We help make business inclusive

Inclusion is the practice of providing equal opportunities for access to education, resources, jobs, and services to all people regardless of race, disability, gender, sex, age, religion, social status, and cultural differences.

In modern Ukraine, inclusivity is not just a social responsibility of a particular business, but a legal requirement, non-compliance with which entails liability. The law firm “DE-JURE” helps entrepreneurs implement inclusive practices. Lawyer Dimitrii Strichenko spoke about mandatory and recommended requirements. So, the necessary requirements include:

• engineering solutions: installation of ramps, reconstruction of bathrooms, redevelopment of the workspace, installation of navigation tiles. Since 2021, compliance with all these standards during major repairs is mandatory;
• compliance with non-discrimination legislation: a business must serve all customers regardless of their physical condition and cognitive abilities. Employees cannot be discriminated against on the basis of age, gender, or other grounds;
• basic digital accessibility (contrast, navigation, subtitles, sign language) is formally mandatory, but there is no clear liability for violations;
• training staff in ethical interaction with people with disabilities (from a legal point of view, it is more likely to be recommended, but taking into account the impact on business processes, reputation and customer engagement, we believe it is more appropriate to include it as mandatory).

Recommended investments include adapting branding and communications to the principles of inclusion, creating an inclusive product and implementing mental health programs for employees.

It is important for businesses not only to technically meet the requirements, but also to document their compliance. Thus, voluntary certification becomes an important tool for self-control and reputation growth.