Disabilities In Russia Research Articles

Visibility Politics of Disability Representative Civil Society Organizations Pursuing Social Justice in Russia

ABSTRACT The study investigates the visibility politics used by civil society organizations representing persons with disabilities in Russia. The article applies the framework of social injustice developed by Nancy Fraser enabling the distinction of affirmative and transformative visibility politics that allow these actors not only to affirm guaranteed rights but also to promote structural changes. The study is based on the analysis of interviews collected in Russian cities, and information from open sources. It emerges that the reconfiguration of civil society results in civil society organizations implementing mainly affirmative changes although transformative visibility politics challenging ableist assumptions also occurred in the restricted political environment.

Сравнительный анализ государственной социальной политики в отношении инвалидов в России и в Азербайджанской Республике

The article examines the current measures of social policy towards people with disabilities in Russia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, analyzing the current legislation and practices of its implementation in these countries. Disability is interpreted from the perspective of sociological paradigms. The study presents the results of an expert survey conducted in both countries, revealing the satisfaction with social assistance measures for people with disabilities and problems in the fields of education, employment, infrastructure, public transportation, and leisure. The research results showed the need for further efforts to improve the quality of services provided and ensure people with disabilities with social guarantees, benefits, and other measures of state support. The study aimed to uncover the impact of gender stereotypes on the social mobility of people with disabilities, finding that these patterns have a significant influence on both women and men in this group.

Особенности и факторы функционирования семьи с ребенком-инвалидом: социологический анализ

The relevance of the topic is primarily due to the fact that the number of children with disabilities in Russia con-tinues to be quite high, at the same time, insufficient research attention is paid to the functioning of a family with a disabled child. The main results of our work are related to the analysis of the structure of a family with a disabled child, the specifics of its functioning, the existing dysfunctions and their causes, dynamics, characteris-tics and the most important needs of the family, the possibilities of their satisfaction and family support. It is revealed that the analyzed type of families usually relies on their own resources in the functioning and rehabili-tation of the child; incompleteness of the family structure is common. As the child grows up, there is a change in the needs of the family: from medical assistance to domestic assistance. There is an increasing need for assistance in the implementation of such a family of its main functions – reproductive, socialization, economic, caring for family members, etc. To create conditions to support the functioning of a family with a disabled child, it is proposed to develop the digitalization of individual services and the institution of social supervision of the family. The novelty of the study also consists in appealing not so much to the opinions of experts as to the anal-ysis of the experience, judgments, expectations and recommendations of the parents themselves.

Sports for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities in Russia and the Un Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Reality and Prospects

Sports for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities in Russia and the Un Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Reality and Prospects

Отношение студентов Бурятии к инклюзивному образованию

Inclusion issues are becoming increasingly relevant due to the growing number of people with disabilities in Russia. Of particular concern are the processes related to the adaptation of the child population to living and learning conditions in the presence of disability. Inclusive education programs have been implemented in Rus-sia for more than 15 years, but their effectiveness is directly related to the reaction of the social environment to co-study or work with people with disabilities. The article presents some results of a mass survey of students of universities and colleges of Buryatia (2022) to identify their attitudes towards people with disabilities and to as-sess the effectiveness of the introduction of inclusive education in the republic. Based on the analysis of the respondents’ answers, the values of students were identified, as well as the regional issues that cause them the greatest concern. In matters of inclusion, it was revealed that, despite the rather high level of acceptance of this process by young people, there is a problem of low awareness of students of universities and colleges about its goals and objectives, as well as about the barriers and difficulties faced by people with disabilities.

Mechanisms of state support for the rehabilitation of disabled people: problems and directions for their solution

The article is devoted to the analysis of the mechanisms of state support for the rehabilitation of disabled people. Given the limitation of the functional state of people with disabilities, providing them with rehabilitation services is an important component of maintaining and preventing the deterioration of their physical condition and health. In addition, taking into account the limited opportunities for work, rehabilitation and social support measures are an important part of the material support of the disabled and an important measure to prevent poverty among them by the state. The article discusses the main components of the mechanism for the rehabilitation of people with disabilities in Russia, explores the impact of the measures and programs taken on various aspects of the life of people with disabilities. The study led to the conclusion that the current system of organizing the rehabilitation of people with disabilities needs to be improved, taking into account increased attention to the quality of the provision of such services and expanding the very concept of «rehabilitation» by including a professional, psychological and social component in it.

