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Universal Progress ILC

An accessible environment is everyone's right

Accessibility is not only about ramps. It means everyone can use buildings, streets and public spaces, transport, information, services and the digital world independently, safely and without barriers. We have worked on this issue since our organization was founded.

On a rainy day, a wheelchair user goes up a ramp with handrails, followed by their group.

Accessibility map

Search the map for accessibility information about buildings, roads, parking, toilets and other places, and filter by category and accessibility features. Select a place to see its details.

Find places that are easy to reach and use for people with disabilities. All information is shared by the community.

Map

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Places

    Choose a topic to read more

    Select a row to see an explanation of the topic, numbered points, images and related materials.

    Accessibility is not limited to ramps

    Physical environment

    Buildings, entrances, ramps, doors, toilets and routes for moving around. Spaces that everyone can enter, move around in and leave.

    Information and communication

    Clear language, visible signage, and the option to get information through sound and images. Information should reach people in several ways, not just one.

    Services and attitudes

    Respectful communication, the support people need, and service free from discrimination. Staff should know how to help.

    Digital accessibility

    Making websites usable with a keyboard, making text stand out clearly from its background, adding descriptions to images, and adapting sites for mobile phones. This way, people who use assistive technology can also use online services.

    Planning for accessibility along the whole route

    When planning an environment, consider the whole route a person travels, from start to finish. Plan not only the entrance but also getting there, moving around inside, information and services, all together.

    1. Getting there
    2. Entrance
    3. Moving inside
    4. Services

    01

    Getting there and parking

    The route from public streets and parking to the building entrance should be free of barriers and safe.

    02

    Entrances and ramps

    The ramp's dimensions, surface, handrails and turning space should suit the people who use it.

    03

    Doors and moving inside

    Doors, corridors, thresholds and passage widths should be usable by wheelchair users and people who use mobility aids.

    04

    Stairs, elevators and moving between levels

    There should be a safe, clear and usable way to move between floors and levels.

    05

    Toilets

    Space to enter, turn and transfer, and grab bars, should meet users' needs.

    06

    Signage and information

    Signs, wayfinding, lighting, color contrast, and audio and visual information should be clear.

    On a rainy street, participants help a wheelchair user down a flight of stairs, with many people holding umbrellas behind them.

    Barriers in public spaces: participants helping a wheelchair user down a flight of stairs

    Questions to help you take a quick look at your own building and service spaces. You do not need to write down your answers.

    1. Is the route to the entrance free of barriers? The route from public streets and parking to the building entrance should have no thresholds, steps or obstacles, and its surface should be even and safe (Requirement 1).
    2. Is the ramp safe, and does it have handrails? The ramp's dimensions, non-slip surface, handrails and turning space should suit the people who use it (Requirement 2).
    3. Are doors and corridors wide enough? Doors, corridors, thresholds and passage widths should be usable by wheelchair users and people who use mobility aids (Requirement 3).
    4. Is there an accessible way to move between floors? Stairs, elevators and movement between levels should be safe, clear and usable (Requirement 4).
    5. Can the toilet be used independently? Space to enter, turn and transfer, and grab bars, should meet users' needs (Requirement 5).
    6. Is the signage easy to see and understand? Signs, wayfinding, lighting and color contrast should be clear (Requirement 6).
    7. Is there another way to see or hear the information? Clear language, visible signage, and ways to get information through sound and images should be available (accessibility of information and communication).
    8. Do staff know what support people need? Respectful communication, the support people need, and service free from discrimination (accessibility of services and attitudes).

    This list is general information and does not replace a professional opinion or an official assessment.

    How do we work in this area?

    Advocacy and policy

    We bring the voices of persons with disabilities into how laws, policies and standards are implemented, and we promote solutions that are accessible to everyone.

    Research and evidence

    We study real conditions in the environment and the barriers people face, and use evidence to identify what needs to improve. Our research reports are open to the public.

    Guidance and information

    We provide information and advice to individuals and organizations on what accessibility means, the key requirements of the standards, and practical solutions.

    Young people who completed the training pose for a group photo holding their certificates; one participant uses a wheelchair.

    Graduates of our training

    What we have done for accessibility

    1. 2009 Took part in the approval of the MNS 6055:2009 standard by providing comments.
    2. 2014 Organized the “Accessible Public Transport for All” advocacy march.
    3. 2016 Assessed the accessibility of 168 public transport stops in Ulaanbaatar as part of a JICA project.
    4. 2018 Assessed the accessibility of government agencies in the labor and social protection sector.
    5. 2019 Assessed 97 pedestrian crossings and 8071 meters of sidewalk in preparation for the CBID Congress.

    Videos, research reports, news and guidance pages.

    Video (in Mongolian)

    We need accessible buses

    Accessible public transport matters to everyone.

    PDF

    Sidewalk accessibility assessment carried out in preparation for the CBID 2019 Congress

    2019. Persons with disabilities took part in person in an assessment of 97 pedestrian crossings and 8071 meters of sidewalk, which made recommendations for repairs.

    PDF

    Experience in assessing infrastructure and accessible environments

    2011–2018. A list of accessibility assessments, design projects and training activities, and our experience with the MNS 6055:2009 standard.

    News

    We published a simplified guide to the accessibility standards

    A guide that explains toilets, ramps, door widths and more in simple words and pictures.

    News

    Standards-based accessibility assessments and advice for organizations, on request

    Our assessment team gave advice to a company that planned to make its office accessible.

    Guidance

    Accessible Infrastructure and Buildings

    Video lessons and guidance pages on accessibility requirements and solutions.

    International treaties

    Article 9 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities concerns accessibility.

    Do you have a question about accessibility?

    Send us your suggestions or questions about the accessibility of places, services or information.

    Partnerships

    Networks and partners

    Networks of independent living centres in Mongolia and abroad, and the organisations we work with.

    In the evening, in a lit-up city square, young wheelchair users raise their hands and pose happily for a group photo.
    Participants holding yellow flags and wheelchair users gather in an outdoor square while a TV camera films them.
    A large group of participants poses for a photo in a hall; wheelchair users sit in the front row.
    More than 40 participants, including wheelchair users, pose for a group photo in front of the banner of the seminar 'Opportunities and Conditions for Independent Living'.

    Mongolian network

    In 2019, Universal Progress ILC initiated the network of independent living centres in Mongolia.

    2019 — The network of independent living centres in Mongolia was launched with the support of the international organisation AIFO.

    2025 — With the support of the European Union, a project to empower hidden persons with disabilities by strengthening the network of independent living centres in Mongolia was approved.

    Organisations

    About 30 people, including wheelchair users, raise their hands and smile in front of an APNIL and Universal Progress ILC banner.
    On Ulaanbaatar's central square, many participants, some using wheelchairs and some standing, raise their hands for a group photo in front of an "Asia TRY 2011 in Mongolia" banner.

    International network

    The Kokorozashi International Network is an Asian international cooperation network working for the right of persons with disabilities to live independently, for equal participation and for an inclusive society.

    Since its founding, Universal Progress ILC has worked with the network’s organisations to introduce and develop the human-rights-based right to independent living in Mongolia. The Centre joined the network in 2009.

    2010 — Organised the first conference on the right to independent living, with representatives of 6 Asian countries and more than 200 participants from Mongolia.

    2011 — Organised the first “Asia TRY in Mongolia”, an international advocacy event.

    2018 — Launched a long-term model project on the right to independent living together with the Mainstream Association (Japan).

    Partner organisations

    Government and international organisations we work with.