I first heard about the inclusive approach at a conference in Bristol, and I was surprised. In Ukraine, "inclusion" usually means access to ordinary education for people with disabilities, and that is how I understood it. Then I heard a completely different meaning: inclusion as equal access for everyone, regardless of language, age, status, previous experience or country of origin.
And I realised that I had been creating inclusive products for a long time. I just had not called it that.
Everyone can understand
It has never mattered to me who my student is by education or profession. I present the material so that everyone can understand it. And if not the first time, they can take the course again and again, as many times as they need, at no extra cost.
Money has never been the goal of my work. I even thought of making the course free. But experience showed that people who got access for free often did not reach the finish line, because real education is a conscious choice, not a random action. I do not sell videos. I guide people along the way, so it matters to me that they are ready to go.
My greatest joy is not profit. It is when a student gets a job, starts a business, or simply says: "I believe in myself again."
In your own language
My first truly inclusive course, in the British sense, was created in Ukrainian for Ukrainian accountants who had come to the UK. The result was incredible: many people understood the structure of British accounting for the first time, others could finally use their experience, and some started their own businesses.
Now I study English at college alongside refugees from Syria, Iran and Afghanistan. I see how hard it is for them. And I thought: if I gave Ukrainians an advantage by explaining the material in their native language, why not do the same for others?
That is how the idea of translating the courses was born. I looked for resources, people and volunteers. One of the first languages I added was Polish, as a sign of gratitude to the Polish people for supporting Ukrainians. Then Arabic, Persian and English.
Since childhood I have remembered the story of the Tower of Babel: how languages were mixed, people stopped understanding each other and never reached the sky. And I often think: what if it were different? What if we started to understand each other again, at least through the language of education? Perhaps we would all rise a little higher.
What if we started to understand each other again, at least through the language of education? Perhaps we would all rise a little higher.
