Edinburgh Napier University

  The research presented in this report is based on a survey of non-governmental organisations of people with disabilities in Ukraine (organisations of persons with disabilities, or OPDs). The organisational survey forms Phase 1 of a larger project to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on people with disabilities in Ukraine, with a particular focus on internally displaced people with disabilities. Funded by the UK’s Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) and Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), the project is the first ever participatory community-based research project in Ukraine focussing on disability. It was co-designed and co-delivered in close partnership with people with disabilities in Ukraine, including internally displaced people with disabilities.

This project report (the first in a series of three) sets out the data and methods relied upon to deliver Phase 1 of this research. This is followed by an overview of the results, which cover views of the organisations of people with disabilities on the impact of the pandemic on people with disabilities in Ukraine, and their own organisational activities. The report is concluded by a list of recommendations on improving current policies to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on people with disabilities in Ukraine, and on ensuring better preparedness in the event of any future public health or other emergency.