As part of the project "Improving the Protection of Children in Emergencies in Ukraine by Providing Safe Shelters, Food and Non-Food Items, and Psychosocial Support", the NGO "Vigorous Moment", partner of the Medical Aid Committee in Zakarpattya, organized an important roundtable discussion on "Vulnerability, Mental Health, and Public Understanding". 

The event was held at Uzhhorod National University and brought together specialists dealing with issues of inclusion and services for people with disabilities, representatives of industry associations, and psychology students. The students themselves acted as moderators for the discussion.

During the event, speakers shared their personal stories and professional perspectives, discussed the importance of openness in society, and talked about how institutional approaches can be changed to make communities more inclusive. For example, Nataliya Felbaba, a psychologist who works with children and is also the mother of a child with ADHD, spoke about the struggle against labeling in the system, emphasizing that only a common position and joint action by parents, teachers, and the educational community will create comfortable conditions for children with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) to learn, unlock their potential, and increase their capacity for development and self-actualization. Semen Makhlin, a veteran, educator, and father of a child with dyslexia, agreed with her. In his opinion, the system, and above all teachers and the child’s environment, should not aim to "remake" the child or make them comfortable, but rather to take an individual approach and proceed from the fact that all people are different, with individual needs, and for some, meeting these needs is the key to successful education, socialization, and self-development. 

An important topic "Emotional and Psychological Burdens of Parents of Children with Disabilities" was raised by Svitlana Apostol, a psychiatrist and mother of a child with a disability. In particular, she discussed ways to support parents, including: creating support communities, providing information about resources and contact details of various organizations specializing in social issues, offering practical help (because simple offers of help with household chores, childcare, or transportation can make life easier), providing emotional support (just being there, listening, and acknowledging the difficulties), supporting skill development, and more. Given the Committee’s 25 years of experience and taking into account what Svitlana Apostol said, we see that, as in a number of European countries, the drivers of positive changes in the system of working with persons with disabilities is their parents. This is a powerful force that also needs state support, at least in terms of access to basic services. 

Lesya Levko, project coordinator of the Medical Aid Committee in Zakarpattya, spoke about services and facilities for people with disabilities, focusing on transformation efforts at the Vilshany Children’s Orphanage and the Center "Parasolka" in Tyachiv. This was a story of direct changes in institutional facilities, which were implemented on the initiative of the Committee, with the support and experience of foreign partners, the management of the facilities, and relevant state authorities. The case of the transformation of the Vilshany Children’s Orphanage, which, we believe, will eventually become the Vilshany Center for Comprehensive Social Services, is an accessible model that needs to be scaled up both within the region and beyond. 

"Our goal was not only to make the Vilshany Children’s Orphanage an open institution, but also to fill the lives of its residents with new meaning, improve their living conditions, and then, with the introduction of systemic changes in the state, use the institution’s potential to support families with children with disabilities living in the community. The main thing in this matter is consistency. Therefore, we are systematically moving towards these qualitative changes", said Lesya Levko. 

In addition to the discussion, students presented their own projects aimed at creating a more open and inclusive society. Future specialists shared their vision of a mentoring system in orphanages for children deprived of parental care and psychological support in children’s hospitals.

The round table was a kind of conclusion to the training course aimed at forming a sensitive society open to people’s differences. The participants definitely learned something useful for themselves and, most importantly, found like-minded people whose community is definitely capable of improving public understanding of the needs of vulnerable groups. 

The event was implemented within the framework of the project "Accessibility of Family Programs for Children with Disabilities", which is part of the project "Improving the Protection of Children in Emergencies in Ukraine by Providing Safe Shelters, Food and Non-Food Items, and Psychosocial Support", implementing by the Medical Aid Committee in Zakarpattya with the support of "terre des hommes Deutschland e.V." and funding from the German Federal Foreign Office.