Ability Beyond Disability

The action was an awareness-raising project involving various Ukrainian non-governmental organizations. Through two-days long seminars and several short sessions, Viktoria shared her knowledge and experience in strategic development with the young people at Lviv Educational Foundation. Therefore, she organized an inclusive space within the frame of the Lviv Urban Workshop, where the hosts presented different activities on the topics of disability, inclusion, and accessibility. The event lasted for 4 days and included the exhibition of interactive materials, such as writing in Braille, playing inclusive chess, cycling on tandem bikes with eyes closed, etc. The highlight of the latter event was an Inclusive excursion around Lviv City. Besides, Viktoria initiated a Cycling Marathon with the participation of blind people that required fundraising and planning for three months. Apart from helping other people, the fellowship gave Viktoriya the opportunity to build-capacity for herself; the award enabled her to participate in the international three-day workshops on Art of Participatory Leadership in Denmark and The Art of Hosting Societal Innovation in the Netherlands.

The project reached more than 100+ young beneficiaries of the Lviv Educational Foundation and trained them in strategic development. Hence, the action raised public awareness of the major challenges faced by people with disabilities (PwDs) through discussions, interactive sessions, and exhibitions. Victoria’s 3-month long wholehearted attempt to organize the Tandem Cycling Marathon with the participation of blind people has paid off, as she managed to receive additional financial support from the US Embassy in Ukraine and made this idea possible. Thus, Victoria herself enhanced her personal and professional skills through learning facilitation tools about the Art of Hosting from the professionals in Denmark and the Netherlands.