Media – Ukraine Crisis

Fight for Right, a Ukrainian disability-led organization, has focused on disability community-building, advocacy, education, access, and human rights since its inception. Now with the war and the increasingly dire situation for people with disabilities, Fight for Right has been working around the clock to evacuate Ukrainians with disabilities and support those who have evacuated to nearby countries following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Media Spotlight

Stories/Blogs

(5/19/22) Story: "My Disability Justice: Tanya Herasymova" - Doha Debates, Tanya Herasymova
(4/29/22) Blog: "Obama Leader Fights for Right in Ukraine" - Obama Foundation
(3/30/22) Panel: "Humanitarian Implications of the Ukrainian War" - Harkiran Bharji, LSE
(3/29/22) Blog: "In Warsaw: Announcing more support for Ukraine" - Sundar Pichai
(3/9/22) Blog: The Disabled Ukrainians Doing What the UN Can’t (or Won’t?) - Duncan Green, Anna Landre
(3/7/22) Story: The words of two wheelchair users in Bucha: “catastrophe” - Uliana Pcholkina and Vitaliy Pcholkin

In the News

(6/23/23) The World: "Denmark welcomes Ukrainians under special law — with an expiration date" -Amanda Leigh Lichtenstein
(5/24/23) Byline Times: "Fighting for Disability Rights Amid Russian War" - Anna Romandash
(10/25/22) The Kyiv Independent: "Ukrainians with disabilities endure disproportionate impact of Russia’s war" -Thaisa Semenova
(8/4/22) Inkstick: "Surviving the Russo-Ukraine War with Disability" - Anna Romandash
(4/19/22) Morning Star: "Disabled Ukrainians trapped in the country lacking proper care or the basic supplies, activist warns" - Bethany Rielly
(4/18/22) The New Humanitarian: "Here’s what Ukrainians with disabilities face as we cope with war" - Olha Telna
(4/11/22) Al Jazeera: "War in Ukraine: What support do people with disabilities need?" | The Stream - Femi Oke
(4/6/22) INSIDER: "I fled Ukraine with a disability. It was scary and humiliating, so I'm helping others plan safer escapes" - Ryan Prior
(4/5/22) Zona de Prensa: "Una historia de terror que se desarrolla: la población discapacitada de Ucrania se ha quedado atrás" - Oliver Barker
(4/4/22) MSN: "An unfolding horror story: Ukraine’s disabled population has been left behind" - Ian Birrell
(4/2/22) OKO.press: "How activists and NGOs help people with disabilities escape from Ukraine. No system help" - Aleksandra Lipczak
(3/31/22) Bloomberg: "Disabled Ukrainians Are Left Behind Amid War, Activists Say" - Damian Shepherd
(3/31/22) North East Bylines: "Fleeing war is bad enough, but how does it work for the black, disabled and LGBTQ+ communities?" - Carol Westall
(3/31/22) TIME: "The Informal International Network Getting Disabled Ukrainians Out of the War Zone" - Eloise Barry
(3/29/22) Huck Magazine: "In Ukraine, people with disabilities cannot escape war. Crisis within a crisis" - Eva Clifford
(3/20/22) Philadelphia Inquirer: "With help from Philly, disabled Ukrainians seek escape from war" - Jason Laughlin
(3/18/22) SABC News: "Russia-Ukraine | Impact of the conflict on people with disabilities: Anna Landre"
(3/17/22) Forbes: "Ukrainians With Disabilities At Breaking Point As Russian Onslaught Bears Down" - Gus Alexiou
(3/11/22) New Mobility: "As Millions Flee, Disabled Ukrainians Forced to Fend for Themselves" - Seth McBride
(3/10/22) The New York Times: “Evacuating Ukrainians with disabilities presents a range of difficulties”- Marc Santora
(3/9/22) The Washington Post: "From Ukrainians with disabilities comes a desperate plea: ‘We have no chance without help'" - Theresa Vargas
(3/8/22) MSNBC: "Humanitarian efforts aren't doing enough to evacuate Ukrainians with disabilities" - Liz Plank
(3/8/22) Independent: "Millions with disabilities ‘abandoned’ in Ukraine, charities fear" - Rebecca Thomas, May Bulman
(3/2/22) Irish Mirror: "Ukrainian woman says people with disabilities 'left behind' after 'almost impossible' journey across the border" - Michelle Cullen

Podcasts

(4/29/22) What's Up WID: "Supporting Ukrainians with Disabilities" - Tanya Herasymova and Ashley Inkumsah
(3/19/22) Barrier Free Futures: "March 19th with Shaylin Sluzalis and Marcie Roth" - Bob Kafka
(3/18/22) BBC Ouch!: "Ukraine War: 'I think of my wheelchair more than myself now'" - Emma Tracey
(3/16/22) Accessible Media Inc.: NOW With Dave Brown - Episode 514 - Dave Brown
(3/15/22) WBUR and NPR: "The voices of Ukrainians with disabilities are missing from conversations about the war" - Peter O'Dowd and Femi Oke
(3/15/22) The Rest Room: “The whole world needs to know that people with disabilities in Ukraine are left behind” - Natasha Lipman
(3/15/22) Voice America: Disability Matters Podcast - Joyce Bender

Watch Webinar - Leave No One Behind: Updates on Supporting Ukrainians with Disabilities
March 31, 2022

Watch Webinar - Current State of Crisis
Ukrainians with Disabilities
March 10, 2022

Click here for Resources

Return to Ukraine Crisis Page

The Global Alliance for Disaster Resource Acceleration (GADRA), works to galvanize an international coalition of disability-led organizations, corporate, foundation, and humanitarian partners led by the World Institute on Disability (WID), The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies, and ONG Inclusiva.

The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies

Media – Ukraine Crisis

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