Runny nose

Percentage of disabled people in the world. Rating of Russian regions with increased social burden (by number of people with disabilities)

Since 1998, there has been a steady trend in Russia towards a reduction in the number of disabled people, which is largely due to changes in legislation on the procedure for recognizing a person as disabled. Since 2010, negative dynamics of disability have been observed only in the first two disability groups, while the number of disabled people of group III and disabled children has been increasing.

Figure 1. Total number of disabled people in the Russian Federation as of January 1, 2016, thousand people

Figure 2. Total number of disabled people by disability group as of January 1 of the year, thousand people

Below is the general distribution by gender and age. As of January 1, 2015, 65% of all Russian disabled people registered with the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation belong to the category of citizens over working age. 30% are people of working age, among whom the largest group is citizens aged from 31 to 59 years for men and from 31 to 54 years for women.

Figure 3. Distribution of disabled people by gender and age as of January 1, 2015, thousand people

More detailed information about the number of people with disabilities in each age group can be found in the figure below. At the time of writing the report, the latest statistics on this indicator date back to 2014. Data are given as percentages; the study is based on a sample, the size of which is not specified. The largest proportion of disabled people (a third of all those surveyed) represent the older age group - 60–72 years. It also has the highest percentage of economically inactive disabled people. Among economically active citizens with disabilities, the peak of disability occurs at 50–54 years of age.

Figure 4. Structure of persons with disabilities by age group in 2014 (according to a sample survey of the population on employment issues), %

1. Data on persons recognized as disabled for the first time

According to the Ministry of Labor of the Russian Federation, as of 2015, 695 thousand people were recognized as disabled for the first time, of which 125 thousand were disabled people of group I, 262 thousand - group II, 308 thousand - group III.

325 thousand citizens recognized as disabled for the first time are of working age (up to 60 years for men, up to 55 years for women), which is 47% of the total number of persons certified as disabled for the first time in 2015.

Figure 5. Number of persons recognized as disabled for the first time in 2015, people.

Among the most common causes of disability, according to data for 2015, are diseases of the circulatory system (221 thousand people) and diseases accompanied by malignant neoplasms (213 thousand people)

Visual disability was recorded in 22 thousand people who received the status of disabled person in 2015. Since 2008, the proportion of people with diseases of the visual organs has changed quite slightly, therefore, it can be assumed that in Russia there are currently approximately 400 thousand people registered who have received the status of a disabled person for this reason. However, a caveat is necessary: the calculations made do not take into account other cases of illness or injury accompanied by partial or complete loss of vision. Consequently, the actual number of visually impaired people is much higher. This conclusion also applies to other priority categories for us: people with hearing impairments, hearing and vision impairments, mental functions, musculoskeletal disorders, etc.

According to the results of the Russian census of deaf-blind people, conducted with the support of the Connection Foundation, for every 7,500 disabled people with visual impairments, there is one deaf-blind person.

Direct impairment of the functioning of the hearing organs was recorded in 12 thousand disabled people registered in 2015, which is approximately 2% of the total number of disabled people. However, according to statements by the All-Russian Society of the Deaf (VOG), approximately eight to nine million people throughout Russia have various hearing impairments. Among them are approximately 1.5 million people with severe hearing loss and 250–300 thousand who are completely deaf. According to our calculations, there are about 255 thousand people who have received disability status due to diseases of the ear and mastoid process.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2020 the number of people suffering from hearing loss will increase by 30%.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2020 the number of people suffering from hearing loss will increase by 30%. According to selected statistics and WHO data, in Russia there are currently about a million children and adolescents with hearing loss. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of children suffering from various forms of hearing impairment in our country.

In addition, about a million Russian disabled people have a certified disability due to diseases of the nervous system and mental and behavioral disorders.

Figure 6. Distribution of the number of persons recognized as disabled for the first time, by reasons of disability (data from the Ministry of Labor of Russia, calculations by Rosstat)

2. Financial situation, structure of cash payments

For disabled people, monthly cash payments (MCB) are provided. For different categories of citizens, the size of the EDV is different.

Also, a disabled person is entitled to social payments, part of which is provided by the Pension Fund of Russia, and the other part by the executive authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. Information about regional payments can be obtained from the authorized executive body of the constituent entity of the Russian Federation at the place of residence.

