Інтерактивна зона безбарʼєрності
This is not a lecture about accessibility and not a stand with leaflets. It is a site where anyone sits in an active wheelchair and rides across cobblestones, a kerb, a ramp and a slippery tile. GAR instructors, who use wheelchairs themselves, work alongside, and within five minutes a visitor understands what no text can explain: why “there is a ramp” and “it is accessible” are not the same thing.
- Music and city festivals
- City days, fairs, public spaces
- Corporate events and inclusion days in companies
- Universities, schools, youth centres
- Municipalities working on accessibility
- Sports events, runs and marathons
- Shopping centres and public spaces
- Veteran spaces and support centres
- Medical facilities and rehabilitation centres
A visitor comes up to the zone and a volunteer invites them to try. First the instructor in a wheelchair rides the track and comments on every obstacle: where rhythm is needed, where balance, and where it is simply impossible to pass without help. Then the visitor sits in the wheelchair and repeats the route. The instructor and the volunteer stay alongside, prompting and spotting.
After the track there is room for a conversation. The instructor answers any question: how to help a wheelchair user properly, how to get around the city in winter, what really gets in the way on public transport. This is the most valuable part of the format: people ask the questions they are usually too embarrassed to ask.
| Obstacle | Parameters | What it is in the city |
|---|---|---|
| Threshold | Imitation of thresholds of different heights | From 3 to 9 cm |
| Kerb | 3–9 cm, up and down | Any pavement without a dropped kerb |
| Ramp | 11% slope, 1.5 m | Ramps built “for show” |
- A site of at least 35 m² (7×5 m is ideal) with a level, hard floor. A car park, asphalt or pavilion flooring all work.
- Placement on the visitor route, or signage leading to the zone.
- Lighting, if the space has no daylight.
- Power supply for lighting, if needed.
- Fencing the zone off from the main flow: cones, tape or light structures.
- Agreement on branding: banners, stands, handouts.
- The team: 2 instructors in active wheelchairs, 2 volunteers, a coordinator.
- Equipment: active wheelchairs for visitors and the set of obstacles — cobblestones, kerb, ramp, slippery surface.
- The scenario for the zone, a team briefing and safety rules.
- Layouts of branded materials in the event’s identity (by agreement).
- Photo and video documentation and a report on the number of participants after the event.
Standard format: one working day of 6 hours, or several days in a row. Capacity: up to 2 participants at a time, 30–50 participants a day depending on the flow. The format scales on request: more wheelchairs, a longer track, two sites.
Tell us about the event: dates, location and the expected number of visitors. We reply within three working days with a suggested setup and a cost estimate.
Or write directly: info@gar.org.ua, +38 (093) 112-94-16.