Assistance for Travellers with Special Needs

By Adria Pelensky

The present education system in Ukraine is a relic of its Soviet past. Many of the innovative education programs are centrally formed and operated, thus creating polarized and inaccessible information. Working with interested institutes for travel, sport tourism and recreational activities, the climate was right in Lviv to educate and sensitize students to accessibility issues faced by travellers with special needs. Leading seminars and practical experiences would stimulate interest in an unrealized niche market and create a network of students and field experts, and thus easier access in Lviv for tourists with disabilities.

Since Ukraine, particularly historic Lviv, has numerous physical barriers, structural changes need to be made for greater public accessibility. Uneven cobblestone streets, impractical transit, multi-levelled buildings with narrow stairwells and no ramps or elevators are limiting realities, common for historic European cities. However, Lviv’s renovations have been occurring at a much slower pace than in neighbouring countries. Restaurants and other attractions have limited access and inappropriate restrooms. Unlike the Polish or German systems which are aided by technical means, Ukraine still needs to identify a feasible system to accommodate people with disabilities.

After months of interviews, research and meetings, a community need was identified. A conference was held in October 2007, titled “Individual Programming for Rehabilitation of Disabled Individuals” (see “Issues of Accessibility in Lviv”, Issue 42, October 25, 2007). The Lviv Institute of Economy and Tourism (LIET) wanted to go beyond this conference which brought together people working in tourism and special needs; they wanted to educate the average student.

LIET is a government-supported institute teaching various aspects of business and marketing skills in the field of tourism, hospitality and trade. Lubomyra Mychalivna Zin, Head of Physical Education and Sport Tourism at LIET, was both the conference organizer and initiator of this project. With advocacy for inclusion and special education are extremely limited in mainstream schools, institutes and universities in Ukraine, she felt it necessary to educate LIET students about this often overlooked section of the populace. In an interview, Zin stated, “Tourism is flourishing in Lviv, but people are thinking just about the average tourist. We need to get creative and make considerations for the exceptional tourist, regardless of their needs. I love Lviv and feel that everyone should have the opportunity to experience it.”

Despite the energy and enthusiasm in Lviv for budding tourism and development, there is little progress in accessibility. The Municipal Council passed new building codes in 2006 which made concessions for structural accessibility like ramps and widened entranceways. Unfortunately, too many of these new developments were ignoring the rules and renovations of existing structures were not happening fast enough.

It would be ideal for Ukraine to adopt the Polish or German system, however, not feasible given the finances, structure and nature of Lviv. Alternatively, the Swiss-style system creates a human resource through education and social awareness. This is where the project concept takes form: to start a volunteer group of knowledgeable and capable students sensitive to the needs of individuals travelling with various special needs.

Shkola Volonteriv (School of Volunteers) was created, composed of students and faculty from LIET, the Institute of Physical Culture and the Ukrainian Catholic University; plus various community organization leaders. This group would ultimately provide a service to any interested individuals with special needs planning to rest, relax or travel in the area.  Operating under the motto “Citizens for active Citizenship: Creating a world of equal opportunity”, the fundamental objectives are to: conduct educational seminars, lessons and practical exercises; encourage student youth to participate in volunteer activities; and plan and implement measures to enrich travel by sport and leisure organizations.

The group met weekly for a one hour seminar. Led by experts combining theory and practical experiences, students had the opportunity to view access initiatives in other countries, characterize   special needs to identify appropriate assistance, role play exceptions to further personal understanding, assist people in wheelchairs and measure degree of accessibility for themselves. Partnerships with experts in Special Education, Rehabilitative and Medical Practices, and Hospitality were integral for this group to achieve its maximum potential. Support was realized by Lvivyany: Oleksandr Voloshynskyy, Head of the Green Cross Society; Mykola Swarnyk, Head of the All-Ukrainian Coalition for the Rights of the Disabled and Lviv Polytechnic instructor in Social Work; Oksana Fedorowycz, Institute of Physical Culture instructor and community volunteer at STIMUL; Olena Shynarovska, Vice President of European Dialogue, a community organization and director of the Centre for Educational Initiatives, a charitable foundation; and Andriy Matselyukh, Head of the Lviv Association for Tourism Development.

Voloshynskyy runs the only existing tours in Western Ukraine for people with special needs, was initially apprehensive and now thrilled to participate in the Shkola Volonteriv. He tried for years to create a competent student volunteer base to assist in his excursions, but lacked the resources. Stating, “To showcase Lviv on an international level, we need to maximize access, and if we aren’t doing so structurally, we need to find [other] ways to compensate. Training students with appropriate assisting techniques and introducing them to the needs of people with disabilities will alter false preconceptions.” 

 A Shkola Volunteriv website was created with generous support from the Ukrainian Students’ Club at the University of Toronto, eager to assist an educational development project for students in Ukraine.  President Tanya Sydor stated “It enriched educational programming for University-level students which is part of the USC mandate.”

The project concluded (at least with this intern’s involvement) with a degree of satisfaction. Students of the Shkola Volunteriv were pleased with their participation and requested further seminars to build on certain topics. Confident in the network that was established, Shkola Volunteriv will likely have subsequent semesters.

For more information on Shkola Volonteriv, or to see photos from past seminars, go to www.shkolavolonteriv.com

Adria Pelensky was Project Coordinator for Community Development, Canada Ukraine Research Team intern. She has written on the education of students with “special needs” and about her experiences living in Ukraine.