Inclusive education for blind children

Today blind children can get an education only in special boarding schools, which are only 6 in Ukraine. In spite of satisfactory methodological, but unsatisfactory technical base, study in a special boarding school for every blind child means long-time separation from parents and as a result family values collapse, the mentality of the blind child suffers, because such child after habituating to the special boarding school feels him/herself left by parents.

In 2011 Lviv regional centre of Ukrainian public association “The Ukrainian Union of people with disabilities” is the first and sole organization that successfully implements the project of studying the blind child in ordinary school. I am referring to Angelina Nevolko, adopted after having been refused by parents of origin. Having taken the girl from orphanage, Nevolko’s family could not send Angelina to a boarding school. They needed to train the blind child at ordinary school together with upstanding children. Our public organization of people with disabilities, headed by the blind supervisor, has helped this family. Now the girl successfully studies in the 3rd class, perfectly communicates with peers and teachers.

The success of the Velikolyubinsky project expanded within the whole Ukraine, the parents of children with profound disorders of sight started asking us for advice and assistance. Parents don't want to send their children for studying in special boarding schools, however, they have no opportunity to ensure teaching situation at ordinary school as the teachers in ordinary schools have no skills of working with blind pupils, lack of means for tutoring blind children, absence of textbooks in available for blind children formats. The organization began to provide active assistance to all who asked for it. Alphabets, computers, the Braille typewriters, screen readers were given to such children. Even the animated cartoon which became the first similar project in Ukraine was developed for blind children.

Today the claimant organization actively helps blind children with gaining education without leaving the family. Organization studies foreign experience of other organizations in the sphere of inclusive education, delivers the training of teachers concerning work with blind pupils. However the substantial part of the project consists of the special technical means and programs without which the tutoring of blind children at ordinary school is impossible.

Taking this into consideration, the organization expects for help of not-indifferent people who will understand the problems of the families that bring up the blind child and will bring their contribution to help such children! We raise money for 5 Braille typewriters, 5 laptops, 5 software packages for the blind.