Foreword Olena Zelenska, project initiator

Our communication contains a lot more meanings than we might assume. This barrier-free handbook will help uncover new, previously hidden meanings, that put the focus on people. And this will be the first step towards creating new communication ethics.

Once the new communication ethics will be built, there will be no place for discrimination or stereotypes in our speech. We’ll realise that words aren’t the only way to convey our respect for other people – we also need to show it in our body language, the tone of voice, our emotions, and the way we look at people. Our day-to-day interactions won’t create new barriers and exclusion. These kinds of adjustments are what it takes to create new norms and transform the relationships in our society. We created this handbook with one goal in mind – for it to set in stone standards of a barrier-free society and guide you towards respectful communication.

I’d like to thank everyone who took part in the development of this handbook. I’m confident that it will become a rulebook for barrier-free speech, and learning to speak accordingly will be a marker of a barrier-free society.

Join us, and let’s create new communication ethics through our interactions!