UNICEF and SaveTheChildren support inclusion in Brovary: new opportunities for children with special needs
Kyiv • UNN
The Brovary community has received significant financial support from international organizations for the development of inclusive education. Thanks to the grants, classrooms were modernized, special equipment was installed, and assistive technologies were introduced for children with SEN.
The Brovary community is actively implementing educational accessibility by attracting sponsorship and grant funds to improve the learning environment for children with special educational needs (SEN). Cooperation with UNICEF and other international funds has made it possible to equip classrooms and resource rooms, purchase the necessary equipment, and use modern assistive technologies, which significantly contributes to the socialization of children with SEN and improve access to quality education, UNN writes.
Details
Barrier-free education is a key aspect of ensuring equal opportunities and successful integration of children with special educational needs (SEN) into the educational process. At the same time, creating an accessible environment for such children requires significant investments - from arranging classrooms and groups to providing assistive technologies and equipment.
Given the limited budget of the local community, it becomes a challenge to fully fund these projects. Therefore, local authorities are increasingly attracting external assistance, including sponsorships and grants from international organizations. Such partnerships allow for the implementation of large-scale projects that not only improve educational conditions but also contribute to the socialization and development of children with special educational needs, providing them with access to quality education and a comfortable learning environment.
One of the successful examples of attracting sponsorship and grant funds to organize an inclusive educational process is the Brovary territorial community, which is actively working to introduce barrier-free education. This helps to improve learning conditions for children with special educational needs, providing them with access to quality education and a comfortable stay in educational institutions.
In particular, according to the Brovary City Council, in the 2022/2023 academic year, Brovary Lyceum No. 7 began cooperation with UNICEF under the project "Development of an ecosystem for the provision and use of assistive technologies in Ukraine to ensure the successful inclusion of children with SEN". The project, coordinated by UNICEF and the Dzherelo Center, made it possible to equip a sanitary room for children with special needs, carry out repair work in classrooms and resource rooms, build a ramp at the entrance to the primary school, and replace the front door.
The total amount invested was UAH 1.6 million. In addition, UNICEF donated new furniture to the lyceum, including single desks, chairs and school equipment worth UAH 2 million.
Other educational institutions in the community also receive assistance from international foundations. For example, lyceums No. 2 named after V.O. Sukhomlynskyi, No. 3, and No. 6 joined the project of the international non-governmental organization Save The Children, which supports educational inclusion by providing funding for the purchase of resources and equipment for inclusive education. Lyceum No. 3 received resources and equipment worth over UAH 114 thousand, and Lyceum No. 6 received sports equipment and teaching materials for children with special educational needs worth over UAH 36 thousand. Lyceum No. 2 is expected to receive assistance worth UAH 170 thousand.
The Brovary City Council also said that one of the lyceums where children with special educational needs study uses, for example, assistive technologies, including i-trackers, which is especially important for children with complex developmental disabilities. The i-tracker tracks the direction of the child's gaze and head movements, which opens up new opportunities for learning and socialization, especially if the child has speech difficulties.
Thus, thanks to the support of international organizations and government initiatives, the Brovary community is actively implementing barrier-free education, creating accessible and comfortable conditions for all children, including those who need additional support. This can serve as an example for those communities in Ukraine that have not yet actively engaged international sponsorship to organize a barrier-free educational process.
Recall
Earlier, UNN reported that the Brovary community is actively adapting the educational environment for children with sensory impairments, providing access to special textbooks, technologies, and inclusive programs.
In addition, 12 municipal schools and kindergartens of the Brovary territorial community have created resource rooms for children with special educational needs. These rooms are used for psycho-emotional relief, correctional and developmental classes, as well as for individual and group lessons.
In total, 2,256 children with special educational needs are registered with the Inclusive Resource Center (IRC) in the community, of whom 1,426 are preschoolers and 830 are schoolchildren. To ensure access to education for these children, the community has created numerous inclusive initiatives and accommodations.
