OPD Fight For Right 🇺🇦

During Christmas, blogger and influencer Olena Mandziuk and veteran and Ukrainian TV-star (Bachelor TV show) Oleksandr “Teren” Budko visited the Vynohradiv Psychoneurological Institution in Khmelnytskyi region, where over 270 men and women are institutionalised, many of them have disabilities. They brought gifts for women—red roses, embroidered blouses, sweets and various household items. Olena also initiated a fundraising campaign to equip the institution with a laundry room and a library. At first glance, these actions seem like a kind and festive initiative. However, upon closer examination, this approach perpetuates an outdated, paternalistic charitable model of disability that frames people with disabilities as victims requiring pity, sympathy, and care, rather than as individuals with rights and autonomy. Here’s why Fight For Right finds this form of charity unacceptable: https://lnkd.in/d8ekwxiu

First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska and US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Ann Brink participated in the National Forum on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Kyiv. Olena Zelenska mentioned: "We can certainly point out society's indifference. But the root of the problem is the lack of opportunities for people with disabilities to be noticed. Visibility for people with disabilities is the inalienable right of every person. It is a key for the civilized world and is a precondition for the country's accession to the EU," emphasized Olena Zelenska. One way to exercise rights is by effective  deinstitutionalization. Ambassador Bridget A. Brink noted that participating in the National Forum on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an opportunity for her to recognize the contribution of Ukrainians with disabilities to Ukraine's economy and future. “Inclusion is not just about rights. It's about outcomes and empowerment. When every person can maximize their potential for Ukraine, the country's economy thrives. According to the Federation of Employers of Ukraine, attracting another 1 million people with disabilities to the labor market would help increase GDP by almost 3%. It is the disclosure of potential that strengthens Ukraine's competitiveness and its future," the Ambassador emphasized. Bridget A. Brink assured those present that the United States of America will continue to support Ukraine on its path to change. “2024 was a crucial year for people with disabilities in Ukraine and worldwide. As a community, we have grown, united. The word “disability” has never been heard so often in the entire history of Ukraine due to corruption. It is a very negative experience, but this is the challenge that our authorities and we, as civil society, are now overcoming,” noted Yuliia Sachuk 🇺🇦, head of Fight For Right. She added that “we want our voices to be stronger, to be heard so that we can qualitatively change lives and fight for the rights of every person with disabilities in Ukraine.” The Forum brought together disability activists and representatives of civil society, local and national authorities  from all over Ukraine. During the forum, we together developed  Agenda of the community of people with disabilities for 2025. The National Forum on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was organised by The League of the Strong and the Fight For Right with UN Women Ukraine, the International Renaissance Foundation, the EU Delegation to Ukraine, and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES Ukraine), National Democratic Institute (NDI), MacArthur Foundation, New Democracy Fund, The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation and with funding from the Women's Peace & Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), USAID - US Agency for International Development and British aid from the UK Government. The views expressed during the event are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the partners or donors.

On December 3rd, 2024, we held a public action "Is the Path to the EU Accessible?" for people with disabilities on Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in Kyiv, in the framework of the National Forum on the Rights of People with Disabilities. “On the International Day of People with Disabilities, we want the demands of the community to be met, to be taken seriously, and then in 2025, those people who are responsible for developing policies, for compliance with the law, to come to our campaign, join us and tell us about the success, about the results,” said Yuliia Sachuk 🇺🇦, head of the Fight For Right NGO. The public action initiated by Fight For Right on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which united people with disabilities, and activists for the rights of people with disabilities from all over Ukraine, was held for the fourth time. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dyD-DyPw The National Forum on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was organised by The League of the Strong and the OPD Fight For Right 🇺🇦 with UN Women Ukraine, the International Renaissance Foundation, the EU Delegation to Ukraine, and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES Ukraine), National Democratic Institute (NDI), MacArthur Foundation, New Democracy Fund, The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation and with funding from the Women's Peace & Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), USAID - US Agency for International Development and British aid from the UK Government. The views expressed during the event are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the partners or donors.

It is necessary to unite efforts to promote changes in the observance of the rights of people with disabilities. On this opinion agreed participants of the Forum "Human Rights of People with Disabilities in Ukraine: Map of Necessary Changes until 2029," organized by Fight For Right in partnership with Internationales Bildungs- und Begegnungswerk in Dortmund (Germany) and NGO "Democratic Initiatives Incubator" During four days, more than 50 activists for the rights of people with disabilities from different fields of activity have analyzed the situation in Ukraine in compliance with the rights of people with disabilities from 2009 to the present - and this is 15 years! And also planned activities for the future - until 2029. "We recalled what happened to the observance of the rights of people with disabilities in 2009, when Ukraine ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, what the situation is now, and how we see the observance of the rights of people with disabilities in 2029. This approach helped to analyze our victories and defeats, to see our involvement in positive changes, find new ways to implement them so that plans for the future remain not only on paper but are embodied in reality, "said Liudmyla Fursova, advocacy manager of Fight For Right. According to Liudmyla, in various communities in Ukraine, many initiatives are being implemented to respect the rights of people with disabilities. Still, there is very little information about these initiatives in the public space. "It is crucial that people with disabilities participate in decisions regarding our lives, both locally and nationally. We have to be united, to make it happen. I hope that one of the results of this forum will be future partnership between activists and organizations of people with disabilities, "the advocacy manager said. "We want to contribute and show that even in times of war crucial to continue the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities," said Konstanze Stoll, representative of the Internationales Bildungs- und Begegnungswerk gGmbH. "In my opinion, such events make it important for the development of our state and the whole world," said Vadym Sydorenko, co-founder of the NGO “Democratic Initiatives Incubator”. During the forum, participants showcased prototypes of projects aimed at promoting accessibility to culture and information. Some of these projects will receive implementation support. The forum is part of the Inklusion – einfach machen / Inclusion – let's simply do it. Project implementing by: International Center for Education and Exchange (IBB) gGmbH (Germany), NGO “Democratic Initiatives Incubator” (Ukraine), and Fight For Right (Ukraine).

