Memorial day: Honoring the heroes who gave their lives for Ukraine
29.08.2024
Articles
Today, on August 29, on the Day of Remembrance for the defenders who died in the struggle for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, the Lugansk Association of Organizations of People with Disabilities, together with all of Ukraine, honors the memory of the fallen defenders and heroines.
Each of them is an example of courage, bravery, and selflessness to their country and their people. They defended our land until their last breath. Their heroism will forever remain in our hearts.
Remember the price at which the opportunity to live a civilian life in rear cities and towns is being won! Help our defenders who are currently protecting the country and honor the memory of the fallen!
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The Abilitation Centre in Lviv: the path to independence after trauma
Together with Taras Tarasenko and Vadym Svyrydenko, the LAOPD team visited the Abilitation Centre in Lviv — a space where veterans, people who have undergone amputations and complex injuries, as well as people with disabilities, acquire the most important thing — the skills to live independently and with dignity in new conditions. The main task of the centre is to help people adapt to their new reality, teach them to live independently, and confidently use all the tools that ensure quality reintegration into society. Here, residents learn basic skills of self-care, mobility, communication, spatial orientation, and interaction with others — both within and outside an inclusive environment. The habilitation process is based on the principles of the ‘Therapeutic Community’ methodology, which allows building trust, support, and mutual respect among participants. This is not just training — it is a transformative experience that restores a person's self-confidence. We are delighted to continue our warm and constructive communication with our like-minded colleagues in Lviv, with whom we share a common vision of supporting veterans and people with disabilities: Anna Gorkun — HAB project manager, idea generator and coordinator, who brought together a team of professionals around a common goal. Serhii Titarenko — head of the habilitation process and psychologist, whose sincerity, sensitivity and deep understanding of the needs of veterans help participants every day to move from vulnerability to confidence, from isolation to a renewed life. This centre is another powerful example of what real support for veterans and people with disabilities can look like. Thank you for your trust and openness. New partnerships and joint actions lie ahead.
25.07.2025
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News
Barrier-free access is not about the future. It is about the present.
At the invitation of the Main Directorate of the Pension Fund of Ukraine in Kyiv, the team of the Luhansk Association of Organisations of Persons with Disabilities joined in surveying service centres for physical and informational accessibility. But this was not a routine audit according to instructions. It was a joint effort with those who help people overcome invisible barriers in seemingly accessible institutions on a daily basis. And it was another point on the map of our field trip — a long, difficult, but necessary one. We didn't just check ramps or doorways. We were present — physically and mentally — where accessibility determines not comfort, but survival. In Kyiv, our team began surveying service centres immediately after a night of heavy shelling. Earlier, we were in Kharkiv, where a rocket hit our friends' house. Near Dnipro, we witnessed a tragedy on the railway. But the work does not stop. Because accessibility is not just a point in a project. It is about life. And if a person in a wheelchair cannot get to a shelter, it is no longer a question of accessibility. It is a question of the right to safety. Our team doesn't just record problems. We listen. We analyse. We look for real solutions. We speak the language of architecture, humanity and responsibility. So that the space is truly comfortable — for everyone. We sincerely thank the Main Office of the Pension Fund of Ukraine in Kyiv for its openness to change and sincere desire to be part of practical transformation. Recommendations are already being prepared. Ahead lie new cities, new locations, new challenges. And new joint actions. Because accessibility is not an exception. It is the new norm. And we are staying the course. Even when the ground shakes beneath our feet.
04.07.2025
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Articles
Working visit to Superhumans Centre: on systematic support for veterans
Recently, the LAOPD team, together with Taras Tarasenko and Vadym Svyrydenko, made a working trip to the Superhumans Centre in Vynnyky, near Lviv — a unique Ukrainian medical facility that specialises in the comprehensive treatment and rehabilitation of veterans affected by the war. The purpose of the visit was to familiarise themselves with the work of the centre as an example of an effective model of rehabilitation support, as well as to discuss ways of providing similar quality assistance to all defenders of Ukraine throughout the country. Superhumans is an example of what modern veteran centres can and should be: multidisciplinary, professional, with a human approach and deep values. LAOPD has a long history of cooperation with Taras Tarasenko, a member of parliament, lawyer and active member of parliamentary structures on human rights and veterans, as well as with Vadym Svyrydenko, a veteran, community leader and rehabilitation ambassador. Together, we have repeatedly participated in working meetings, initiated discussions and supported projects aimed at strengthening the support system for those who defended Ukraine. We are sincerely grateful to the Superhumans team for their hospitality, openness, and inspiring work. After this meeting, we are even more convinced that such solutions need to be scaled up so that every veteran in Ukraine has access to professional assistance, dignified treatment, and effective rehabilitation.
23.06.2025
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