Accessible Ukraine Act

Construction and renovation contracts in Ukraine involving U.S. funding would have to meet accessibility standards substantively equivalent to those in the Americans with Disabilities Act and Architectural Barriers Act. The rule would cover contracts involving the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and the Ukraine Relief, Recovery, Reconstruction and Reform Trust Fund; the Secretary of State could waive it in the U.S. national interest.

Temporary emergency construction would be exempt from the standards, but officials would have to make every effort to meet them. The State Department would have to plan for access to the affected facility and allocate funds as necessary to ensure people with disabilities have the same access to services as others.

Federal funding could not be used for construction or renovation projects that facilitate the segregation or institutionalization of people with disabilities. Routine maintenance and certain other work would be exempt from the accessibility requirement unless it affects a building’s accessibility.

The State Department would establish a group of government and private-sector accessibility experts to assess emergency-exception requests, evaluate compliance, and coordinate with local organizations to verify project compliance. The group would publish its findings and recommendations on an accessible public website.

The State Department would report to the relevant Senate and House committees on the number and amount of federal investments in covered projects, waivers and their justifications, compliance recommendations, and the working group’s major recommendations and results.