Digital Skills for People with Vision Disabilities
upporting Ukrainian veterans with vision disabilities by sharing relevant digital tools with friends and relatives, opening up access to practical and psychological support.
The Local Challenge
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, thousands of people have been injured, leaving many veterans and civilians with life-changing disabilities, including vision disabilities or blindness. After the invasion, Lviv became a humanitarian hub for internally displaced people, relocated institutions and medical centres for prostheses. The challenge is to re-integrate injured people whose lives have been turned upside down back into civilian life, giving them the skills they need to adapt to their new lives, as well as ensuring equal opportunities and rights as valued members of the community.
The Initiative
In response to the challenges faced by injured veterans and civilians with vision disabilities, this library in Lviv is hosting a digital skills course for friends and relatives of people with vision disabilities, together with the Institution of Ukrainian Studies. The initiative aims to empower friends and family members to help with their loved one’s rehabilitation, using digital tools like screen readers. Designed and run by experts in this field, lessons are tailored to include psychological support, addressing specific needs arising from war-related conditions.
What’s Next?
Recommendations and lessons developed for this initiative will be published as booklets for library workers, enabling ongoing support beyond the course. Some lessons can also be adapted for other European regions, enhancing collaboration with European libraries and fostering new partnerships for future international projects. It is hoped that, following the project, increased visibility of disabilities will inspire further community changes in Lviv – encouraging empathy, tolerance and support for individuals with disabilities and promoting a more inclusive society, as well as bolstering the library’s role as a welcoming space.
This is an ongoing Europe Challenge project that will be completed in autumn 2024. Stay tuned for more updates and contact theeuropechallenge@culturalfoundation.eu if you have any questions or want to be connected with the team behind the project.