SoftServe Wins UN Partnership for Sustainability Award 2020 Competition

AUSTIN, Texas—Feb. 16, 2021—SoftServe, a leading digital authority and consulting company, took first place in the “Society” category at the Partnership for Sustainability Award 2020 competition hosted by the United Nations (UN) Global Compact Network in Ukraine. SoftServe received this award for its ‘Accessibility Testing’ project, designed for teaching and hiring the visually impaired to become specialists in digital accessibility testing of the company’s technological solutions.

The Partnership for Sustainability Award 2020 competition aims to promote sustainable development goals and partnerships between enterprises, business associations, governments, civil society, and universities. This year’s competition featured over 150 applications from Ukraine, Belarus, Macedonia, Poland, and Turkey across project nomination categories including Society, Planet, Peace, and Economic Development.

“We are committed to providing a diverse and inclusive work environment while striving to make our solutions more user-friendly for everyone,” said Viktoriya Shyryayeva, QC engineer and coordinator of the Accessibility Testing group at SoftServe. “By involving those who are visually impaired in the development and testing of our IT solutions we can offer a more comprehensive accessibility testing process for people with disabilities. Recognition from the UN Global Compact Network is a testament to the strides we have made in creating a healthy, open, and inclusive working environment where associates are respected and valued for their contributions and are provided career development and growth opportunities.”

SoftServe’s IT Academy, an educational platform for students and professionals beginning a career in IT, adapted materials from its ‘Accessibility Testing’ project into a two-month course featuring lectures for students and hands-on experience related to accessibility testing. Graduates of the course are able to add immediate value to any project that requires regression and accessibility testing. Recent graduates of the program have been employed by SoftServe to work on various client projects where they use their course knowledge to develop inclusive, user friendly solutions. This project supports the United Nations Development Program’s (UNDP) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Quality Education, Decent Work and Economic Growth, and Reduced Inequalities.