Citizens who are duly recognized as disabled have the right to one of the types of disability pension:

disability insurance pension;
state disability pension;
social disability pension.

If a disabled person is cared for by a non-working able-bodied citizen, then he has the right to apply for a monthly or compensation payment. The type and amount of payment depends on the category of the disabled person being cared for, as well as on the status of the caring citizen.

The total number of disabled people registered in the Russian Pension Fund system in 2016 is 12.4 million people.

The statistics also include persons registered and receiving a disability pension in the system of the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation, the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Russian FSB. Since January 1, 2008, the statistics include persons registered and receiving a pension with the Federal Penitentiary Service of the Ministry of Justice of Russia. The data provided by the Federal Statistical Service on the average amount of assigned disability pensions indicates the figure of 11,972.9 rubles.

The average size of disability pensions is 11,972.9 rubles.

This indicator is an average, and it includes various types of pensions, the sizes of which vary significantly: for example, a state disability pension in some cases can range from 14,900 to 24,800 rubles, while the amount of a social pension ranges from 4,215 to 9,919 rubles, depending from the disability group.

The size of the EDV (monthly cash payments) remains fixed and does not depend on the regional coefficient established by the Government of the Russian Federation depending on the region (locality) of residence. However, certain categories of disabled people (for example, disabled war veterans or disabled people who are dependent on two or more people) may receive an increased monthly cash payment due to increased pensions and benefits.

Figure 8. Average monthly cash payments per person from the federal budget of the Russian Federation, as of January 1, 2016, rubles.

The total number of disabled people receiving EDV is 12,163,029 people - this is approximately 97% of the number of all disabled people registered in the Pension Fund system of the Russian Federation.

Figure 9. Number of disabled people by disability group receiving monthly cash payments (MCB) and the amount of payments

Survey data on the subjective assessment of their financial situation by households that include disabled people indicate that about half of them experience difficulties: 44% - when buying clothes and paying for housing and communal services, and another 43% cannot afford to purchase durable goods .

The figure below shows general indicators for assessing the financial situation of the population as a whole. Households containing disabled people were noticeably more likely to indicate difficulties with purchasing clothing and paying for housing and communal services. Regarding the purchase of durable goods, the proportions of answers among the population and among people with disabilities are similar.

From the data presented it follows that families with disabled children generally assess their financial situation better than households consisting of disabled people of older age groups (over 18 years old).

Figure 10. Assessment of their financial situation by households that include disabled people (according to the Comprehensive Observation of Living Conditions of the Population in 2014), %

Figure 11 shows the income structure of households consisting of disabled people. The largest share of household income is assigned to social payments (88%), of which 66% comes from pensions and 22% from benefits and compensation of various kinds.

Figure 11. Structure of cash income of households consisting of disabled people (according to sample observations of population income and participation in social programs for 2014), %

3. Social life, Internet

According to a survey of citizens with an established disability group and/or receiving a disability pension, in 87% of cases respondents subjectively assessed their own inability to lead an “active lifestyle on an equal basis with everyone else” (the wording is not specified). This situation is probably explained by the fact that, as we have seen, more than eight million Russian disabled people are elderly; on the other hand, the social environment and lack of necessary infrastructure may serve as an obstacle.

Figure 12. The ability to lead an active lifestyle for disabled people aged 15 years or more in 2014 (according to the Comprehensive Observation of Living Conditions of the Population), %

According to the Comprehensive Monitoring of Living Conditions of the Population, only about 3% of all registered disabled people are active members of voluntary non-profit organizations.

Figure 13. Number of disabled people aged 15 years and over who are members of voluntary non-profit organizations in 2014 (according to the Comprehensive Observation of Living Conditions of the Population), %

15% of respondents stated that they could access the Internet; in the vast majority of cases, respondents do not have access to the Internet. Of course, those surveyed between the ages of 15 and 29 stand out against this background - 54% have the opportunity to use the Internet. However, the statistics presented do not allow us to speak with confidence about the prevalence of Internet use among disabled people.

