On February 24th, 2022, Russia launched a full scale invasion into Ukriane. They invaded from several different directions, hoping to catch Ukraine off guard and quickly take the nations capital, Kyiv. However, one and a haf years later, and the war has reached a vicious stalemate. Thousands of innocent civilians have been killed in indiscriminate Russian bombing campaigns, and a severe humanitarian crisis is emerging, especially among the disabled community.
Nearly all of the 4800 bomb shelters in Ukraine are not accessible to people with disabilities. While able bodied people rush to the shelter in the case of a bombing raid, people with disabilities are forced to cross their fingers and hope a bomb does not hit the place they are staying. In the case of a Russian attack, able bodied individuals evacuate the city, but many people with disabilities are simply left behind because they are viewed as a burden. In institutions providing residential care, people with disabilities are simply left behind, and are often shot dead or left to starve by Russian invaders.
Access to medical care has become nearly impossible for many people with disabilities living in Ukraine, especially in Russian occupied parts. Children with cerebral palsy who require regular physical therapy must watch as their condition deteriorates, and life sustaining medications for individuals with hydrocephaly cannot be accessed. Children with disabilities also are unable to go to school, as many of the accessible schools in Ukraine have been bombed beyond repair.
Nearly 100,000 children with disabilites have been institutionalized in Ukraine because their families simply do not have the resources to continue to support them. However, these institutions often treat the children cruelly, chaining children with autism to fences and treating children with physical disabilities like psychiatric patients.
Humanitarian organizations have been watching the situation closely. The EDF and Mission to Ukraine have provided funding and services to DPOs in Ukraine, and are working to end institutionalization. Although the war seems to have no end in sight, it is of utmost importance to provide resources to aid the struggling disabled community.
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