Humanity and professional support: paralegal helps a resettled woman in the process of establishing a disability

Publication date: June 16, 2023

Tamara’s* question, which she addressed to the paralegal of the NGO “Ukrainian Paralegal Association” Nataliia Horvasiuk, concerned the establishment of disability…

The woman said that she is an IDP and now lives in the Chernivtsi oblast. She lives with her child in a shelter for displaced persons in one of the local communities, while her husband remained in the front-line territory. Tamara’s situation is not easy: her child has a medical report with a diagnosis of mental retardation and needs constant outside care. At the same time, the woman herself now needs care, as she has serious problems with her eyes and plans to establish a visual disability.

Tamara wanted to know from the paralegal how to establish a disability and which local organizations could provide care support for herself and her child during treatment. According to the woman, she had already turned to volunteers, local self-government bodies, and local representatives of the free legal aid system. The last institution consulted her, but could not help with anything else; in the local self-government bodies, it was noted that her question concerns the competence of medical institutions.

After understanding the situation, the paralegal provided the woman with information support.

• Information support includes constant advisory support at every stage of problem-solving. Every time Tamara has an obstacle, I provide her with information about a possible solution, explains Nataliia Horvasiuk.

In addition, the paralegal provided as much information as possible regarding housing for displaced persons in their community and in the oblast.

• This is a list of contacts of persons and organizations that deal with the placement of IDPs in the community and in the oblast center, so that at the time of treatment of a woman in a hospital, she can be closer to the hospital, which is less expensive for her, Nataliia Horvasiuk clarifies.

She also explained to Tamara the algorithm of actions for establishing disability.

• Currently, the client is waiting for her turn for treatment at the inpatient regional hospital. But her issue is in a painful state, as she is still solving the problem of establishing a disability, says the paralegal.

Also, the paralegal adds that Tamara still has a long way to go for treatment and finding finances. But one thing is obvious: on this path, the displaced woman is not alone, at every step unknown to her, the woman has the humanity and professional support of the paralegal.

*Name has been changed for ethical reasons.

The material was created with the support of the international charity platform GlobalGiving and the Legal Empowerment Fund (Fund for Global Human Rights program) and the Legal Development Network. The content of the publication is solely the responsibility of the Legal Development Network and does not necessarily reflect the views of the previously mentioned organizations.

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