ГО Fight For Right шукає проєктну менеджерку для роботи над грантовими проєктами у напрямку адвокації. Детальніше — тут ⤵️

Easy to accept - hard to implement. How the state and the public reported in Geneva on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Every time on an advocacy trip abroad, the Fight For Right team wants to share the achievements of Ukraine and talk about positive changes in compliance with the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities because it is crucial in times of war to demonstrate to the world our responsibility in fulfilling international obligations. However, it is not always possible. After all, we are faced with the lack of radical changes regarding the observance of our rights. The war in Ukraine worsened the situation with enforcement for the rights of people with disabilities. At the 31st session of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Geneva, delegations from the government of Ukraine and civil society, in particular the Fight For Right team, spoke about the impact of war on the rights of people with disabilities and sought solutions to mitigate this influence. Read more at the link: https://cutt.ly/qeRn0bOw

To convince desperate skeptics of the advantages of inclusion, to eliminate discrimination against people with disabilities, and, in general, to achieve maximum compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities in Ukraine... How to advocate for it even during the war, the participants of the steering committee for the preparation of the Forum in the format of the Future Search during the first meeting within the project " Inclusion - let’s simply do it!" The Fight For Right team along with human rights activists and experts joined the preparation of the Forum, which will be held in Lviv from October 1 to 4, 2024. Constanze Stoll, representative of the Internationales Bildungs- und Begegnungswerk gGmbH, a leading partner of the " Inclusion - let’s simply do it!" project, stated: "We developed this project because we believe that is no longer necessary to discuss whether to strive for an inclusive society and whether people with disabilities should have full access to education, culture, training, and work environment. These issues were solved, and the answer is unequivocal - "Yes!!!" Therefore, the project's goal is to create an accessible environment in the current situation in Ukraine and jointly explore what we can do to protect the rights of people with disabilities even now, during the war, and to ensure the removal of barriers and successful integration. The experience that we will gain, in our opinion, will also be significant during the rebuilding of Ukraine." At the first meeting, the organizing committee of the Forum succeeded, in particular: - present the goals, objectives, and key activities of the project "Inclusion - just let's do it!"; -discuss concerns and expectations regarding the project and the Future Search method. Recall that the result of the Forum should be practical solutions to eliminate barriers and implement the norms of the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities in various fields of activity. The three mini-projects or prototypes of the best initiatives will receive financial support for their implementation. More on the link: https://cutt.ly/uemLnJ9W The project " Inclusion - let’s simply do it!" is implemented by Fight For Right together with the NGO "Democratic Incubator Initiatives" in partnership with the Internationales Bildungs- und Begegnungswerk gGmbH (Germany) thanks to funds allocated by the German Federal Foreign Office within the framework of the program "Expanding cooperation with civil society in the Eastern Partnership countries." The cooperation is supported by funds from the Federal Foreign Office's program "Strengthening Cooperation with Civil Society in the Eastern Partnership Countries." #CivilSocietyCooperation

Fight For Right is recruiting a research officer to undertake and coordinate research on one of its priority pillars for this strategy: Ensuring the right to legal capacity on an equal basis, including the abolition of guardianship and the full adoption of a supported decision-making approach.

PURPOSE Fight for Right Ukraine (FFR) is recruiting a research officer to undertake and coordinate research on advancing legal capacity reform in Ukraine. The research will contribute to the development of a larger strategy on deinstitutionalization and full inclusion of persons with disabilities in the country. ROLE Undertake research on laws and policies regulating exercise legal capacity in Ukraine; scan international models on supported decision making; consider community capacities and needs for supporting people in exercising the right to decide; map out a transition strategy from the current system of guardianship to a supported decision-making approach. WHO IS INVITED TO RESPOND FFR is recruiting a bilingual Ukrainian/English research officer with a post graduate degree and experience in policy research and analysis. The successful candidate will have knowledge of social policy in Ukraine, and experience in human rights analysis. Applicants need not be based in Ukraine; the research officer will work remotely. Closing date: Friday, August 9, 2024 More details on the link: https://cutt.ly/TexVfBSi

Fight For Right team will join the implementation of the new project "Inclusion - just let's do it!." Together with partners Internationales Bildungs- und Begegnungswerk gGmbH (Germany) and the NGO "Incubator for Democratic Initiatives" with the support of the German Federal Foreign Office, we will unite experts, activists for the rights of people with disabilities in an experimental, maximally accessible and inclusive educational space for creative collaboration. We will hold a five-day conference, the participants of which will eventually formulate a vision to overcome discrimination and segregation of people with disabilities in war-affected Ukraine. "Qualitative implementation of the norms of the Convention has been the main focus of Fight For Right since its inception. This conference has been developed according to the Future-search Conference methodology, which will help us to form a joint vision of the future of Ukraine. We sincerely believe that the results of this conference will be a powerful catalyst for change to create a more equitable and inclusive environment for all, "said Tetiana Herasymova, Director of Fight For Right. The result should be practical solutions to remove barriers and implement the norms of the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities in various fields of activity. In total, three prototypes of the best initiatives will be selected, for financial support and future implementation. The project "Inclusion - let's just do it!" is implemented by Fight For Right together with the NGO "Incubator of Democratic Initiatives" in partnership with the Internationales Bildungs- und Begegnungswerk gGmbH (Germany) thanks to funds allocated by the German Federal Foreign Office within the framework of the program "Expanding cooperation with civil society in the Eastern Partnership countries."