Diversity, equality and inclusion in the media as an imperative for Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction process | DMF 2024 At the beginning of the discussion, the moderator of the event, TV presenter and chairman of the board of the League of the Strong NGO Uliana Pcholkina, called for writing and talking about people and their professional qualities, not about disability.
Answering the question of why UNESCO took up the topic of equality and disability in Ukraine, Irmgarda Kasinskaite-Buddeberg, Communications and Information Advisor at UNESCO Headquarters, noted that the number of people with disabilities is growing worldwide. Previously, there were 10% of them, but now this figure is 15-16%, and in some countries even more. According to her, in Ukraine, about 17 thousand people are added to the list of people with disabilities every month.
She emphasized the importance of raising the issue of equality of people with disabilities in the media to open a discussion and engage various stakeholders to improve the quality of life.
“The media can investigate, research, present new aspects of disability and demonstrate the diversity of society, where disability is part of society and people with disabilities have the same rights as all other members of society,” Irmgarda Kasinskaitė-Buddeberg said.
She presented a practical guide developed by UNESCO on the equality of people with disabilities and their representation in the media. The guide is addressed to journalists, editors and cameramen and calls for the principles of inclusion, human rights, diversity and fair and accurate coverage of disability issues.
The UNESCO representative emphasized that the issue of disability should not be something extra to be added to the editorial policies of the media, but should be a natural part of anything, as it affects a significant percentage of the population.
In practice, the principles of inclusiveness in the media are implemented by the Public Broadcasting Company. Natalia Garach, a member of the Supervisory Board of UA:PBC in the field of protection of the rights of persons with disabilities, reminded that the national broadcaster has long had sign language interpretation and subtitles. There are plans to increase the number of available audio descriptions.
“Institutional barrier-free accessibility is not only about physical access to the premises, but also about cultural equality and inclusion within the company. We work to make the environment comfortable for everyone, regardless of their abilities or needs. This applies to both our employees and our audience,” she said.
Oleksandr “Teren” Budko, host of the YouTube project “Vidval nig” (Leg Dump), added that as the audience for inclusivity projects grows, so does the number of people who understand the critical importance of public space accessibility for all.
Sofia Skyba, executive director of the online media outlet Pershyi Kryvyi Rih, says that for her newsroom, working with accessibility of content and workplaces for journalists was a natural process. The editor has relatives and friends with disabilities, so ensuring content accessibility was a fundamental task. However, technical solutions that could make content accessible to everyone remain expensive.
“I really want to do this, but it’s incredibly expensive. As media managers, we have to raise these issues with the private sector, the government, and donors. These investments are very necessary, but they will never pay off,” added Sofia Skyba.
Maksym Zabelia, editor-in-chief of the Ridne Misto newspaper in Myrnohrad, Donetsk region, also noted that inclusion requires additional funds. Journalists from his newsroom who relocated to safer regions did not have the necessary equipment to help them work from home in their new location.
“This is a challenge that is very difficult for us financially. That is why I 100% join my colleague in hoping that donors, given the serious approach they demonstrate to the topic of inclusion in the Ukrainian media, will continue to provide support, in particular in the field of training for media workers and grant funding that would help to systematically implement these projects,” said Maksym Zabelia.
He called the media guide presented by UNESCO the most practical and useful. It not only instructs how to communicate with a large part of the audience, but also allows you to analyze whether the media are covering inclusion issues correctly.
“Until February 24, 2022, we mostly approached the topic of people with disabilities from a medical or charitable perspective. We told stories of people who had serious health problems and needed our help. But we did not make an evolutionary transition to considering this topic from a human rights perspective, as the world media does,” he explained.
According to him, the full-scale invasion forced the media to rethink the issue of disability. Numerous soldiers who have returned from the front have not only visible injuries. Therefore, the media should focus their efforts on the correct coverage of people with disabilities.
“People with disabilities should not be separated or pitied,” said Olga Herasymiuk, head of the National Council on Television and Radio Broadcasting.
She emphasized that previously Ukrainian society was a “society without people with disabilities” because such people often remained invisible. However, the situation has changed significantly.
“I would like to say that despite all the difficulties we have to overcome, the situation has changed very seriously,” Herasymiuk summarized.
Now the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting can protect the rights of people with disabilities by bringing to justice those who use hate speech against people with disabilities and implementing relevant legislation. The National Council can require media outlets to prove that they provide access for people with disabilities by introducing subtitles or sign language. But this is not enough. Therefore, Olha Herasymiuk considers it necessary to continue educational work so that the issues of people with disabilities are not covered in separate sections, and people with disabilities are not involved in broadcasts only when it comes to disability. Moreover, Ukrainian experience in implementing equality and inclusion will be of interest to European partners.
People with disabilities themselves do not want a condescending attitude, but a fair one. Uliana Pcholkina emphasized that she had experience working as a news anchor alongside people without disabilities.
“I want competition, not exclusivity,” she said, and called for people to be invited to the program based on their professional qualities and knowledge.
