LEVCHYK at the Independent Market from Vsi. Svoi

Last weekend, Ukrainian manufacturers of clothing, shoes, home decor, original jewelry, and craft products traditionally gathered at Desiatynna, 12 Street in Kyiv. The Independent Market was also distinguished by important social topics covered, including the problems of people with autism in Ukraine and the world.

Our LEVCHYK SPECTRUM HUB, a socially important project that helps IDP children with ASD and popularizes the idea of creating an autism-friendly environment in Ukraine, was also presented at the Vsi.Svoi Market on August 26-27. The foundation's team has prepared a series of activities to immerse visitors in the world of people with autism and attract all guests to donate to the LEVCHYK SPECTRUM HUB. 

There was also an information stand on the location, where everyone could learn all about autism: what is ASD, how to understand and properly communicate with those people, etc. At the interactive zone with headphones from the Canyon, you could feel how people with ASD perceive the outside world and themselves. 

During the lecture session, Olga Glyuza, the head of the "Children" project (LEVCHYK and CHILDREN HUB), spoke about the social manifestations of autism, how to build friendly communication with those people, and the world statistics of ASD. 

"Autism is not a disease. It is a human condition, the way of thinking and experiencing the world. The story of each person with ASD is unique. The signs of autism in children can manifest in self-isolation, weak emotional contact with other people, and regression of acquired skills. People with ASD think in pictures and diagrams, not in words. They see details first and feel too much light, sound, touch, and smell.

Being a person with autism means constantly feeling anxious about the unpredictability of life. They may perform repetitive movements — rocking, spinning in place, or waving their arms to calm down. Such actions are called stimming.

The first rule you should follow when communicating with a person with ASD is to respect their personal boundaries and always ask for permission. Communicate in simple sentences if you are not understood — try to draw it, and give your interlocutor time to understand. And always remember that, first and foremost, a human is a person, and then — his diagnosis!" — says Olga.

Olga also gave a lecture to representatives of Ukrainian businesses on how to become autism-friendly and support children with ASD. 

Between the lectures, photos of children with autism who attended the LEVCHYK SPECTRUM HUB classes were presented to all visitors. Black and white photo portraits accompanied by a personal story of each child are part of the exhibition "Eye contact. A view in the spectrum.", which was presented for more than a month in the Lviv Municipal Art Center, and is now located in Creative States in Kyiv.

At the market, anyone could donate to remedial classes for children with ASD at LEVCHYK SPECTRUM HUB using the charity box at the information stand, or in another pleasant way — buy flowers from the "Pryroda" floristic studio. The store donates 60% of the proceeds from the sale of bouquets to support LEVCHYK.

We were glad to see everyone who joined our activities at the Independent Market! We are grateful to all the benefactors who supported fundraising for remedial classes for children on the spectrum. We sincerely hope that the autism  topic becomes a little more widely known, and our society became one step closer to creating an autism-friendly environment in Ukraine!

We express special gratitude to Vadym Stolar for his constant support of the LEVCHYK SPECTRUM HUB project! You can also get involved in supporting children on the autism spectrum by donating to a case or becoming a Spectrum Guardian and spreading the word about autism and the needs of children with ASD. Let's build an inclusive environment in the country together!