This week the parliament slightly altered the law to rationalize the method by which that four percent number is calculated – though of course “rationalize” is a strange word to use in relation to such a weird piece of legislation. Does the law apply to enterprises whose work is grounded in physical labor, like construction companies? Should four percent of private security guards be invalids? Does it apply to Kyiv Dynamo?
Almost every business in Ukraine is in defiance of this law every single day, and ostensibly pays regular fines, though they are minor enough that this legislation has not become a scandal. But it should be a small scandal, because any law that makes criminals out of nearly all business owners is a bad law in principle.
Furthermore, this law lets the government pass the buck. Facilities for the disabled in Kyiv are either appalling or non-existent. There are few real wheelchair ramps anywhere, and the narrow wheel-bearing strips you see at the sides of metro station stairs are barely usable and possibly dangerous. Buses, trams and route minibuses scandalously lack any provision for the disabled. The point is that even if every business did set aside four percent of its jobs for the disabled, many of the latter couldn’t even get to work. Kyiv doesn’t physically allow it.
Making sure public facilities can be used by all citizens is one of the minimal responsibilities of any government. It’s one that official Kyiv has not fulfilled, effectively making Ukraine’s disabled second-class citizens. The government should stop bossing around business owners and start doing its duty by disabled Ukrainians. When they’re physically capable of participating in civic life, their job situation will take care of itself.
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