Figure 14. Availability of access to the Internet for disabled people aged 15 years and over in 2011 (according to the Comprehensive Monitoring of Living Conditions of the Population), %

4. State registration of disabled people

State statistics on disability issues, including a complete list of citizens with certified disabilities, are maintained by the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, as well as the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Russian Federation (some information on disability may also be contained in the documents of law enforcement agencies in the case if we are talking about injuries received as a result of combat operations and performance of official duties).

The overwhelming majority of citizens recognized as disabled are registered with the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation, which determines the procedure for social benefits for disability. Payment of pensions and other social benefits is possible only if the person is examined and the disability status is recognized.

Disability examination is carried out by decision of the Bureau of Medical and Social Expertise (BMSE): as of 2015, 1,728 departments were registered in the Russian Federation. Reception and examination (including repeated examination) of citizens is carried out at the regional branches of the BMSE.

All subsequent documentation is under the jurisdiction of the Federal Bureau of Medical and Social Expertise. A comprehensive list of examination results can be contained in the automated database of the scientific and methodological center of the Federal Bureau of Medical and Social Expertise.

Isolation of the corresponding segment from the total mass of bank clients can be carried out, among other things, by calculating and recording the average amount of cash payments for disability. For example, the size of the social disability pension is established by the state and is subject to change only on the basis of relevant acts or indexation (recall that in 2016 for group III - 4215.90 rubles, for group II - 4959.85 rubles, for group I - 9919.73 rubles, for disabled children - 11903.51 rubles).

When making calculations, it is necessary to take into account the fact that the same person can receive more than one type of social benefits, as well as the fact that the amounts of other pensions are not fixed and are calculated individually. For example, an insurance (labor) pension is calculated by summing the base amount (depending on the degree of incapacity for work) with the volume of personal accumulated pension funds, divided by the duration of probable survival (standards set at 228 months). The calculation is influenced by regional coefficients, the presence of dependents (for child care), living in the Far North and length of service (20 years of experience gives the right to receive a pension at a higher rate). The state pension is calculated from the size of the social pension (that is, ultimately also fixed), multiplied by a value from 100% to 300%, but the circle of its recipients is noticeably narrower. The coefficient is influenced by the disability group and the basis for receiving a state pension.

Segmentation by EDV enrollment is possible, but taking into account the category of disability, the presence of a social package and other circumstances (for example, for a group I disabled person, the payment amount from February 1, 2016 is 3,357 rubles 23 kopecks (with a social package).

Our country has adopted a classification that includes three disability groups.

Group I is assigned to persons with complete permanent or long-term disability who require constant outside care, supervision or assistance.

Disability group II is established for those who have significant functional impairments and almost complete disability, but who do not need outside care and assistance, that is, who are able to care for themselves independently.

The establishment of disability group III provides for the possibility of extending work activity.

The total number of disabled people includes persons registered and receiving a pension in the system of the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation and the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation and the Federal Penitentiary Service of the Ministry of Justice of Russia. Rosstat calculation.

According to the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation, from the Federal Register of persons entitled to receive state social assistance.

As of November 1, 2017, there were 12.12 million disabled people in the Russian Federation, including 643.1 thousand disabled children.

Federal Register of Disabled Persons

On January 1, 2017, the federal state information system – the federal register of disabled people – was put into operation.

In the register, each disabled person has access to a “personal account”, which reflects information about all cash payments and other measures of social support for the disabled person, about the progress of the implementation of his individual rehabilitation or habilitation program.

Through the “personal account” you can receive government services in electronic form, leave feedback on their quality and, if necessary, file a complaint.

The register makes it possible to eliminate multiple appeals of disabled people to various authorities, improve the quality of state and municipal services provided to disabled people, more fully inform disabled people about their rights and opportunities, and also ensures the creation of a database that takes into account the needs of disabled people, their demographic composition and socio-economic status.

The data obtained is used to develop state policy regarding people with disabilities and develop strategic planning documents both at the federal level and at the level of constituent entities of the Federation and municipalities.

State program of the Russian Federation “Accessible environment”

Within the framework of the State Program “Accessible Environment” for 2011-2020, with state support and the active participation of public organizations of people with disabilities, adaptation of the objects most in demand by disabled people and people with limited mobility in priority areas of life is provided - healthcare, social protection, sports and physical education, information and communications , culture, transport infrastructure, education.

