Skip to main content

The Language of Behavior

prepared with the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation within the competition programme “Resilience of Society through Culture”

Application No. 9SRC21-35672

Lot 2. A Barrier-Free Society

Project type: Individual

Project title in English: The Language of Behavior

Geography of project implementation

  • Ukraine

Project start: 2026-05-16

Project end (including final reporting): 2026-10-01

Project duration in months: 4.5

Lot priorities that the Project meets:

  • Support for innovative initiatives.
  • Development and dissemination of inclusive cultural content.
  • Implementation of projects using inclusive and trauma-informed cultural practices.
  • Support for public events and social information campaigns.

«The Language of Behavior» is an inclusive artistic and educational documentary film that reveals the behavior of a child with a disability as a form of their communication and cultural interaction with the environment. The project shows how educators, psychologists, social workers, behavior-analysis specialists, and parents can learn to “read” the behavior of a neurodivergent child, understand its causes, and — without coercion — build new behavioral skills while respecting the dignity and needs of every child. The project combines artistic documentary filmmaking with an educational component, shaping a new culture of inclusion, responsible parenting, and professional interaction in the field of education and social support.

The uniqueness of the «The Language of Behavior» project lies in combining documentary filmmaking, educational content, and the principles of barrier-free access in a format almost absent from the Ukrainian cultural space. Unlike traditional documentaries about disability, which often focus on compassion or overcoming existing obstacles, the Project proposes to shift the focus from the “problem child” to the environment and the way adults interact with the child.

  1. A child’s behavior is regarded as a «language of needs» rather than a «deviation,» which is innovative for the mainstream cultural narrative. Innovative aspects of the Project:

Behavior as cultural communication. For the first time in Ukrainian documentary cinema, the Project systematically presents the behavior of a child with a disability as a form of communication and cultural interaction that a broad audience can understand.

  1. Combining art and evidence-based practices. The film integrates modern professional approaches (in particular, non-violent behavioral methods) into an artistic documentary form without oversimplification.
  2. Changing the role of the viewer. The viewer does not remain a passive observer but undergoes a transformation of their own perceptions — from judgment to understanding and empathy.
  3. Barrier-free language and presentation. Complex topics are presented in simple, ethical, and accessible language that reduces informational and mental barriers (in the «Concept» annex the applicant provides the professional titles of 25 thematic episodes, as well as their translation into accessible language for the general public).
  4. Focus on the process rather than the result. The innovation lies in abandoning «success stories» as an end in themselves and instead showing the real process of learning, mistakes, and gradual change.
  5. Educational potential of a cultural product. The film is conceived not only as a work of art but also as a tool for further education, discussion, and the formation of barrier-free interaction practices.

Brief information about the project in English, including its goal and results (up to 100 words)

“The Language of Behavior” is an inclusive artistic and educational documentary film that explores the behavior of a child with a disability as a form of communication and cultural interaction with their environment. The project demonstrates how educators, psychologists, social workers, behavior analysts, and parents can learn to “read” the behavior of a neurodivergent child, understand its underlying causes, and, without coercion, develop new behavioral skills while respecting the dignity and needs of every child. The project combines artistic documentary filmmaking with an educational component, fostering a new culture of inclusion, responsible parenting, and professional collaboration in the fields of education and social support.

Project goals:

  1. Goal: enabling persons with disabilities to develop and use their creative, artistic, and intellectual potential by creating a cultural and educational product in the form of the documentary film «The Language of Behavior» with a total running time of 60 minutes.

  2. Goal: distribution of the documentary film «The Language of Behavior».

Target audiences of the Project

Qualitative indicators:

The direct target audience of the «The Language of Behavior» project comprises people who interact directly with children with disabilities and influence the formation of their educational, social, and cultural environment. The direct target audience includes:

A) Parents and guardians of children with disabilities: are in a state of emotional and informational overload; are looking for ethical, non-violent methods of interaction; are interested in practical, comprehensible content.

B) Inclusive-education teachers and their assistants: work with children with special educational needs; need examples of real practice; face professional burnout and a lack of resources.

C) Psychologists and social workers: are interested in an interdisciplinary approach; look for cultural tools for educational work; work with families in crisis.

D) Behavior analysts and specialists of inclusive and rehabilitation centers: need high-quality Ukrainian-language content; use audiovisual materials in their work with families.

Expected qualitative changes: raising the general level of understanding of the behavior of children with disabilities; reducing fear and stigmatization in society; forming non-violent models of interaction with neurodivergent children; increasing the professional confidence of specialists; emotional support for parents of children with disabilities.

Indirect audience of the Project

Qualitative indicators:

The indirect target audience of the «The Language of Behavior» project comprises groups that do not work directly with children with disabilities on a daily basis but influence the formation of social attitudes, cultural policy, educational practices, and the level of a barrier-free environment. The indirect target audience includes:

A) A broad cultural audience: documentary-film viewers; people interested in socially significant topics; speakers who shape public opinion and mental attitudes.

B) Students of pedagogical, psychological, social, and artistic specialities: future specialists who will shape an inclusive environment; open to new models of thinking and practice.

C) Cultural managers, curators, and educators: make decisions about programmes, screenings, and events; influence the accessibility of inclusive content.

D) Representatives of local self-government and educational policy: shape the conditions for implementing barrier-free solutions; are interested in applied cultural tools.

E) Civil-society organizations and initiatives: work in the fields of culture, education, and human rights; are able to scale the Project’s impact.

Expected qualitative changes: forming an empathetic attitude toward children with disabilities; reducing stereotypes and fears; raising the culture of barrier-free communication; sparking interest in inclusion as part of the cultural process; readiness to support inclusive initiatives.

Project team

Alla Serhiivna Moskalets

Behavior analyst who provides the scientific and psychological support of the Project, helping to correctly cover the topic of working with neurodivergent children, and who supports participants at all stages of the Project’s implementation. She also provides recommendations on editing and voice-over text to avoid triggers for the audience. Her collaboration with the sound engineers on selecting a musical accompaniment that will not cause additional stress in people with mental disorders is very important to the project.

Roman Mykhailovych Barabash

Director, who provides the artistic concept, leads the creative process, and oversees all stages of creating the documentary film; he also selects filming locations and coordinates visual solutions with the director of photography. His work with the consulting psychologist on the film’s elements relating to persons with disabilities and on the correct portrayal of this topic is important.

Maksym Lavrentiiovych Hutsu

Director of photography, responsible for the visual solution of the Project, creating frame compositions, lighting, and the artistic quality of the footage. Works in close collaboration with the director and the art department to achieve a cinematic style. Selects and arranges the rental of filming equipment.

Viktor Stanislavovych Pohorielov

Producer (Project manager), responsible for overall management, coordination of all stages of implementation, resource control, and communication between participants and partners. Agreeing terms of cooperation and formalizing contractual relations. Discussing and drawing up a schedule of regular team meetings, approving a system for monitoring the completion of work stages, and creating a shared base of access to working materials for the team.

Oksana Oleksandrivna Hunko

Scriptwriter (copywriter, editor), responsible for creating the concept and scripts of the documentary film, adapting the material to the real conditions of filming, and collaborating with the director, the psychology consultant, and the post-production team.

Alina Serhiivna Ivanenko

Consultant-methodologist. Together with Alla Moskalets, she is responsible for the methodological accuracy of the scripts of the educational videos and supports participants and their families during the filming stage of the Project: she ensures an ethical approach to filming and records the narrative.