Protection of Housing Rights of Children with Disabilities in the Activities of the Commissioner for Children's Rights (on the Example of the Irkutsk Region)

This paper is devoted to the analysis of the activities of the Commissioner for Children's Rights in the Irkutsk region to protect the housing rights of children with disabilities. The study emphasized that the protection of the rights and legitimate interests of children with disabilities is the most important activity of the Commissioners for the Rights of the Child. We presented the current statistical data of the Federal Register of Disabled People and the Federal State Institution «Main Bureau of Medical and Social Expertise in the Irkutsk region» of the Ministry of Labor of the Russian Federation on the number of children with disabilities in Russia and the Irkutsk region by gender, age and leading causes of childhood disability. The article examined the housing rights of children with disabilities, the conditions and procedure for their provision, as well as an analysis of regulatory legal acts regulating these rights. The article considers the situation on the implementation of the rights of families with children with disabilities who are recognized as in need of housing in the Irkutsk region for 2019–2021 on the basis of statistical information from annual and special reports on the results of the activities of the Commissioner for Children's Rights in the Irkutsk region. The study identified the key problems faced by municipal authorities in the process of providing residential premises and conditions of their accessibility for children with disabilities. We analyzed the proposals of the Commissioner for Children's Rights in the Irkutsk region to resolve these problems and improve the effectiveness of compliance with the housing rights of children with disabilities in the Irkutsk region. The study found that the proposals and solutions to housing issues of children with disabilities formulated by regional ombudsmen are advisory in nature, since they depend largely on the legislative initiative of the federal authorities and their reassessment of the financial and economic capabilities of regions and municipalities.

Внеурочная деятельность детей с выраженными нарушениями интеллекта в России: взгляд изнутри

The purpose of the article is to provide an assessment of the current state of extracurricular activity organization for children with significant intellectual disabilities in Russia using the method of the in-depth semi-structured interview. Scientific novelty lies in the following: the research was carried out within the humanistic sociocultural paradigm, in accordance with the principles of post-non-classical science. The analysis of the obtained data made it possible to make a “cut” of the current state of extracurricular activity, which, as the author hopes, will become the first step to the construction of its scientific picture. The problem of involvement of children with significant intellectual disabilities in extracurricular activity is considered holistically for the first time, including its socio-economic context, value-motivational orientation, and unique experience of the participants. The results are as follows: the research made it possible to reveal some peculiarities of the extracurricular activity of children with significant intellectual disabilities, to outline the range of its participants, its preferred types and forms, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of its current practice. A discrepancy was revealed between the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard for Education of Students with Intellectual Disabilities in respect of the organization of extracurricular activity and its current state.

Aктуальные проблемы и пути решения обеспечения успешной социально-медицинской реабилитации детей-инвалидов

The article reveals the significance of socio-medical rehabilitation of children with disabilities, given data on the existing number of children with disabilities in Russia at the present stage. An analysis of the results of a questionnaire survey of parents of disabled children was performed, aimed at identifying the problems of ensuring successful social and medical rehabilitation of children with disabilities. Particular attention is paid to measures aimed at improving the social and medical rehabilitation of children with disabilities. The purpose of the study was to develop proposals for ensuring the successful social and medical rehabilitation of children with disabilities and social support for families with disabilities. Results and its discussion. In the process of analyzing the results of the questionnaire survey of parents of children with disabilities, the main problems of ensuring the successful social and medical rehabilitation of children with disabilities were identified, primarily with the available problems of their physical and mental health, which complicate the socialization and functioning of such children in A society, as well as the existing problem of the lack of specialists and the insufficient level of knowledge of parents of children with disabilities about the need to implement measures that contribute to improving the quality of life of a child, taking into account his psycho-emotional and physical characteristics. Conclusions. Based on the identified problems and criteria, practical recommendations have been developed aimed at improving the social and medical rehabilitation of children with disabilities.