The measures taken to create accessibility conditions allow for an integrated approach.

During the implementation of the state program, methods and approaches were developed to identify and eliminate barriers that hinder people with disabilities in various life situations, as well as mechanisms for involving people with disabilities not only at the stage of implementing activities, but also to take active participation at the stage of developing activities.

Thus, in the field of transport and transport infrastructure, it is planned to achieve the indicator of ground transport equipped for disabled people of 11.1% by the end of 2017. At the beginning of the implementation of the state program, it was 8.3%.

In the field of information and communications, an event is being implemented to subtitling television channels. This work is financed by the state program, and by the end of 2017, the number of produced and broadcast subtitles for subtitling television programs of all-Russian mandatory public channels will be 15,000 hours (at the beginning of the implementation of the State program there were only 3,000 hours).

In the healthcare sector, by the end of 2017, the share of priority facilities accessible to people with disabilities and other low-mobility groups will be 50.9%, in the cultural sector - 41.4%, in the sports sector - 54.4%.

In the field of education, 21.5% of schools are adapted, while at the beginning of the implementation of the state program there were just over 2% of such schools.

On January 1, 2016, the implementation of a new subprogram of the state program began, which is aimed at improving the comprehensive rehabilitation and habilitation of people with disabilities and disabled children. It is planned that the result will be the creation of a modern system of comprehensive rehabilitation.

The relevance of the implementation of this subprogram lies in the fact that now in the country there are no uniform methodological and regulatory documents on the organization of the rehabilitation process for people with disabilities, and there are no uniform methods for assessing the effectiveness of rehabilitation measures.

In this regard, at the first stage, during 2016, the development of such documents was carried out, and in 2017-2018 a pilot project is being carried out to create a system of comprehensive rehabilitation of people with disabilities and disabled children. Since the beginning of 2017, the pilot project has been implemented in the Sverdlovsk region and Perm region. The federal budget allocates about 300 million rubles annually for the implementation of the pilot project. The results of the pilot project will form the basis of a bill that will allow organizing an effective rehabilitation process outside the scope of the state program.

By decision of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the State Program “Accessible Environment” should be extended until 2025. This will allow us to further consolidate the efforts of the federal center and regions on the issue of integration of people with disabilities into society.

When developing the state program “Accessible Environment” until 2025, it is proposed to highlight three main areas:

increasing the level of accessibility of the most significant facilities and services for people with disabilities, including creating conditions for visiting such facilities;
the formation of a modern system of comprehensive rehabilitation of disabled people, including the development of technologies for accompanying disabled people in various life situations, as well as the development of “early assistance” for disabled children;
modernization of the state system of medical and social examination.

Bill on assisted employment of disabled people

On November 21, 2017, the State Duma of Russia approved in the third reading a draft federal law amending the Law of the Russian Federation “On Employment in the Russian Federation.”

The bill is aimed at bringing the current employment law in accordance with the provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was ratified by Russia in 2012.

Its development is associated with the insufficient efficiency of employment of disabled people of working age. The share of working disabled people of working age in our country is about 31.8% (about 1.1 million people) of the total number of disabled people of working age (about 3.7 million people). Of these, only 25% are stably employed; in European countries this figure reaches 40%.

Employment service agencies work with people with disabilities without taking into account the fact that they have significant disabilities.

The draft federal law defines the mechanism of interaction between medical and social examination institutions and employment service bodies when assisting in the employment of a disabled person.

Institutions of medical and social expertise in extracts from individual rehabilitation programs for disabled people sent to the employment service, since June 2017, have indicated information about the consent of the disabled person to the proactive approach of employment service specialists to him directly.

It is planned to assign the following functions to the employment service bodies:

conducting an initial consultation with a disabled person;
analysis of the vacancy database;
organizing interaction between a disabled person and an employer;
providing advisory and methodological assistance to the employer;
determining the need for support when promoting employment of a disabled person.

Accompaniment in promoting the employment of disabled people means the provision of individual assistance to those disabled people who, due to limited health capabilities, experience difficulties and cannot independently find a job or return to the labor process.

