The article analyzes the challenges that accompany persons with disabilities in martial law and identifies the difficulties and problems faced by the studied group of society. The national and international legal regulation of the protection and defense of the rights and freedoms of persons with disabilities is analyzed and it is indicated that, despite the broad regulatory framework, the practical aspect of the implementation of the rights of persons with disabilities has significant gaps that are characteristic of all states.
It is motivated that the increase in the number of military acts of aggression, the intensification of armed conflict forms a paradigm of increasing tension, which stimulates international institutions to seek modern effective means of protecting the rights of persons with disabilities, in particular, in this aspect, UN Security Council Resolution No. 2475 (2019) on the protection of persons with disabilities during armed conflict is analyzed.
Analysis of statistical data, analytical reports, surveys of public institutions and monitoring reports made it possible to identify the following characteristics of the situation of persons with disabilities in Ukraine: their number is increasing at an extremely rapid pace, which entails additional medical, economic, social, organizational difficulties for state support; persons with disabilities bear an additional excessive burden of military threats compared to the rest of the civilian population; additional discriminatory characteristics significantly exacerbate the negative social situation of persons with disabilities (gender aspects, living in rural areas, age, etc.).
A number of serious problems faced by persons with disabilities in terms of accessibility standards have been identified, including environmental access to basic resources and services, which play a key role in protecting persons with disabilities during a crisis. During war, persons with disabilities face particularly serious challenges related to both physical security and access to critical services. Fighting, destruction of infrastructure and evacuation difficulties increase their vulnerability, limiting their access to medical care, psychological support and social services.
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