In 2025, 17 support centers for students with special educational needs were created at universities

17 new support centers for students with special educational needs were opened in 2025. Such a pilot project is already being implemented in 21 universities in Ukraine. 

This  was reported by  the Presidential Adviser on Accessibility,  Tetyana Lomakina.

Photo: Zaporizhzhia City Council

In support centers, applicants receive consultations, provide psychological support and adaptation for students, and ensure the availability of educational and organizational materials in a convenient format. The Ministry of Education  said that such centers provide: 

• individual support for students with special educational needs and disabilities; 
• spatial accessibility;
• all the means for quality learning;
• consultations on educational, psychological and social issues;
• development of a culture of mental health in the university environment.

Also last year, 89 vocational education workshops and laboratories were reconstructed and modernized, which can accommodate more than 4,500 students with disabilities.

In addition, changes are taking place in the area of ​​accessibility of school education. In particular, as of December 2025, 49,324 students studied in inclusive classes of secondary education institutions. Unobstructed physical access to the first floor is provided in 9,514 schools (78% of the total in Ukraine).

Experts from the NGO Fight For Right called the development of accessibility and inclusion   one of the victories of 2025. A significant shift was the consolidation of accessibility as a cross-cutting standard in the plan of measures for 2025–2026 with the implementation of the accessibility strategy, noted public figure and volunteer  Yuriy Stepanets.

As a reminder, the European Commission, in its 2025 enlargement report on Ukraine,  drew attention  to the fact that the legal and institutional framework for the rights of people with disabilities still needs to be fully aligned with EU law, including the European Accessibility Act. The country needs to step up efforts to ensure the accessibility of buildings and other types of infrastructure, especially in the context of reconstruction. It should also adopt legislation to improve the rehabilitation system for people with disabilities.