RISKS OF SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT IN THE FIELD OF AGRICULTURE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN RUSSIA

Purpose. To investigate the risk factors of starting a business in agriculture for entrepreneurs with disabilities in Russia.
 Materials and methods. A survey of 2052 disabled people was conducted (accepted 1979 questionnaires for analysis). A semi-structured personal interview was conducted with 71 respondents with business experience to identify risk factors. Qualitative primary research is based on in-depth interviews with 9 respondents. The respondents had business experience in the field of agriculture.
 Results. The research shows that 31.5% of respondents have business experience. The conducted interview allowed us to identify 12 barriers to starting an entrepreneurial activity, the key ones are: loss of health, problems with sales, fear of losing your own savings, high taxation. In-depth interviewing allowed us to identify nine risk factors: 1. High labor costs with low profitability. 2. Risks of loss of health and active activity of the initiator of the project. 3. Direct or indirect discrimination. 4. Problems of arrangement of daily life and everyday life. 5. Poor level of economic training and education. 6. Insufficient knowledge in the field of marketing and sales. 7. Low level of support for projects by society and the inner circle. 8. Weak information support and broadcasting of positive experience. 9. Increased financial risks of entrepreneurs with disabilities.
 Conclusion. Our clarification of the risks of small business development in the field of agriculture by entrepreneurs with disabilities makes it possible to: increase the effectiveness of state programs to support entrepreneurs with disabilities, improve training programs for entrepreneurs with disabilities and improve the accuracy of financial modeling.

The system of institutional care for children with developmental disabilities in Russia: problems and current results of reforming

IntroductionAs part of the full-sized personal examination of persons, living in residential facilities for mentally disabled people (Kekelidze, 2020) 621 children, living in 3 asylums “for children with mental retardation” of Krasnoyarsk region were examined. In 134 cases diagnosis “Moderate or severe mental retardation” wasn’t confirmed. In 2020 a full examination of 47 children with non-confirmed diagnoses was carried out in one of the asylums.ObjectivesThe main purpose of this investigation is to present the results of this full examination and sum up the main problems of the system of institutional care for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Russia.MethodsClinical and psychological examination, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-II), analysis of pedagogical characteristics.Results Figure 1 presents the results of cluster analysis of WISC-II. In 37 cases diagnoses were reversed to Mild intellectual disability. In one case – 10 y.o. boy - to developmental delay through social-pedagogic neglect.In the beginning of 2021 32 children were transferred to boarding schools with educational programme for children with mild intellectual disabilities. 13 children adapted to new developmental and educational conditions relatively successfully, 4 children – unsuccessfully and were returned to the first institute.ConclusionsThe success of adaptation did not depend on IQ, but on the age of the child and the severity of emotional and behavioral disorders, as well as on the willingness of the institution to provide personalized assistance to the child. The results identify the main problems of the system of institutional care for children with developmental disabilities in Russia.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Адаптация Методики аттитюдов к физической инвалидности на российской выборке

Objective. The Attitudes to Physical Disability Scale (ADS) adaptation.Background. Opinion polls show that in Russia perception of people with disabilities is complex and ambiguous. However, there is still no reliable method for measuring attitudes towards disability in Russia, but attitudes influence people with disabilities’ well-being and their inclusion.Study design. We conducted 2 studies. Within study 1 the original scale items were translated, tested at the stages of cognitive interviews and web-probing and corrected. Then a survey containing only the translated scale was conducted. In study 2 additional scales were included in the questionnaire in order to check the construct validity of the ADS.Participants. Study 1 sample included 627 respondents (45,6% men, Mage=35.99). Study 2 sample included 738 respondents (45,8% men, Mage=36.21).Measurements. During the research a series of cognitive interviews, web-probing and 2 surveys were conducted. Attitudes to Physical Disability Scale, social dominance orientation scale, just world belief scale and «Big Five Inventory» were used.Results. EFA results revealed the 3-factor structure of the Russian ADS version. CFA results indicated that the model has a good fit. Correlation analysis results proved scale construct validity, while high Cronbach’s α score proved its internal consistency.Conclusions. Russian ADS version proved to be a reliable and valid tool for investigating attitudes towards people with disabilities in Russia.

Expanding the meaning of citizenship: "evacuation" of people with disabilities in Russia from the institutions during COVID-19

In the wake of COVID-19, non-profit organizations that focus on providing social support services in Russia consolidated their efforts to take proactive measures to change internaty 1, the system of institutions for people with physical, mental, and intellectual disabilities. As a result of advocacy efforts by the non-profit organizations, 26 people from these institutions were evacuated and provided with temporary assisted housing. The decision to act proactively to prevent the spread of the virus among the residents of the institutions is indicative of the galvanized efforts of the non-profit sector to advocate for deinstitutionalization and assisted living. COVID-19 served as an opportunity for the non-profit organizations to emphasize the need for expediting deinstitutionalization reform. Drawing on media sources, the literature on disability and advocacy in Russia, and the conceptual framework of citizenship, this paper will provide an overview of the internaty system, analyze the legislative context of disability and COVID-19, and discuss the context of deinstitutionalization advocacy in Russia.