Improving medical and social expertise

In May 2017, a road map for improving the medical and social examination system was approved. It sets out key areas of action for the period until 2020.

The first direction involves improving the scientific, methodological and legal support for medical and social examination. Separate classifications and criteria for determining disability for children have been developed and tested; New criteria are being developed to determine the degree of loss of professional ability as a result of industrial accidents.

The second direction is to increase the accessibility and quality of medical and social examination services. It includes measures to train specialists from ITU institutions, equip ITU institutions with special diagnostic equipment, form public councils at the main ITU bureaus, and conduct an independent assessment of the quality of the conditions for providing ITU services.

Law on monitoring the accessibility of the environment for people with disabilities

On January 1, 2018, a law will come into force granting authorities the right to control the accessibility of the environment for people with disabilities.

In accordance with the law, authorized federal and regional executive authorities will be assigned separate functions to monitor the provision of accessibility conditions.

The adoption of the law regulates the issue of the powers of the bodies that must exercise state control and supervision over the implementation of mandatory accessibility conditions. This makes it possible to solve problems related to the accessibility of the environment within the framework of pre-trial procedures, including the use of administrative liability mechanisms.

According to the law, control functions are assigned to:

The Government of the Russian Federation - to the authorities exercising federal control and supervision;
regional governments – to the authorities exercising regional control and supervision.

In particular, at the federal level:

for Rostransnadzor - the functions of control and supervision of ensuring the accessibility of transportation (including objects and vehicles) by air, rail, inland waterway, and road transport;
for Roskomnadzor - monitoring the availability of facilities and services in the field of communications and information;
for Roszdravnadzor - control of ensuring the special needs of people with disabilities in terms of the quality and safety of medical activities and in the field of drug provision;
at Rostrud - monitoring the availability of facilities and services in the field of labor and social protection.

At the regional level, bodies are similarly defined that exercise control over the availability of services and facilities in those areas where it is generally already established by law.

Providing disabled people with technical means of rehabilitation

In 2017, 32.84 billion rubles were allocated to provide disabled people with technical means of rehabilitation (TSR), which is 3.54 billion rubles more than in 2016 (29.3 billion rubles). This measure makes it possible to provide the necessary TSR to about 1.6 million people.

In 2018, 30.5 billion rubles are provided.

Considering that the provision of TSR and services is carried out on an application basis and requires the mandatory presence of appropriate recommendations in individual rehabilitation or habilitation programs, the issue of allocating additional funding will be resolved in 2018 as funds are disbursed, taking into account incoming applications.

Annual monetary compensation to disabled persons for the costs of maintenance and veterinary care of guide dogs

In 2017, the amount of annual monetary compensation to disabled people for the costs of maintaining and veterinary care of guide dogs increased by 5.39% compared to 2016 and amounted to 22,959.7 rubles.

In 2018, the amount of annual monetary compensation for disabled people for the costs of maintaining and veterinary care of guide dogs is subject to indexation from February 1 based on the consumer price growth index for the previous year.

The beginning of 2019 was marked by the fact that some federal laws, and in some cases their subsections, as well as acts or technical regulations concerning Russian disabled people, came into force. Government agencies are constantly striving to improve living conditions for this category of citizens. How many disabled people are there in Russia and what is their ratio to the total population, we will consider in this article.

Data for Russia

In the Russian Federation, over the years, the total number of disabled people (maybe insignificantly if we consider annual time periods) is constantly decreasing. So, starting from 2011, it decreased by one million people. Currently, the number of men with a group exceeds 5 million, and women – 6.9; there are 636 thousand children with any physical disabilities.

The majority of Russian disabled people have the second group. As of 2019, there were 4.394 million people with the third disability group. It should be noted that their number (unlike disabled people of the second and first groups) has been increasing recently. Over the previous five years they increased by 7.3%. The number of disabled people of group 1 today is 1.309 million people. However, this number is gradually decreasing every year. Over the past five years, their number has decreased by 2%.

The second group is the largest in numerical terms. It is 5.92 million people. At the same time, the number of disabled people per 1000 people taken from the entire population is constantly decreasing. If in 2011 their number was 92.5, then six years later (in 2017) it already became 83.5.

