Seventeen percent of people with disabilities employed in Ukraine – expert

Daria Sydorenko, Executive Director of NGO "League of the Strong", said this during a round table discussion at the Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform on May 1.

"Now we have 17% of people with disabilities employed... Our goal is to have 50% of people with disabilities employed in five years," she said, noting that this is the average figure for European countries.

Sydorenko also emphasized the need to encourage people with disabilities to be employed, and employers and the state system – to employ such citizens.

The expert noted that comprehensive efforts should be made at different levels, not only legislative.

She outlined several general steps for the employment of people with disabilities.

"The first is the change in laws. The second is the change in government regulations, such as the procedure for allocating funds for job compensation. The third is work with employment centers so that employees understand and know how to communicate with people with disabilities," the expert said.

An important component of changes, in her opinion, is the approval of local and state programs that would promote retraining of people with disabilities, as well as programs that would stimulate employers to hire people with disabilities that could equalize their competitive ability.

In addition, it is necessary to work with international institutions, to request international technical assistance to finance the relevant reform.

"It seems to me that in this context it is worth working with information and communication campaigns that would convince that people with disabilities can work, that employers can work with people with disabilities, that people with disabilities can start their own business and show completely different new standards," Sydorenko said.

As reported, the number of people with disabilities in Ukraine reaches almost 2.7 million.