"Perspective 21.3" in Brovary: the story of a family that is changing the future of people with Down syndrome

Today, the world celebrates Down Syndrome Day to draw attention to their needs and opportunities. In Ukraine, one of the most striking examples of effective socialization and assistance with the integration of people with mental disabilities is the "Perspective 21.3" project. Its founder, Andriy Vasylenko, together with his wife, has been teaching, socializing and employing young people with Down syndrome, autism and other developmental disabilities in Brovary, Kyiv region, for many years. UNN asked him about the project and the specifics of adapting young people to independent living.

We have a son with Down syndrome, 21 years old. We have been doing this for a long time. My wife used to work at the school, we had a project for education, we developed a program for educating people with Down syndrome. And now we have a charitable organization in Brovary called "Perspective 21.3", which deals with adults - there are boys and girls with Down syndrome, autism, and other mental disabilities. This is a continuation of education after 18 years, after graduating from school, there is a five-year program to adapt them to independent living on the one hand, and on the other hand - to employment

Having started with the creation of a specialized curriculum in a Kyiv boarding school, the couple developed an education model for children with Down syndrome.

We had three classes that we supervised. It was experimental learning, and we developed a program 

Now these curricula are approved by the Ministry of Education. However, the children have grown up and, according to the entrepreneur, the question of their further socialization and adaptation to independent living has arisen. That is why the family decided to found the charitable organization "Perspective 21.3", which helps young people after the age of 18. 

One of the important components of this initiative is the bakery and cafe "21.3", which operate in Brovary. Students of the charitable organization complete internships here, gaining experience in real working conditions.

They (people with intellectual disabilities - ed.) work in the bakery and in the cafe, but not only. We also have a workshop where they make candles, and they pack tea there. That is, we find different places for them to learn and just try what suits them best

According to him, during the five years of study, their students, including IDPs, are offered to try different types of activities in order to prepare them as much as possible for future part-time employment, or full-time employment, or employment in a specially created workplace.

The bakery has been in existence since 2016, but actually started operating in 2018.

This is an enterprise where ordinary people work, bread is baked, but every day we also have students. They take turns: some in the first half of the day, some in the second half of the day, and they work on different processes 

Thus, students master the processes of baking, packaging, rolling out dough, and making croissants. Each year, a new group of students joins the program, which allows for a gradual expansion of the project.

However, the initiatives of the charitable organization are not limited to education and employment. A social adaptation center has already been created in Brovary, where a building for people with Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities has been built and another is under construction.

Now we are creating a project for further independent living under supervision, here too. We have a room, we are planning to reconstruct it, where they will have their own apartments, and there will be workshops 

The project has important social significance, as there is virtually no support system for people with Down syndrome in Ukraine after the age of 18.

We don't have a system created in the country. There is now inclusion at the level of kindergartens, primary school, secondary school, there are different options. But in fact, there is no such thing for older people anymore. That is, the need is very great 

The organization's activities have gained recognition at the national level.

We held an all-Ukrainian conference the other day, where we shared our experience with others. And we had parents from Lutsk, from Khmelnytskyi region, from the suburbs of Kyiv, from Chernihiv region, from different places

In addition, the organization is working to generalize its experience in the form of methodological manuals that will help parents, educators and social workers develop effective adaptation programs for young people with developmental disabilities.

We are developing these methods, we are now trying to summarize them in such textbooks, methodological manuals, in order to then pass them on to the next generations of parents or in other regions 

The "Perspective 21.3" project demonstrates that the right approach, perseverance and social responsibility can change the lives of special people. Thanks to the Vasylenko's initiatives, dozens of young people are given a chance for independence, professional development and integration into society. And this experience deserves to be disseminated so that similar initiatives appear throughout Ukraine.

Let's add

The Brovary City Territorial Community is actively working to create comfortable conditions for children with special educational needs. Inclusive groups and classes, clubs, and an Inclusive Resource Center (IRC) have been opened.

In addition, the Brovary community is also actively adapting the educational environment for children with sensory impairments, providing access to special textbooks, technologies and inclusive programs.