Of the total number of children with a disability group, 176 thousand are registered at school age. Moreover, in the 2017–2019 academic year, about seven thousand applicants with physical disabilities were enrolled in institutes and universities.

Many of them have been disabled since childhood. During the same period, more than eight thousand of these young men and women aged about 15 began to learn the basics of vocational education. Previously, these figures were significantly lower.

Ten years ago, a thousand fewer people entered higher education, and the number who sought special education that school year was three thousand lower.

In 2019, the number of working disabled people was more than 1.1 million people

This represents about 32% of the total number of people who have a group and are of working age. The rest either cannot find a job because of their illness, or do not even look for it because they do not believe in the possibility of getting a certain job. However, in 2017, many regions began implementing programs to support young people with disabilities in employment. The results of these innovations will be visible in a few years.

The number of wheelchair users who live in the Russian Federation exceeds 320 thousand. Most of them belong to the first group. Some of them often walk with the help of crutches or a cane. They use strollers only when traveling long distances or when they come to ITU in them.

Disabled children

In recent years, more and more disabled people at an early age are found on the streets. This is due to the fact that previously in Russia most parents sent their children to boarding schools. Nowadays, mothers and fathers are increasingly taking care of their children themselves.

Children are increasingly living and being raised in a full-fledged family

Childhood disability is growing at a fairly rapid rate. At the beginning of 2017, the number of such disabled people in Russia was about 625 thousand, and already in 2019 this figure increased by 26 thousand people.

Nine years ago their number was 495 thousand. Most often it occurs at this age.

This includes children with mental development disorders (autists, schizophrenics, epileptics and others).

According to the Minister of Labor and Social Protection Maxim Topilin, the number of disabled children is increasing due to a higher birth rate compared to previous years.

That is, disability does not increase, but remains at the same level, the percentage of babies born with any disabilities does not increase. It should also be taken into account that modern medicine is now able to save very premature newborns.

There is no common base for registering children with cerebral palsy in the country. Therefore, it is quite difficult to estimate their number. However, there is some data from 2010 on Moscow, according to which their number is about four and a half thousand children (data for the city only).

In recent years, many schools in Russia have been adapted for the needs of people with disabilities. However, not all parents agree with their healthy child studying in the same class or even in the entire institution with a disabled person. A survey was conducted in 2015. According to its results, about 17 percent of parents do not agree with their child’s education together with a disabled child. Approximately one tenth of adults could not answer this question definitively.

Pensioners – war veterans and disabled people

Over the entire period of the Great Patriotic War, over 2.576 million disabled people were demobilized from the front. Their number is constantly decreasing. According to the latest data for 2019, more than 16 thousand such citizens live in Russia. There are also about 80 thousand WWII participants and people who worked in air defense at that time. As of 2017, the amount of total material support for war participants with disabilities, together with pensions, additional and monthly payments, amounted to more than 40 thousand rubles.

War veterans who have become disabled have the right to receive two pensions - insurance (for age) and state (due to disability). Widows of soldiers killed in the war and citizens who received the “Resident of Siege Leningrad” award also have such rights.

As of 2017, there were more than two million two hundred thousand disabled people of retirement age. Their number before 2015 was significantly less. The number of disabled pensioners has increased, including in connection with the annexation of Crimea to the Russian Federation.

Data by region

Statistics on the growth and decline in the number of people with limited mobility by region are summarized in a table.

Year	Number of disabled people in various districts of the Russian Federation
Year	Central.	Far Eastern.	Northwestern.	Southern.
1998	3 041 000	266 000	1 156 000	1 002 000
2003	3 405 000	366 000	1 350 000	1 026 000
2007	4 011 000	429 000	1 555 000	1 127 000
2012	3 927 000	439 000	1 566 000	1 132 000
2017	3 531 000	390 000	1 369 000	1 273 000

In the North Caucasus Federal District in 1998, the number of disabled people was less than 400 people, but in 2017 their number increased to one million.

Many experts believe that the decrease in the number of disabled people was simply the result of the introduction of updated criteria for recognizing a sick person as disabled. There are allegations that this was aimed at saving costs in the social sphere. However, these experts are unable to deny many of the state’s actions that help rehabilitate this group in public life. The total number of disabled people is decreasing even after the adoption of new criteria.

