On May 16, Lviv Polytechnic opened an inclusive educational space Without Limits, which operates on the basis of the Veteran Development Center and the International Centre for Professional Partnerships, the Institute of the Humanities and Social Sciences.
The space was created within the framework of the project «Better technical skills and inclusive conditions for the personnel development in the mechanical engineering sector of Ukraine» with the assistance of the USAID Project «Economic Support of Ukraine» and with the support of the International Organization for Migration under the project «Path of Resilience: Increasing the Resilience of Ukrainians by Strengthening the Potential of Psychosocial support for veterans».
The Tech StartUp School, the Veteran Development Center and the Department of Sociology and Social Work, the Institute of the Humanities and Social Sciences, became the initiators of the creation of an inclusive space on the part of the University.
The Center is equipped with unique inclusive equipment that enables students with visual impairments and musculoskeletal disorders to study alongside students without disabilities that ensures inclusiveness of their education. In particular, the Center has 15 places for visually impaired and blind people, 8 places for people in wheelchairs and 15 places for students without special educational needs. The possibility to learn educational materials for the visually impaired is provided by two video magnifiers, thanks to which a student can adjust the brightness and color of the text, as well as enlarge it according to his needs. In general, the Center can provide study places for a group of up to 38 students, in particular for male and female veterans and defenders of Ukraine.
Today’s challenges, caused by Russian aggression against Ukraine, prompt the academic community of the University to search for innovative technologies in the educational process for people who will return after victory from the front, especially for those who have inclusive learning needs, which can ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of their professional and economic inclusion.
As for the unique equipment for students with visual impairments, Tetiana Shapovalova, head of the Veteran Development Center and Without Limits Space, showed the functionality of the teacher’s workplace. The provided opportunities ensure both the effectiveness of learning for the visually impaired student and for the teacher who provides this learning process.
