The series "People with War Experience. Dignity. Interaction" teaches you how to interact correctly with veterans and active military personnel. Over the course of 11 episodes, you will learn about the peculiarities of communication in the family, among friends, and simply in a store, park, or public place, as well as what can distinguish a person with combat experience, what states and reactions they may have. The best Ukrainian experts give recommendations on how to help veterans and military personnel seek psychological help if necessary.
How to interact correctly with veterans who have a noticeable disability is described in the fourth episode of the educational series "People with War Experience. Dignity. Interaction." It can be viewed on the platform Action.Education or on the YouTube channel «"How are you?"»
Behaving the same as you would with any other person is the main principle of communication. Special actions may be needed only to make the time spent together more convenient and comfortable for both interlocutors.
If a veteran with visual impairment allows himself to be led, it is enough to put up an elbow for support, having previously asked which side is better to stand on.
With a soldier who has difficulty hearing, you should speak louder, but never shout. And address the person directly, even if they are assisted by a sign language interpreter.
And if a stranger or someone you barely know makes a joke about their disability and you're confused, it's worth honestly saying that it was unexpected and you don't know how to react.
Such a joke can indicate that the veteran sees you as someone they can trust. And that is very valuable.
The educational series was created at the initiative of the Ministry of Digital Affairs within the thematic wave "Veterans' Experience is Worthy of Respect" of the communication campaign "How Are You?" of the All-Ukrainian Mental Health Program - an initiative of the First Lady Olena Zelenska with the support of the Coordination Center for Mental Health of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the public organization "Bezbariernist" and the Visa company - a member of the "Business Without Barriers" community for the platform «"Action.Education"».