BTA Enhances Accessibility with Upgraded Lift, Promotes More Inclusive Environment

Diana Dukovska, Borislava Bibinovska

BTA Director General Kiril Valchev (right) and Georgi Kolev, Chairman of the Union of Disabled People in Bulgaria, Sofia, December 3, 2025 (BTA Photo/Blagoy Kirilov)

Sofia,

03.12.2025 20:56

(BTA)

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The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) Wednesday launched an upgraded lift as part of its broader initiatives to enhance access to the building and foster a more inclusive environment. December 3 is marked as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

The old lift was replaced under the Beautiful Bulgaria project of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy.

The opening ceremony was attended by BTA Director General Kiril Valchev, Georgi Kolev, Chair of the Union of Disabled Persons in Bulgaria, and Lubka Anastasova, project manager and chief coordinator of the Beautiful Bulgaria project.

Guests took the lift to BTA's archives floor. There, Kiril Valchev showed them the first issue of the LIK magazine, dated January 1, 1965, and noted that the news agency's archives are now accessible to all. The lift also reaches the floor housing the agency's newsroom and is fully accessible for wheelchair users.

Valchev thanked Beautiful Bulgaria, whose support made key accessibility improvements to the building possible.

"The project is excellent," said Anastasova, who praised BTA's team for their work in implementing the lift replacement project.

For his part, Kolev said other institutions could follow BTA's example in implementing similar projects. He believes that it sets a standard for institutional responsibility. "The entire building is being adapted," he added, also noting that BTA provides disabled parking spaces.

BTA's Director General said that future activities will include providing adapted sanitary facilities for people with disabilities.

On December 2, 2024, BTA signed a partnership agreement with the Union of Disabled Persons in Bulgaria, the country's largest nationally representative organization, with more than 26,000 members and chapters in over 300 municipalities. The partnership provides for regular free publication by BTA of copyright-cleared materials of the Union, as well as media partnership for events organized by it.

Since 2021, BTA has been improving accessibility both online and in its Sofia building, dating from 1960. The agency's new website offers adjustable fonts, dyslexia-friendly features and special text versions. In the building, accessibility upgrades include a panoramic lift to the fourth-floor National Press Club, a heated access ramp at the main entrance, and two electric stair platforms, implemented through a combination of BTA funding and the Beautiful Bulgaria project.

Valchev highlighted BTA's commitment to improving accessibility at its regional press clubs. Of the 32 national press clubs outside Sofia, 16 are already accessible to people with disabilities, and work is underway to upgrade the rest. In his words, BTA will rely on the regional coordinators of the Union of Disabled Persons for ideas on further improvements.

/VL/