Peculiarities of activity of specialists of socionomic profile with children and youth with visual impairments

The article is devoted to the problem of work of specialists in the socioconomic sphere with children and youth with visual impairments. The authors of the article have established that in Ukraine in recent years there has been a negative trend towards an increase in the number of people with visual impairments, which is due to various reasons. Therefore, there is an urgent need to expand and improve rehabilitation services, improve medical care, and provide social and psychological support to people with visual impairments. It has been established that today children and young people with visual impairments in Ukraine require special attention to address the issues of their socialisation and adaptation to the world around them, as they have difficulties in playing, learning, mastering professional activities, and everyday problems that lead to the emergence of negative personality traits. The need to improve the forms and methods of activity of socionomic specialists (social workers, social educators, psychologists) with children and youth with visual impairments is identified. Such specialists should have general theoretical and special professional knowledge, be able to recognise psychophysical dysfunctions, use techniques and methods of their correction, special methods of teaching children and youth with visual impairments. The authors of the article have found out that socionomic specialists should use various forms and methods of work with children and young people with visual impairments, in particular: socio-pedagogical patronage, psychocorrectional work, individual and group consultations, socio-psychological support and many others. All these forms and methods of work of specialists should be aimed at social adaptation and rehabilitation of children and youth with visual impairments.