On September 17, the Ivano-Frankivsk National Academic Drama Theater opened a photo exhibition “Time to Step into the Light”. The exhibition is part of the eponymous information campaign of the League of the Strong public union. The main goal of the campaign is to motivate people with disabilities and their families to accept themselves, overcome internal barriers, and speak up for their needs and rights.
“In August 2023, the League of the Strong conducted a study on the perception of people with disabilities in Ukraine. Its results showed that 50% of Ukrainians rarely or almost never see people with disabilities in public places. This is largely due to the physical barriers that exist in Ukrainian cities. But the other side of the problem is our perception of disability. One of the tasks of this information campaign is to change it and encourage people with disabilities to voice their needs and live actively,” says Maria Orynchak, communications manager of the League of the Strong NGO.
Previously, the exhibition was presented at the railway stations of Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil, Cherkasy, Pidvolochysk, Chortkiv, Kolomyia, Yaremche, and the Shumsk City Council building. The Frankivsk Drama Theater is the ninth location where the photographs have been exhibited.
“We try, as I say, to be at the forefront of the processes that take place in society: whether political, socio-political, or processes that affect other aspects of our lives. Everything that concerns the attitude towards people with disabilities, or some other segments of the population that are stereotypically different, is a big problem in our society. This is a post-Soviet narrative, when we were not taught to talk about it, or vice versa, we were taught to turn a blind eye to it,” said theater director Rostyslav Derzhypilsky.
The heroes of the photo exhibition are 10 people with disabilities from Cherkasy, Ternopil, and Ivano-Frankivsk regions. Personal photo shoots were organized for each participant. The photo composition is based on the play of light and shadows. This emphasis was made to show that it is time for people with disabilities to come out into the light and speak up about their problems and needs. For many of the participants, it was their first experience of participating in a professional shoot.
Among the heroes of the photo exhibition from Ivano-Frankivsk region is 15-year-old Zlata Magomedova. Before the outbreak of the full-scale war, Zlata and her mother lived in Lyman, Donetsk Oblast. The family left their hometown on April 5, and a few days later a rocket hit their house. The family found shelter in the west, in one of the church communities. Today the family lives in Ivano-Frankivsk.
“I am very glad to have taken part in this project. It was my first photo shoot and I am very pleased with it. I worked hard and communicated with the team, told my story on camera and posed for photos,” Zlata recalls.
The photo exhibition “Time to Come Out” is being implemented as part of the Empower Ukraine project. It aims to improve living conditions for people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups in Ternopil, Cherkasy, and Ivano-Frankivsk regions.
“We started cooperation with the League of the Strong NGO in 2023 to study the availability of mental health services in Ivano-Frankivsk region, and in 2024, the FrankoLytics team deepened cooperation with the League of the Strong as part of the Empower Ukraine project in Ivano-Frankivsk region. As part of the Empower Ukraine project, we are currently advocating for an inclusive approach to the provision of social services, supporting people with disabilities and their families with direct assistance, distributing assistive devices, providing transportation services, and organizing trainings for local governments and CSOs. But it is also important to provide public support – to talk about the rights and needs of vulnerable groups, to encourage everyone to take an active part in public life, to influence and create change. This is exactly the goal of this exhibition,” adds Olha Maksymovych, director of the Carpathian Institute of Analytics ‘FrankoLytics’ and regional coordinator of the ‘League of the Strong’ in Ivano-Frankivsk region.
The exhibition will run at the Ivano-Frankivsk Drama Theater until October 1. You can learn more about the stories of its heroes on the League of the Strong’s YouTube channel and social media.
The photo exhibition “Time to Step into the Light” is part of the Empower Ukraine project with the financial support of the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO), CBM, and the European Forum for People with Disabilities. The views expressed during the campaign are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the financial partners.