Enhancing Accessibility in Odesa
On June 11, the Ukrainian government decided to allocate 115 million UAH for Odesa. These funds will be used for the first phase of the accessibility route, the longest in the country, which will include tram and pedestrian connections.
The project plans to distribute over 1.1 billion UAH among 11 pilot communities to create accessible environments under the flagship initiative of the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development, "Movement without Barriers," supported by First Lady Olena Zelenska.
Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov declared 2025 as the Year of Accessibility in Odesa. The city authorities, under the mayor's leadership, are focused on creating an inclusive environment, having established a Council for Accessibility, adopted a municipal program, and outlined priorities in various areas: infrastructure, transport, rehabilitation, adaptive sports, and digitization. The work across these areas is coordinated by the mayor's advisor, Oleksiy Morozov.
According to Morozov, the effectiveness of this initiative is ensured by a strong team, which includes veterans and people with disabilities who determine priorities and monitor every stage of the process.
"A year ago, Odesa residents couldn't imagine that by the summer of 2025, our city would transform into a powerful rehabilitation center. Recently, an updated inclusive beach at the 11th station of the Great Fountain will open, along with a large inclusive sports ground equipped with adaptive exercise machines. The process is moving quickly and smoothly," said Morozov.
As part of the "Movement without Barriers" initiative, Odesa is implementing the longest inclusive tram route, "North-South." Additionally, there is ongoing work to establish an inclusive pedestrian route.
The Accessibility Council conducts regular inspections, checking every stop, pedestrian crossing, entrance to buildings, and the condition of routes. Project ambassadors, including Valentina Khoruzha, who leads the Youth Council in the city, are involved in this work.
"Such coordination allows us to meet the existing needs for accessible infrastructure as effectively as possible. It is important for me that from initiative to implementation, it takes weeks, not years. Projects do not remain on paper but are realized. I am very grateful to Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov for fully supporting this crucial work," emphasized Oleksiy Morozov.
"Movement without Barriers" is a flagship project of the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development, implemented as part of the First Lady Olena Zelenska's initiative "Without Barriers." The goal of the project is to create accessible routes in pilot communities: Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipro, Zhytomyr, Ternopil, Lviv, Rivne, Chernivtsi, Poltava, Vinnytsia, Slavutych, Kropyvnytskyi, Bucha, and in the villages of Opishnya and Borodyanka.