The Ministry of Labor of the Russian Federation estimates the target group of social policy regarding people with disabilities as 40 million people, including all low-mobility groups of citizens of our country. From region to region, people note the impossibility of simply leaving home; they only dream of real mobility. Director of the Orthodoxy and Peace charity foundation Evgeniy Glagolev talks about an interesting study.

Evgeniy Glagolev

This year, a study by the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA) entitled “Disability and the social status of disabled people in Russia” was published, and this event went unnoticed. It seems that only one media outlet mentioned it, and I came across it by accident. Meanwhile, on 256 pages of this three-year work of the academy staff there is very important information that would be useful to know for a wide range of people, and not just specialists.

Know about disability - why it is important for healthy people

The authors were interested in specific data on the real socio-economic situation of people with disabilities in Russia, the problems of collecting and analyzing information and the effectiveness of the state in this area. The main part of the work is based on in-depth sociological surveys conducted by the Institute of Social Forecasting and Analysis of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration over three years: from 2014 to 2016, and the survey included disabled people themselves and their relatives. As a result, data was obtained that is extremely important for all of us, because the study reveals significant problems in the state’s social policy based on specific figures.

In 2006, Russia signed and in 2012 ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted by the UN General Assembly. To date, this document has been signed and ratified by the vast majority of countries in the world. Ratification implies that our state must bring its domestic social policy towards people with disabilities into line with international standards.

Since 2011, there have been big changes in our country: changes in legislation, adoption of new norms, implementation of the “Accessible Environment” project. In particular, a special website has been created with open information about the number of disabled people in Russia: if at the time of the study there were 12.5 million disabled people in the country, then according to information from the “Federal Register of Disabled Persons” at the time of writing this article there were significantly fewer of them - 11.5 million people It would seem that we see a significant decrease in the number of disabled people and this should give us confidence that everything is fine in our country with the prevention of disability, but let's take a closer look at the numbers and what stands behind them.

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) has formed the basis for the definition of disability in the global community. Functioning is the key concept of the classification and is considered at three levels: organism (functions and structures of the body) – person (activity, performance of tasks and actions) – society (inclusion and involvement in life).

Disability according to the ICF is an impairment or limitation of functioning at one or more of these three levels.

In 2012, Russia changed the criteria for determining disability, but did not bring them to the UN recommended standards.

In addition, the researchers identified the deepest problems in collecting information about people with disabilities and their situation in our country and came to the conclusion that, in general, federal statistical observation does not make it possible to solve any of the problems of collecting data on disability, including the main one - assessing well-being and equality of opportunity for people with disabilities.

For example, in countries such as England or Germany, there is the concept of “registered disability”, when a person applies for official status as a disabled person, but at the same time constant surveys are carried out and people with functional limitations are identified, and in general statistics on the number and The status of disabled people in these countries includes not only registered disabled people, but also those who have health limitations but do not have an official status.

It is important to understand this in order to determine the quality and level of healthcare in the country, the load on the work of social services, but first of all in order to adequately assess the number of disabled people in Russia, especially when the Ministry of Labor declares that a decrease in the number of disabled people in the country not related to the work of medical and social examination. At the same time, the authors say that the Ministry of Labor of the Russian Federation estimates the target group of social policy regarding people with disabilities as 40 million people, including all low-mobility groups of citizens of our country.

What happens? Almost 12 million disabled people in Russia are 8% of the total population, while this is 20% more than in Germany, if we take into account the given coefficient, but Germany, when determining the number of disabled people, takes into account not only those who officially applied for such status, but also all people with a functional limitation, but we are not! It turns out that it is beneficial for the state not to apply international standards when reporting on the reduction in the number of disabled people, otherwise it will not cope with social policy at all.

Accessibility is more than just ramps

By the way, the authors identified some “regional peculiarities” in issuing disabled status in our country. For example, in a number of Russian republics, almost 100% of requests for disability are satisfied, while in others this figure is lower. The authors suggest that this may be due to the sociocultural characteristics of how residents of these republics receive additional income - and recommend paying attention to such obvious discrepancies.

