The Ukrainian Red Cross is expanding its network of first aid instructors to deliver training for people with physical disabilities

Odesa region has become the fifth region in Ukraine to host a Ukrainian Red Cross instructor training course focused on working with people with physical disabilities. From 17 to 19 July, 15 Ukrainian Red Cross first aid instructors took part in a professional development workshop in Odesa.

Over the course of three days, participants strengthened their knowledge and enhanced their practical skills in working with people with physical disabilities. The programme covered effective communication with wheelchair users, people with limb amputations, and people with visual or hearing impairments; creating safe and inclusive learning environments; the use of assistive and prosthetic devices; and hands-on first aid practice.

Participants also practised responding to medical emergencies, performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), providing assistance in cases of airway obstruction, bleeding and traumatic injuries, as well as the safe transportation of injured people. The training concluded with practical sessions on delivering accessible first aid courses for people with physical disabilities and tailoring training programmes to meet the needs of this target group.

Nadiia Yamnenko, Master Trainer in First Aid and Head of the First Aid Programme at the Ukrainian Red Cross, emphasised that first aid skills are essential not only during wartime but also in everyday life. She stressed that such knowledge should be accessible to everyone.

“It is very important that people with physical disabilities are able to apply first aid skills in ways that take their individual needs into account. That is why, since the beginning of the year, we have been providing professional development training for our instructors across different regions of Ukraine, enabling them to deliver first aid training to this target group. This forms part of our programme supporting veterans as an element of socio-economic recovery and is also our contribution to the development of barrier-free education,” said Nadiia Yamnenko.

Maryna Cherkashyna, Head of the Training Sector within the Ukrainian Red Cross First Aid Unit, highlighted that one of the programme’s key objectives is to challenge stereotypes about the abilities of people with physical disabilities and prepare instructors to work confidently with this target group.

“Our goal is to challenge the misconception that people with physical disabilities cannot help in emergency situations. In reality, they can not only provide first aid but also coordinate the actions of others. Similar training has already been delivered in several regions of Ukraine, and we plan to expand it to every region of the country,” said Maryna Cherkashyna.

She also noted that instructors from Kyiv, as well as the Donetsk, Dnipro, and Zaporizhzhia regions, have already completed the training. Similar workshops will gradually be held in all regional centres across Ukraine.

Kateryna Amelina, First Aid Programme Manager at the Odesa regional branch of the Ukrainian Red Cross, explained that participants learned about the specific needs of wheelchair users, people with limb amputations, and people with visual or hearing impairments, while also developing skills to adapt teaching methods to meet the needs of each group.

“Most of this information is new to the participants, which is why they are highly motivated to apply it in practice. Working with people with physical disabilities is one of the Ukrainian Red Cross’s priority areas because we are committed to making first aid training accessible to everyone,” concluded Kateryna Amelina.

The knowledge and practical skills gained during the training will enable instructors to deliver first aid courses adapted to the needs of people with physical disabilities, contributing to the development of a barrier-free environment, strengthening community preparedness for emergencies, and expanding access to life-saving knowledge.