Thank you to our international partners: support that changes lives
11.10.2024
Events
Thank you to our international partners, colleagues, friends, and everyone who cares and shares our vision for support!
We, the team of the Luhansk Association of Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (LAOOI), extend our heartfelt gratitude to our international partners and friends who help us implement our initiatives and support people with disabilities during these challenging times. Many of them have been working side by side with us since 2018.
Thanks to our collaboration with long-standing partners, we have been able to implement numerous humanitarian projects, provide psychological support, organize evacuations, and offer assistance to those who need it most.
This cooperation enables us to continue our mission of making the world more accessible and equitable for everyone. Together, we are making a significant contribution to building an inclusive society where everyone has equal opportunities.
Thank you for standing with us! We look forward to further collaboration to continue helping those in need. Together, we can achieve even more, and every contribution helps create a more inclusive and safer world for all.
News and events
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We continue inclusive transportation: helping those in need
The LAOPD team , in partnership with VIS – Volontariato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo and with the support of the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund , continues to provide free inclusive transport for community residents. We are there for those who need help getting around – every day, wherever it is most needed. In August, dozens of trips were made to hospitals, pharmacies, social services, and schools. The demand for the service confirmed that it is truly needed. Geography of service provision: Zaporizhzhia region: Zaporizhzhia district Dnipropetrovsk region: Synelnykivskyi, Nikopolskyi, Pavlohradskyi districts Who can use the service: families with children; people who use wheelchairs; elderly people (60+ / 75+); internally displaced persons (IDPs); residents who have difficulty getting around. What the trip includes: transportation to hospitals, pharmacies, social services, educational or rehabilitation centres; assistance with boarding and disembarking; a bus equipped with a lifting platform; child car seats. Phone number for booking: +380 96 621 37 31 You can also submit a request via the QR code in the image. We appreciate your feedback — it helps us improve our service and better respond to the needs of the community. We go where we are needed. Free of charge. Reliable. On time. The service is provided as part of the project ‘Protection, health care and inclusion of vulnerable populations in Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions’, implemented with the support of OCHA Ukraine and implemented by the Luhansk Association of Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (LAOPD) in partnership with Volontariato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo (VIS).
24.10.2025
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News
Ukraine approves standard for rehabilitation after spinal cord injuries
Spinal cord injury is one of the most challenging conditions faced by rehabilitation specialists worldwide. It is often accompanied by impaired mobility, sensitivity, pelvic organ function, and the risk of complications such as bedsores, infections, and respiratory or cardiovascular disorders. Therefore, patients require urgent medical care and the earliest possible start of rehabilitation. In Ukraine, spinal cord injuries remain among the most common injuries sustained as a result of combat operations, both among military personnel and civilians. For example, in 2024, Ukrainian healthcare facilities providing rehabilitation care admitted about 3,500 patients with spinal injuries, while in 2021 — before the full-scale war began — there were half as many cases. Ukraine now has its first national standard for rehabilitation care for spinal cord injuries, which defines how care should be provided — from the first days after the injury to the person's return to normal life. The document describes three periods of recovery — acute, post-acute and long-term — and provides for the work of a multidisciplinary team: a physical and rehabilitation medicine doctor, a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, a psychologist, a rehabilitation nurse, a social worker and other specialists. Each member of the team has a defined area of responsibility to ensure that the recovery process is consistent and continuous. For the first time, quality indicators for rehabilitation care have been introduced, which will allow its effectiveness to be assessed and treatment approaches to be improved. The standard was developed based on adapted clinical guidelines, taking into account international recommendations from SCIRE, ISCoS, Can-SCIP, and PVA, which ensures that the Ukrainian rehabilitation system is in line with modern global practices. The approval of rehabilitation care standards is one of the priorities of the Government's Action Programme. Work is ongoing: the next standards are already being prepared — for after amputations, for cerebral palsy, for after fractures, strokes and for premature babies. The photos were taken from open internet sources.
21.10.2025
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Articles
International White Cane Day: a symbol of seeing with your heart
Today, 15 October, the world celebrates International White Cane Day — a day of solidarity and awareness of the needs of people with visual impairments. The white cane has become a symbol of independence and autonomy for blind people. Its history began in 1921 in the British city of Bristol. Young photographer James Biggs , who lost his sight in an accident, noticed that his dark cane was invisible to drivers and pedestrians. To make it visible, he painted the cane white. The idea quickly spread around the world, becoming a recognisable symbol of a person with visual impairment. Today, this day reminds us that accessibility is a common cause for society . We must work to ensure that: tactile navigation is standard in cities; audio information is available everywhere; digital services take into account the needs of people with visual impairments; respectful communication becomes the norm rather than the exception. The white cane is not only a sign, but also a symbol of dignity, autonomy and strength of a person who overcomes barriers every day, barriers that we can remove together.
15.10.2025
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