"I became calm"
Lera is 23 years old, she grew up in an orphanage, and when she left it, she moved to the state rehabilitation center for the disabled in Kaluga.
Soon it was closed, the girl received an apartment, but it turned out that she could not live on her own: she could not cook, wash, earn money and keep financial records.
A difficult situation for Lera was complicated by serious damage to her eyes and hearing.
Two years ago, Lera moved to an apartment for accompanied living for people with disabilities, which was organized by the House of the Deafblind in the village of Puchkovo near Moscow.
This center is engaged in helping adult deaf-blind, blind and deaf people.
“I am wearing a cap with earflaps from the USSR” - this is how Lera signed this photo on her page.
© Photo from personal archive
During the time that Lera lives in an apartment, she learned to serve herself in everyday life, made friends and found a dream - the girl wants to become a photographer and work in a fashion magazine.
Now Lera is being helped to graduate from school - this year she will take final exams.
In the orphanage, the girl could not get a secondary basic education.
In parallel with her studies, she works in a fish restaurant: she cuts and packs fish, and then delivers it.
“When I moved to this apartment, my life changed completely for the better.
I became calm, I learned how to cook all sorts of tasty things, ”says Lera in sign language, standing at the stove on which syrniki are fried in a frying pan.
In addition to Lera, three other wards of the House of the Deaf-Blind live in the apartment, as well as their mentor Nastya.
Her task is to teach girls to take care of themselves in everyday life: wash, cook, clean, count money, solve everyday issues.
Wards and employees of the House of the Deafblind in the theater on the International White Cane Day.
Nastya is on the far right in the bottom row.
© Photo from personal archive
Nastya also has visual and hearing impairments, although this is not noticeable at first glance.
The girl wears two hearing aids, without them she can hardly hear.
In addition, she sees a tunnel - she has no lateral vision.
Most of the center's employees, like Nastya, also have hearing or vision disabilities.
This is the principle of the institution's work: best of all, deaf-blind, blind and deaf people will be helped by those who themselves know about their features.
In addition, this is how the center helps people with disabilities to officially find a job.
"All this time I was there"
A tall girl in a beige knitted dress enters the kitchen - this is Rita, another inhabitant of the apartment.
She almost completely lost her hearing and vision as a result of the birth injury.
Nastya recalls that when Rita drove into the apartment, she did not know how to look after herself and even navigate the street.
At the same time, the girl had to go to classes at the House of the Deaf-Blind.
First, Nastya went with her, showed the way, and then suggested a new option: Rita does everything herself, as if the mentor was not around.
“I lagged behind Rita a little, but at the same time I watched quietly how she copes: she goes to the bus stop, gets on the bus, pays for the fare.
After some time, Rita forgot about my presence.
Then, already at home, I praised her, and she asked me in surprise: "What were you with me?"
I say: “Yes, I have been with you all this time,” laughs Nastya.
Rita (right) with her escorted apartment mate.
© Photo from personal archive
According to the girl, her principle of operation is as follows: first teach, and then step aside.
People with disabilities, even those with severe hearing and vision impairments, can be independent if allowed.
“If there is always an accompanying person next to a person, he relaxes, because someone can always insure him.
When we drove into the apartment, the girls at first repeated everything after me.
But I always told them: “Do not do just like me!
Do what is convenient for you.
I teach you only the basic rules of work, ”the mentor tells RT.
Of all the residents of the apartment, Rita is the only one partially incapacitated - her mother thought that it would be better for her daughter this way.
But now the girl's parents are not opposed to fully restoring her legal capacity.
“Rita’s case proves that if people with disabilities are helped and socialized, they will successfully study, live happily and completely independently,” says Elvira Parfyonova, Communications Director of the House of the Deafblind Charitable Foundation.
- When Rita just drove into the apartment, no one believed that she would be able to live on her own.
In classes with a psychologist, she portrayed herself in pictures as a child, although she was over 18 years old.
Now Rita explains to the psychologist that she feels like a girl. "
Like all the other residents of the apartment, Rita works in a workshop at the House of the Deaf-Blind.
Recently she discovered a new talent in herself - it turns out that she sews well.
Last summer, Rita fully paid for her vacation, and she and her mother went to the sea.
