FOSTERING INTERACTION SKILLS WITH PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN SOCIAL WORKERS AND MEDICAL STAFF: BASIC PRINCIPLES

Abstract

The study shows that interaction competence with people with disabilities represent a multidimensional professional competence of medical staff, psychologists, and social workers, which integrates communication skills, ethical attitudes, emotional regulation, and adaptability. Although elements of disability-competent interaction are formally present in undergraduate and postgraduate curricula, these skills cannot be reduced to standardised protocols, as effective interaction requires flexible responses to individual needs, functional diversity, and situational constraints. Their development is largely dependent on practical experience, training, and simulation-based learning, highlighting the need for systematic practice-oriented integration within higher education. Despite richer practical experience in Polish higher education and recent curricular innovations in Ukraine, substantial gaps remain. Ukrainian undergraduate medical curricula demonstrate a lack of inclusive communication training and psychological self-reflection modules, while psychology and social work programmes include selected components of disability-competent interaction that are not embedded as a coherent educational philosophy. In addition to technical knowledge deficits, persistent implicit biases and deficit- oriented perceptions of disability among students and staff significantly affect interaction quality. Problem-focused models of interaction continue to dominate, potentially undermining autonomy and trust, whereas person-centred approaches improve professional relationships and engagement.