Between withdrawal and resistance: parents’ strategies in navigating preschool education in Russia for children with developmental disabilities and autism

Purpose This paper aims to fill the gap in social sciences research on parents’ strategies in navigating preschool education in Russia. It focusses on the barriers that children with developmental disabilities and autism face in preschool education in Russia and highlights the emerging facilitators of inclusive education. Design/methodology/approach It uses a modified labelling approach analysing strategies of withdrawal and resistance. The research included semi-structured interviews with parents of children with Down syndrome, Rett syndrome and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in 2013–2014 and 2018–2019 and semi-structured interviews with professionals in Tatarstan, Russia. The data analysis was based on constructivist methods and grounded theory. Findings Although Russian law guarantees equal access to education for every child and requires the development of inclusive education, children with developmental disabilities, including autism, are often stigmatised at the preschool stage, both in special needs and mainstream institutions. Parents use various strategies to navigate access to preschool education and try more than one strategy from secrecy and withdrawal to resistance. Parents challenged the mainstream educational structures in Kazan and established groups for children with autism in some mainstream kindergartens and classes in mainstream schools. Research limitations/implications There should be informational support for parents with different options for special needs education, providing integrative and inclusive education. It is necessary to increase the number of trained specialists in special needs and mainstream kindergartens in Russia for children with developmental disabilities and ASD. More study is required to overcome stigmatisation and increase tolerance towards persons with developmental disabilities in Russia both on a national and local level. Practical implications The research findings can be useful for countries which have recently recognised ASD and do not have inclusive preschool educational practices and where labelling towards children with developmental disabilities is still common. The study recommends that resources are required to provide free or affordable preschool education for children with developmental disabilities. It is also crucial to help parents navigate preschool education and select the best options for each child’s needs. Social implications This study’s findings add value to the importance of addressing the stigma towards people with disabilities within professional groups and broader society, which form barriers for preschool education and in some cases result in withdrawal from preschool education. To overcome the stigmatisation of children with developmental disabilities in preschool education, it is necessary to establish modern targeted pedagogical approaches and training for professionals and informational campaigns for the broader audience. Originality/value The paper is novel as there was no sociological research into preschool education of children with developmental disabilities in Russia. It argues that the parents’ experiences are much broader than just interactions with special needs or mainstream education. Parents navigate across special needs institutions, specialised groups in mainstream and private kindergartens, mixed groups in mainstream kindergartens and home education with various strategies from secrecy and withdrawal to resistance and challenge. Preschool education for children with developmental disabilities in Russia is hindered by a lack of professional resources and the stigma embedded into professional and societal responses.

PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN TERMS OF THE SPREAD OF THE NEW CORONAVIRUS INFECTION COVID-19

One of the vulnerable categories of the population during a pandemic of coronavirus infection is the disabled, both from the point of view of the high risk of a severe course of the disease, and from the point of view of the possibility of significantly limiting everyday, professional and social activities. The article discusses the regulatory and organizational measures taken to ensure the rights of people with disabilities in Russia to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection. The epidemiological situation and features of the spread of coronavirus in long-term care facilities have been analyzed. The mortality rate from COVID-19 among residents of inpatient institutions in the EU countries ranged from 24 to 80%, in Russia the average mortality rate was 2.34 per 100 patients, in St. Petersburg from 1.4% to 2.2% of the number of people living in dependence on the type of institution. Using the example of one of the stationary social service institutions in St. Petersburg, it has been shown that the timely introduction of a set of organizational measures makes it possible to successfully manage the spread of coronavirus among residents and staff of long-term care institutions.

Employment situation of persons with disabilities in Russia during the the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods

The object of this research is the transformation of the institution for employment opportunities of the persons with disabilities in the context of modernization of the state social policy aimed at increasing the level of their social integration. The subject of this research is the employment situation of persons with disabilities as a result of the transformation of the institution for their employment opportunities. The goal consists is to determine how the changes in the mechanism of functionality of the institution for employment opportunities of persons with disabilities affected their employment situation during the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. The author notes that as a social phenomenon, disability is the consequence of physical and social barriers formed by the society towards its citizens, which do not correspond to the accepted standards of a normal person. The assistance to employment inclusion of the persons with disabilities, as a condition for their successful social adaptation and integration, is one of the priority vectors in social policy of the state. The main results consist in the following: determination of the towards an increase in the share of persons with disabilities of working age on the background of the continuing decline in their overall number; emergence of positive changes in functionality of the mechanism of the institution for employment opportunities of persons with disabilities, namely the growing number of disabled people employed by the job center; no effect of these changes upon the employment situation of the persons with disabilities of discredited stigmatization. The author believes that the transformation of the institution of employment of the persons with disabilities affected only thee category, which does not have external manifestations of disability. The persons with visible disabilities still do not feel the positive impact of changes in the institution of employment. The novelty of this research consists in establishing correlation between the increase of the share of employed persons with disabilities and changes in the institution for employment opportunities and proving the fact that these changes have no effect upon the employment situation of persons with disabilities of discredited stigmatization. The scientific value of the acquired results lies in broadening the range of research fields towards the problem of employment of persons with disabilities of discredited stigmatization.

