Ukrainian activists with disabilities looking for easier way to Schengen area
Inaffordability of visa application and transportation costs is one of the essential visa barriers for people with disabilities in Ukraine.
This is evidenced by the results of monitoring and surveys conducted by NGO “Europe Without Barriers.”
In this regard, the non-governmental organizations have submitted the petition asking the European Commission and consulates of the Schengen area countries to improve the visa application procedure for persons with disabilities.
“For many people, especially those who do not live in big cities having consulates and visa centers, the costs of specialized transport and transfer of accompanying persons are very expensive. Therefore, the people themselves refuse to travel abroad even if they have invitations. Centralized submission of documents and free mobile biometrics will substantially reduce the number of trips and expenditures for people with disabilities,” explains Kateryna Kulchytska, the expert of the NGO “Europe Without Barriers.”
The monitoring also revealed a number of common barriers that pose a risk to life and health of persons with disabilities: stairs without ramps outside and no elevators inside the buildings, high thresholds, narrow doors, lack of parking places for cars of people with disabilities, damaged sidewalks, potholes and high curbs, lack of specialized or even conventional toilets.
