Training for instructors of driving schools for disabled persons held in Kyiv

On October 30, instructors of inclusive driving schools finished training in Kyiv, where they learned ethical communication and best practices for supporting and helping future drivers.

What is the problem?

Ukraine's internal ministry emphasizes that the number of people with disabilities in Ukraine is growing not only among military personnel but also among civilians.

What is the solution?

The Japan-supported initiative held a training course, "Driving without Barriers: Ethics of Interaction with People with Disabilities," in Kyiv.

The training focused on a basic understanding of the types of rehabilitation aids, types of limitations in daily functioning, techniques for assisting people with disabilities, and methods of moving them.

How does it work?

Currently, about fifty students are enrolled in the driving schools, seven of whom are Ukrainian defenders. Six people with disabilities have already received driver's licenses.

During the event, participants learned basic knowledge and practical skills on the provision of services for people with disabilities during the training, communication ethics, basic understanding of the types of rehabilitation aids, types of limitations of daily functioning, techniques for assisting people with disabilities, and methods of moving them.

According to the Communication Department, the skills acquired during the training will help specialists better understand the needs of people with disabilities and help them feel the competence of specialists and their willingness to help.

Six higher education institutions of the Ministry are already providing services under the Driving Schools for Persons with Disabilities project. Driving schools have been set up on the basis of these educational institutions and the nearest service centers are taking exams, said Kateryna Pavlichenko, Deputy Head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The training for instructors was organized within the framework of the project "Promoting Human Security in Ukraine through a Multidimensional Response to the War-Triggered Crisis" with the support of UNDP and funding from the Government of Japan.

Inclusive Driving Schools is a flagship project of the Ministry of Internal Affairs within the framework of the nationwide initiative of the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, "No Barriers," aimed at equal opportunities for all those who want to learn driving skills and obtain a driver's license.

In July this year, the first driving schools for people with disabilities were opened in Ukraine.

This is the barrier-free approach that I have always promoted and that our country pledged to implement even before the Russian invasion: equal opportunities, comfort and convenience for all Ukrainians in all areas, Zelenska said.

The goal of the project is to create an effective and comfortable system for adapting people with disabilities to driving, taking into account their capabilities and needs.