On 12-14 December in Lviv, tourism experts from Volyn, Zakarpattia, Lviv and Rivne oblasts attended a training course and took part in the international conference "Accessibility of Tourism, Hospitality and Recreation Services for People with Limited Mobility in Communities".
The main theme of the events is to create the preconditions for unimpeded access to the tourism environment for all groups of the population, said Oleksandra Horzov, a conference participant and deputy head of the Tourism and Resorts Department of the Zakarpattia Regional State Administration.
On the first day of the training workshop, tourism professionals heard from Yaroslav Hrybalskyi, Head of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities' Barrier-Free Ukraine Programme, who spoke about accessibility, building codes and standards for people with disabilities and their application in practice to tourism facilities.
In his turn, Oleksandr Voloshynskyi, Head of the Lviv Regional Office of the USAID Hoverla Project, emphasised the rules of correct speech and the readiness of staff to provide tourism services to visitors with disabilities.
Lyubov Kukurudza, head of the Lviv regional branch of the UTO, and Volodymyr Baldyga, head of the Lviv regional organisation of the UTOH, spoke about the specifics of providing services for people with visual and hearing impairments.
"An example of adaptation for people with reduced mobility in Lviv is an architectural monument in the UNESCO protected area - the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Museum and Church. We saw how this tourist attraction is equipped to meet the needs of people with disabilities, including a lift platform at the entrance. This allows people with limited mobility to move around the museum independently and without obstacles," says Oleksandra Horzov.
The topic of accessibility of culture, sports, and hospitality services was the main focus of a panel discussion held as part of the international conference on 13 December. Its participants were Natalia Tabaka, Head of the Tourism and Resorts Department of the Lviv Regional State Administration, Andriy Matseliukh, USAID Hoverla grantee, Yaroslav Hrybalskyi, Chairman of the Board of the NGO Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities, Anton Kustyk, Head of the Obroshyn Territorial Community, and a representative of the Lviv University of Trade and Economics, where they teach and train specialists in the discipline of organisation.
Roy Goldenberg, head of the Tikkun Olam Makers training centre, shared Israel's experience of inclusion with the conference participants.
"From our colleagues from Israel, we learned about their way of implementing reforms of participation of all citizens in society and received practical cases on improving the accessibility of tourist infrastructure," said Oleksandra Horzov.
According to Oleksandra Horzov, the project "Barrier-Free Society as an Element of Mutual Respect between People and a Guarantee of Community Development", which is being implemented with the support of USAID Hoverla, is currently creating the preconditions for a barrier-free environment in Zakarpattia.
"The project plans to develop an inclusive space in the Uzhhorod community, audit the accessibility of tourist attractions, create a map of cultural and historical tourist sites in the region with information on inclusivity, and develop an inclusive tourist guide for people with visual impairments," said Oleksandra Horzov.
For reference: People with limited mobility are people who have difficulty moving around independently, getting services or information. They account for more than 50% of the population of Ukraine. In particular, these are people with disabilities, temporary health problems, pregnant women, the elderly and parents with baby carriages (strollers).
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