Russia pledges to better assist its disabled citizens

From Russia Today July 11:

About 14.5 million disabled people live in Russia, according to figures from the Ministry of Health and Social Development. Many endure lonely lives in isolation. A lack of facilities as well as poor access to public amenities means many are unable to venture outside. But the state is beginning to take steps to improve the lives Russia’s disabled people.

Many disabled people in Russia can’t get jobs or an education and some are trapped in their flats 24 hours a day.

Unlike countless others, teenager Zhenya Shirkina is trying to “act just like a normal person, just like everybody else,” as she says. Born without arms, Zhenya is an A grade student in all her subjects, but it's art and drawing which is her speciality – and she does everything with her toes. She doesn’t venture much further than school and home, but says she isn’t worried what people think of her. However, her family know they can’t shield her from the harsh realities of life forever.

But this reality may change for the better in the near future because there are signs the government is starting to recognise the plight of the disabled.

At a special meeting last month Russian President Dmitry Medvedev pledged to offer more support to disabled people, and not just financial.

“We need to drastically and fully reconsider the way disabled people are treated in our society. For quite a long time no one talked about it at all. At the moment though, the situation is changing. The state must make this one of its priorities,” Medvedev said.

Promising words, but there’s a lot to do before conditions change. At the moment people with disabilities are invisible in Russia, isolated in homes or shelters.

Walk down any city street and you’d be pushed to spot a wheelchair or someone who’s blind or has Downs syndrome.

According to Natalya Prisetskaya, the main challenge is tackling social prejudice. Natalya was banned from boarding a flight to Vladikavkaz by Russian Airline S7, just as she was about to get on the plane. She says she'd followed all necessary procedures when checking in and can’t understand why it happened.”

I consider this to be discrimination. I was not allowed to board the plane only because I was in a wheelchair. I was refused just for that. Tomorrow, someone else might be refused because of nationality or colour of skin,” said Prisetskaya.

Natalya was forced to fly from another airport and now intends to file a lawsuit against S7, although they insist they were simply following regulations, as S7 company representative Irina Kolesnikova explained: ”Transportation of disabled people in wheelchairs or on stretchers is only done in the presence of a person to accompany them. An airline has the right to deny such persons transportation in case the aircraft is not properly equipped for such passengers.”

And it’s not just flying that causes problems for disabled people. A lack of ramps means the metro system is off limits as is most other public transport, many theatres and museums.

But the difficulty of getting around is just the tip of the iceberg. MP Aleksander Lomakin-Rumyantsev, Head of the All-Russia Society of People With Disabilities, says there are too many problems that have piled up over the years.

“These people have very low pensions. It’s practically impossible to find a job. Getting an education is a challenge. But the main thing is society’s failure to adequately understand disabled people’s problems,” he said.

And unlike in the West, overcoming these issues is something Russia is only just beginning to explore. It’s a start, though, and may lead to much-needed improvements in conditions for Russia’s future generations of disabled people.