As part of the National Accessibility Week, the Khai Institute of Applied Sciences hosted a webinar titled “Language without Toxicity: How to Talk About Accessibility Modernly and Ethically”
Modern Ukraine is experiencing a profound rethinking of values, where tolerance, inclusion, and unconditional respect for human dignity come to the fore. In this process, language is not just a tool of communication – it constructs our reality and forms social stereotypes.
Today, an extremely important and relevant webinar was held, dedicated to the culture of ethical communication and new language norms.
Speaker of the event: Maryna SHLENYOVA – Acting Head of the Department of Ukrainian Language and Language Communication at KhAI.
During the meeting, the participants:
- analyzed the new State Standard of the State Language “Barrier-Free Terminology”, adopted in 2026 – the first profile standard of this type in Ukraine;
- discussed why it is important to abandon discriminatory expressions, outdated clichés and toxic formulations;
- got acquainted with the principle of "Person-First Language", where the focus is primarily on the person, not their sign or condition;
- analyzed modern terms and approaches that future specialists will work with every day - from alternative text and audio description to "plain language" and "easy reading" formats.
Language is our soft tool of influence. Purifying the linguistic picture of the world from toxicity helps to avoid stigmatization and prevents the formation of a stable negative identity.
Thank you to Ms. Marina for her in-depth linguistic analysis, practical cases and important contribution to the development of a barrier-free society within the walls of our university
Let's build a space of equal opportunities together - starting with each of our own words!
