Center for Social and Educational Integration and Inclusive Rehabilitation and Social Tourism “Barriers-Free”

Among the challenges of today, the problem of ensuring equal rights and opportunities for people with disabilities in all spheres of life is noteworthy. Therefore, the priority for Pavel Tychyna Uman State Pedagogical University is to create conditions and develop effective technologies for the education of youth with special educational needs, taking into account individual needs, opportunities, abilities and interests, for successful socialization and self-realization.

In particular, members of the Center for Social and Educational Integration and Inclusive Rehabilitation and Social Tourism “Barriers-Free” (Faculty of Social and Psychological Education) are working on the development of this topic.

The purpose of the Center’s activity is to consolidate the efforts of the relevant structural units of the University, the involved executive bodies and public organizations, aimed at socio-pedagogical and psychological support of persons with special educational needs regarding their adaptation to the student and pedagogical team, integration into the educational environment and social integration.

For the purpose of realization of the determined purpose by the members of the Center:

• held scientific-practical conferences, round tables, seminars of national and international levels on the organization of a common educational environment for persons with special needs;
• I, II and III student competition of scientific social projects on inclusive rehabilitation and social tourism “Traveling without barriers” was organized and conducted;
• trainings were held for young teachers “Ethics of communication with people with disabilities” and for students “Don’t let yourself sell!”
• a program of interdisciplinary team approach for medical, social and psychological-pedagogical support in the educational establishment was developed;
• individual freshman adaptation and rehabilitation programs have been developed for freshmen and senior students;
  a survey was conducted and a statistical data bank was created “Willingness of future teaching assistants to work in inclusive classes”, “Social protection of students with disabilities”;
• organized a student scientific and practical conference dedicated to the International Day of People with Disabilities “Topical issues of inclusive education”;
• the training course “Inclusive Tourism” was prepared and implemented, which made it possible to theoretically substantiate the feasibility of studying this issue in the field of social work;
• the system of preparation of volunteers for practical activity was improved; Educational activities with students with disabilities as elements of social worker activity were further developed.

It has become a tradition every year to organize a festival of creativity on the basis of the Faculty of Social and Psychological Education. We will be together ”(in 2019 it was the sixth festival). The event is a regional event involving students and children with disabilities and showcasing their creative achievements.

In order to create an inclusive environment at the Pavel Tychyna UDPU, great attention is paid to ensuring that accessibility requirements for educational facilities for persons with disabilities and other low-mobility groups are fulfilled: ramps in all educational buildings are fitted in accordance with the requirements of building codes and standards; specialized sanitary and hygienic rooms in accordance with the requirements of accessibility and Universal design; desks for suitcases students were purchased; purchased Braille plates with the name of each faculty, department, and structural units of the university; purchased Braille alphabet for students – future psychologists, social workers, educators – future professionals who are ready to work in inclusive education; Reading rooms and computer classrooms have Braille-enabled computers for students with impaired vision; geographic maps of Europe purchased in Braille for the needs of the Center for Educational Integration and Inclusive Rehabilitation and Social Tourism without Barriers; dormitories have rooms for students with disabilities and ramps available;

In 2019, the university won the Healthy Challenge project, announced by the United Nations Population Fund, and received a grant of $ 15,000. to purchase inventory to support the healthy lifestyle of students, including those with disabilities.

Three inclusive groups were created at the Faculty of Social and Psychological Education (in accordance with the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine “On Approval of the Procedure for the Organization of Inclusive Education in Higher Education Institutions” No. 635 of July 10, 2019). The “Regulations on the team of psychological and pedagogical support of students with special educational needs of Pavel Tychyna UDPU” were developed and approved for the purpose of functioning of an interdisciplinary team of specialists.

The problem of social and psychological rehabilitation of students with disabilities is a topic of scientific research of the Center staff, and in this aspect there are the following results:

– foundation of the All-Ukrainian Association of Inclusive Rehabilitation and Social Tourism

– holding of the First International Scientific and Practical Symposium “Actual Problems of Implementation of Inclusive Rehabilitation and Social Tourism in Ukraine” (2016);

– participation in the creation and implementation of inclusive tourism routes for Cherkasy region for socially vulnerable categories of citizens;

– winning of students in competitions of scientific works: 1st place in the 2nd round of the All-Ukrainian competition of scientific works “The future of the tourism industry” (Kyiv National University of Trade and Economics, 2019); II place in the II stage of the All-Ukrainian competition of student scientific works in the specialty “Actual problems of inclusive education” (Open International University for Human Development “Ukraine”, 2019);

– obtaining 5 certificates of copyright registration for scientific and practical tv;

– edition of the Encyclopedia of Inclusive Rehabilitation and Social Tourism (author’s collective: V. Lepsky, O. Bezlyudnyi, N. Kolyada, O. Kravchenko, etc.) – the first information resource in Ukraine intended to provide a comprehensive and thorough understanding of inclusive rehabilitation; social tourism as a form of medical, psychological and social assistance to people with disabilities and, at the same time, as a means of their comprehensive rehabilitation;

– printing of a foreign monograph “Current issues of inclusive tourism introduction in Ukraine and other countries” (Actual problems of introduction of inclusive tourism in Ukraine and abroad);

– receiving the Grand Prix at the International Exhibition “Leader of Higher Education” for the competition work entitled “Inclusive Education: Equal Rights – Equal Opportunities” (2019);

– development and implementation of a sign language program for future social workers and psychologists;

– since January 1, 2020, young scientists of the University have started to develop another research topic at the expense of the state budget: “Social and psychological rehabilitation of children and youth with special educational means of inclusive tourism”. Dates: 2020-2022

Thus, the trend of increasing contingent of students with disabilities has put among the priorities of the activity of Pavel Tychyna UDPU the need to solve the problem of education and social development of these persons, to create the latest technologies for improving the quality of life, to introduce an effective system of social and psychological rehabilitation of children and young people with special needs. educational means of inclusive tourism, development of methodological recommendations for optimization of their strengths on the way to social integration.

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