Analysis of the provision of mental health services in orphanages for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities in Russia

Aim. The aim of this study was to analyze the main problems of provision of mental health services in orphanages for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities in Russia.
 Methods. A cohort cross-sectional study was conducted in 23 orphanages, in which 2853 pupils live.
 Results. There was determined a structure of psychotic disorders among children of psycho-neurological orphanages. Prevalence of mental disorders among this group was: mild intellectual disability 56 (1.96%) people, moderate intellectual disability 967 (33.89%), severe intellectual disability 1079 (37.82%), profound intellectual disability 429 (15.04%). Clinical and psychopathological examination of 1730 pupils was carried out. The most prominent problems of psychiatric care in in orphanages for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities were identified as: inconsistency of the psychiatric diagnosis and the actual condition of the child 289 (16.71%), a mismatch between the prescribed psychopharmacotherapy and the clinical picture 378 (21.85%), polypharmacy 344 (19.88%, or 35.61% of all receiving psychopharmacotherapy).
 Conclusion. The necessity of developing non-pharmacological approaches in tackling the problems associated with the provision of mental health services in orphanages was shown.

Lessons of the pandemic as an incentive to modernize the support system for people with disabilities

The relevance of this study is determined by the need for an objective assessment of changes in the socio-economic situation of the population most vulnerable categories, in particular persons with disabilities, during the coronavirus pandemic. The past 2020 was marked by large-scale changes in the daily life of the population, especially its vulnerable categories. People with disabilities have experienced stress not only due to the need for self-isolation, but also due to a decrease in the availability and quality of critical areas of life. The purpose of this work is to formulate proposals aimed at improving social policy in relation to people with disabilities in Russia, taking into account the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. The information base of the work was formed by the results of a sociological survey, demonstrating the changes that have occurred during the coronavirus pandemic in the financial situation of people with disabilities, the availability of health care and social protection services for them, psychological state and behavior. It is shown how much the help of volunteers and distance selling were in demand during this period on the part of the disabled. It was found that disabled people living alone were less likely to notice the impact of the pandemic and the introduced quarantine measures on their lives. Among the answers of the lonely respondents, there was also a large share of negative assessments which showed us that society is not ready for integration, the possibility of an independent life, and the media activities in terms of covering the problems which people with disabilities have. The novelty of the study is in identifying the differentiation of the reaction of people with disabilities to a pandemic situation, depending on the type of disabilities observed in them, as well as on the influence of the living alone factor. It is also substantiated that during the period of self-isolation, distance selling played a compensatory role, reducing the tension of the problem with the inaccessibility of the environment for the disabled. On the basis of empirical data, it was confirmed that the period of the pandemic was associated with a decrease in the accessibility of services in the field of health care and social protection for people with disabilities. In the final part of the study, recommendations were formulated regarding the improvement of the social support existing system for people with disabilities, taking into account the experience of the changes that occurred in the life of the group during the coronavirus pandemic.

The financial mechanism for ensuring social policy of the state for persons with disabilities

Overcoming negative trends in the social development of society becomes the most important task of state and municipal government in the formation of a social protection system for a socially oriented state. The article discusses the tools of state financial support and the financial mechanism for implementing the state social policy for persons with disabilities in Russia.

Equal access to education for students with disabilities in Russia: concept, problems, and a variety of solutions

The beginning of the 21st century is the period of updating and designing the modern educational system in Russia. A new regulatory and legal framework has been created for the functioning of a unified education system (law regarding education, federal educational standards and exemplary educational programs). It ensures equal access to education in different settings at all levels of education (primary, basic secondary) for every child with a disability, taking into account their capabilities and educational needs. In the article, the authors present conceptual foundations and problems related to the educational integration of students with disabilities in Russia