Gift for mom
The House of the Deaf-Blind is located across the street from the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.
Priest Lev Arshakyan serves here, who founded this rehabilitation center in 2014.
People with disabilities from all over Russia come here to undergo rehabilitation programs for several weeks, and then, with new knowledge and skills, continue or start an independent life.
According to the employees of the House, one of the most demanded areas today is teaching the use of gadgets and computers using a special Braille display.
In addition to regular guests and students, there are also permanent residents.
Now there are 14 of them, all of them are total deaf-blind, they are also called “totalists”.
Guests and residents of the House live, study and eat here absolutely free.
According to Priest Lev Arshakyan, this is the principle of the House - to give people with hearing and vision impairments joy and hope for the future.
On average, the maintenance of the House requires about 30 million rubles a year.
This amount includes employee salaries, rehabilitation devices, utilities, transportation, food.
Wards of the House of the Deafblind with paintings lined with wool.
© Photo from personal archive
"Totals" live in a world without colors, light and sounds.
It is difficult for an ordinary person to imagine how such people perceive the world, but in the House they believe that "total people" are not doomed to a boring existence alone.
Even wards with serious mental disabilities make progress in learning and socialization here.
“For example, we have a student - Vlad.
During childbirth, he received a serious injury, as a result of which, as a baby, he very quickly lost his sight and hearing.
In addition, he has brain lesions.
When he came to us, we were afraid that he would not learn anything, ”recalls Maria Zelenina, head of the department for work with the deaf-blind.
According to her, the shift in Vlad's education occurred when the employees of the House stopped treating him like a child and began to entrust him with work.
Vlad sits at the table, staring into the distance.
All his attention is directed to the fingers of his hands - this is noticeable with the naked eye.
On the table in front of him lies a tall pillow with a piece of wool for felting.
The guy methodically sticks a needle into the wool, he rolls a blank for a future souvenir - a large brooch in the shape of a hedgehog from a famous Soviet cartoon.
Next to Vlad sits his teacher Tamara and periodically turns over a black piece of wool so that he can dump the blank on both sides.
Suddenly the young man stops working and starts tapping his hand on the table.
Tamara returns his hand to the wool.
“In my experience, healthy people are not very good at felting wool: if one out of ten students does it, this is already a good result.
But the "totals" do it very well - they have excellent fine motor skills.
Here, touch what an excellent degree of adhesion Vlad's blanks have.
We have already made a brooch in the shape of a hedgehog from his first blank, and he gave it to mom, ”says Tamara.
Vlad again knocks on the table - so he shows that he does not like something, or wants to attract attention to himself.
At the beginning of this lesson, Tamara did not offer him tea or coffee, as she usually does.
Vlad felt a change in behavior and, perhaps, it alarmed him.
The guy starts to leave the table, bumps into a nearby chair and stumbles.
Some of the volunteers immediately rushes to help him get to the stairs.
“Don’t, Vlad will come by himself,” Tamara stops them.
- He is well versed in the House.
At first he walked here with a stick - he studied, now he himself walks everywhere calmly. "
© Photo from personal archive
Vlad finds a wall with his hand, sliding his palm along it, goes to the stairs and climbs to the second floor.
Tamara recalls that she and other teachers did not immediately find a job that Vlad would like.
Before felting, he tried other types of creativity, but it was working with wool that he liked most of all.
“Somehow I decided to check whether he likes felting or not.
In between classes, I brought him to the kitchen, made tea.
Before she even had time to pour coffee for herself, Vlad had already drunk and ate everything, and he himself ran to the first floor to play, ”Tamara smiles.
Recently, the residents of the House noticed that Vlad really likes “strumming the guitar”.
They believe that he picks up vibrations from the instrument, and soon teachers will try to make music with him.
Vlad has parents who visit him regularly at the House.
Dad will come to him this weekend and they will go to the pool together.
Vlad is a great swimmer and he really likes it.
When we are about to leave the House, Lera, who has come to class, goes out into the courtyard to see us off.
The girl smiles, waves to us and shows hearts with her fingers.
She stands under heavy snow until our car drives out of the yard onto the road.
Then he turns and hurries to the House - he wants to have time to call his friend via video link.