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Ukraine: Reclaiming home — Supporting accessibility in Sloviansk

For Ivan and Tanya*, life together has never been simple. Both live with disabilities, and their everyday routines require extra effort and patience. But in the face of war, displacement, and persistent barriers, they remain grounded in each other — and in the place they call home. With support from the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), their living space in Sloviansk has become safer and more accessible, allowing them to regain a sense of dignity and independence.

Posted on 07 May 2025

Ivan and Tanya met nearly twenty years ago in a sanatorium. He has lived with cerebral palsy since birth; she was diagnosed with polyarthritis as a child. From friendship grew a strong partnership, rooted in care and shared experience. When the war reached Donetsk in 2014, Tanya left her home and moved to Sloviansk to live with Ivan. Years later, in April 2022, they were forced to evacuate together.

Finding housing was unexpectedly difficult. “The landlord refused to rent us the flat,” Ivan says. “He said we wouldn’t be able to keep it clean, and that the wheelchair would ruin the floors.”

They turned to local authorities but were offered an apartment on the third floor — without a lift or ramp. “I couldn’t move inside without help. The steps, the uneven ground — it was too painful,” Tanya recalls. Eventually, the couple returned to Sloviansk, even though it didn’t feel safe.

Small changes, big impact

Back home, daily life remained complicated. The entrance to their house had no ramp, and the yard was uneven and full of holes. Tanya depended entirely on Ivan to push her wheelchair. When they reached out for help again, the mayor of Sloviansk connected them with DRC. “There was no dedicated programme at the time for adapting private homes,” says Anton, a DRC Shelter and Settlement Assistant. “But we knew they needed help, and used flexible donor funds to respond.”

DRC supported the couple with basic improvements: levelling the ground in the yard, adapting the entrance, and widening the front door to make it easier for Tanya to enter and leave independently. “Now I can move around without fear of falling,” she says. “It’s the first time I’ve felt this kind of comfort in years.”

The floor in the courtyard and the entrance to the house before and after renovation. ©DRC Ukraine, Sloviansk, Donetsk Oblast, March 2025, Krystyna Pashkina

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A space of their own

In their small yard, Ivan grows vegetables and tends to young fruit trees. Inside, Tanya paints. “I get anxious sometimes, and painting helps,” she explains. Their bedroom walls are filled with her drawings — landscapes, city monuments, and quiet portraits of couples holding hands. “Art helps me stay hopeful,” she adds. “It reminds me what peace might look like.”

Moving toward inclusion

As of October 2023, more than 100,000 internally displaced people in Ukraine live with disabilities. For many of them, basic infrastructure remains out of reach. In shelters and modular housing sites, ramps, accessible toilets, and safe outdoor spaces are still rare. DRC continues to work with local partners to support accessible housing solutions where possible and to advocate for broader inclusion in humanitarian response. Because everyone deserves to feel safe — and at home.