On 6 June, the Russian International Olympic University and the UK Department of Trade and Industry jointly held a workshop in Sochi entitled "Creating a barrier-free environment. UK experience for Sochi."

The workshop participants discussed and learnt about standards and legislation surrounding the creation of barrier-free environments and their universal design.

At the invitation of RIOU, the workshop was attended by Sochi Municipal Assembly Deputies, Sochi City Administration employees, representatives of the Regional Department of Social Protection for the Public, social infrastructure facilities executives, building organisations and representatives of architectural firms.

The exchange of information and experience regarding the creation of barrier-free environments is being implemented as part of the memorandum of cooperation between countries hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games, signed in June 2009 by the UK Department of Trade and Industry and the Russian Ministry of Regional Development.

Renowned British experts МРН Accessible Environments Group Managing Director and expert in creating barrier-free environments for people with a disability, Alan Mathew, and MPH main consultant on barrier-free environments, Jim Taylor, presented reports at the workshop.

Paralympic programmes and barrier-free environments are a key area for the development of educational programmes and research for RIOU. The first barrier-free training session was the workshop, "The estimation of accessibility level for people with a disability", which was held in Sochi on 3-6 October 2011. Currently RIOU is preparing the international educational forum, "The strategy of building a barrier-free environment", which will be held in October 2012 in Sochi.