Anna Romandash is the Fourth Freedom Forum’s first Howard S. Brembeck Fellow, an award-winning journalist from Ukraine, and the author of Women of Ukraine: Reportages from the War and Beyond. 

Russia continues waging its war – and missiles keep falling on Ukrainian cities. Destruction and deaths are regular occurrences across the country, which has been dealing with the Russian aggression for nearly ten years.

Yet, Ukraine is rebuilding itself as we speak. Neither the government nor the civil society are waiting for the war to end. Instead, people are already restoring what’s been damaged or lost and are trying to put as much normalcy into the war-affected areas as possible, given the situation.

In many cases, destruction offers a chance to rebuild Ukraine in a way that considers its changing identity – such as without any of the clichés and influences of the Soviet occupation or colonial past. A lot of reconstruction is also influenced by the ongoing war – such as building schools underground for safety reasons and upgrading security requirements for new projects.

Yet, what about inclusive reconstruction? Are the buildings, roads, and other infrastructure barriers free and friendly to those with disabilities? Is the Ukrainian reconstruction project adapted to the need to serve the people who have special needs – and whose rights have been deprived for many years, primarily due to the Soviet legacy of keeping people with disabilities inside, invisible to their communities?

In reality, Ukraine can no longer ignore people with disabilities. Before the full-scale invasion, there were nearly three million Ukrainians who had a disability – almost 10% of the population. Now, with the continuous aggression, explosions, and attacks, the number of disabled individuals is likely to grow – and it is expected to explode when the majority of the soldiers return from the war and go through rehabilitation processes.

The government of Ukraine recognises the need to rebuild the country inclusively – and there are platforms and spaces for discussion with relevant civil society organisations and activists working on disability rights. Civil forums and government-community exchanges enable more cooperation on an inclusive strategy for rebuilding Ukraine.

Further, there are pilot projects – with civil society consulting the government and local communities to ensure the reconstruction in different localities is disability-friendly.

So the reality is somewhat hopeful – because the rights and needs of people with disabilities are at least taken into account now. Before, these groups were mostly invisible and marginalised, so this large percentage of Ukraine’s population had no say in the vision of their country’s future.

This discussion is at least happening amid the war and chaos, which is already a big step forward. Politicians and policymakers are aware of the need for inclusive reconstruction, and average Ukrainians are increasingly more knowledgeable and receptive toward disability rights.

This is not enough, however. Inclusive reconstruction is not about giving privileges to people with disabilities – because equal access and human rights empower society as a whole and not only a selected few.

Throughout the entire Russian aggression in Ukraine, people with disability had to rely on themselves to get to safety – as there were no accessible shelters and few options for fleeing from insecure areas on their own.

As I’ve been reporting on the Russian war, I’ve talked to many people with disabilities who had to evacuate themselves on inaccessible trains, rely on people’s kindness, ask others to tell them what was happening when they could not hear or read the urgent information, and face the terrifying reality of being abandoned.

People were often left to their own devices amid the state of highest panic during the early days of the full-scale invasion. There are lots of closed institutions for people with mental disabilities – which were not evacuated on time when Russia occupied Ukrainian territories.

Often, when people with mental disabilities managed to flee the occupation, they did so all alone, without any accompaniment. When they arrived in Ukraine-controlled areas, they struggled to get accessible information or help.

There are many failures when it comes to caring for recently disabled people – such as soldiers-amputees returning from the frontlines, or civilians hurt as a result of the invasion. The Ukrainian state cannot serve them all and provide adequate medical and other support – and this task is often outsourced to civil society organisations and international partners.

Yet, there are things where civil society cannot replace the state – such as an actual infrastructure update and fixing and constructing roads, buildings, and other spaces that are accessible and disability-friendly.

Civil society is also not the one which determines Ukraine’s education system – such as launching inclusive educational programs and making sure that children with disability have access to regular schools and get to socialise with their peers.

These and other fundamental tasks are the state’s responsibility – and it is crucial that the Ukrainian government prioritises inclusiveness and makes it a national policy. This goes beyond ramps on the pedestrian walkways, enabling more access to information for people with special needs, more visibility and representation in policymaking, and a shift in education.

Ukraine is undergoing rapid decolonisation – by freeing itself from the remains of the Soviet past. It was a Soviet approach of locking people with disabilities in their homes or closed institutions as second-class citizens.

Now, Ukraine has a unique opportunity not only to rebuild itself but to do it right – so Ukraine’s reconstruction caters to all communities. As Ukraine strives to become an EU member state, it should borrow some of the better practices from its Western neighbours – so its reconstruction is disability-friendly and genuinely inclusive.

People with disabilities shared different experiences during the Russian war. Many became volunteers rescuing others from the most dangerous areas. Some were forced to flee the country. There are also people with disabilities serving in Ukraine’s Armed Forces. Regardless of each experience, people with disabilities are no longer invisible in Ukrainian society – and they need to have the equal rights and accessibility they deserve.