Because of the Russian Federation’s military aggression against Ukraine, the number of people with spinal cord injuries keeps growing, and it is the active rehabilitation camps that are meant to help those with severe spinal cord injuries who use a wheelchair adapt to their new circumstances.
Understanding the challenges facing our country and the need to train instructors with the right skills for active rehabilitation camps, the All-Ukrainian Association of Persons with Disabilities «Group for Active Rehabilitation», together with Fundacja Aktywnej Rehabilitacji (FAR) and with the financial support of CBM Christian Blind Mission and the European Disability Forum within the League of the Strong project, is running an active rehabilitation camp in Poland for people from Ukraine with spinal cord injuries who use wheelchairs. The camp takes place from 19 to 27 April at COS OPO Spała, the Olympic training centre in Spała, Poland.
The experience of our Polish colleagues is extremely important to us: since 1988 the Foundation for Active Rehabilitation has been running a comprehensive programme of social and professional activation for people with permanent spinal cord injuries who use wheelchairs. It is a non-governmental organisation created on the initiative of people with spinal cord injuries, by wheelchair users for wheelchair users — so it understands their needs and their capabilities thoroughly.
During the camp the participants get the chance to master the methodology of organising training at AR camps, improve their active-type wheelchair skills and learn how to prepare lectures and activities for camps for participants in Ukraine.
The camp programme includes wheelchair skills, general physical training, aerobics, swimming, boccia, archery and ball exercises, along with talks on personal hygiene, urology, intimate life, the active-type wheelchair and much more.
Once it is over we will certainly share our impressions and results, and very soon we will announce a camp in Ukraine.