As for the employment of disabled people, we see that only 16% of their total number work. Another 16% would like to, and all the rest do not even consider this possibility. This point highlights several problems.

The first is the lack of truly equipped workplaces for people with disabilities, and the second is the lack of belief that if you have a disability you can work and earn an income. Knowing the level of salaries in the regions, we can assume that it is much easier to receive a disability pension than to work where there are no conditions and the pay is not much more than the pension itself.

And, of course, let’s not forget that our society is still not ready to accept people with disabilities as a full part of itself. This affects everything: how they communicate with people with disabilities in state and municipal authorities (and people complain about bad attitude towards them by officials) and how you and I, healthy people, perceive an accessible environment.

After all, what is an “accessible environment”? It's not just the ramps that people in wheelchairs say are impossible to use. This is also the attitude of society towards people with various disabilities.

We often do not allow the idea that a person with mental or physical disabilities can be not just an example of heroic overcoming difficult life situations, but also be in our eyes an equal member of society who is able to work.

It’s great that the authors of the work learned the real problems and expectations of people with disabilities throughout the country. From region to region, people note the inability to simply leave the house, not to mention the lack of leisure centers tailored to their needs.

That there is no real inclusion and so far these are just slogans. That specialized medical centers are far away, they often offer not what a particular person needs, but what they have is of very low quality, like medicines that are constantly in short supply or on which they skimp. That they only dream of real mobility.

Look for yourself, judging by the numbers, each of us will be faced with the illness of a relative or our own illness, which in one way or another limits our physical capabilities. Look at the main causes of disability in the population - these are precisely diseases: cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diseases of the musculoskeletal system.

Everyone wants to be just people, not heroes.

Most recently, Dmitry turned to our foundation for help. He wrote that he was involved in the Paralympic sport of wheelchair rugby. His team has a great desire to go to the competition in Poland, but there is not enough funding, so Dima decided to contact us.

Dmitry Khamov

We recently opened the “Not Disabled” program, one of the goals of which is to help people with disabilities: when it is already clear that they cannot be cured, but they can be helped to integrate into society. The program was born as a natural continuation of our targeted assistance in rehabilitation - a huge number of people get into road accidents, tens of thousands die and are injured. Some people need expensive rehabilitation, and we help with this, but some people lose the ability to walk and need completely different help. Therefore, we responded, and I decided to meet Dima in person.

10 years ago, Dmitry’s car skidded while turning and was carried into a tree standing next to the road. A severe head injury, long rehabilitation, Dima was still unable to walk. We didn’t talk about the difficult experiences of a guy who loses a lot at the age of 21, what’s important is what we have now. In 2012, he came to wheelchair rugby - a new Paralympic sport for Russia - and is still involved in rugby.

To grow in sports, you need to have constant practice of competing with equal and stronger opponents. However, the Russian wheelchair rugby team consists of 80% of the Moscow team - we have practically no competition in our country. The state provides money for rating competitions, for example, the European Championship. But to win this tournament, you need to grow, and who should we fight to become stronger? So the guys go at their own expense to other tournaments, where high-level teams meet, but there is not enough money.

Training

After meeting with Dima, I went to the national team training. Captain - Valery Krivov. In 2003, when he was only 14 years old, he received a “diver” injury - like all the guys, Valera went swimming and jumping into the water, and one day a terrible thing happened - he broke his neck. Next - another life, from which only 2 friends remained, the rest turned away and left. He graduated from school with home schooling and entered a technical school. Valery got married and moved to Moscow after the injury, came to sports and became a multiple champion of Russia in Paralympic athletics, and then he was invited to rugby, where he remained.

Sergey Glushakov

The senior coach of the national team, Sergei Glushakov, is also the president of the Moscow Wheelchair Rugby Federation. Before the accident in 2003, he worked in construction and was involved in the reconstruction of airports. Then the same story: rehabilitation, meeting other guys, joining a sport from which you no longer want to leave - everyone says that sport changes the consciousness of a disabled person, that he grows above himself, his condition and problems, which, nevertheless, , remain.

Dmitry does not have the opportunity to live in a Moscow apartment - there are steps in the entrance and there is no lift, because according to the standards it is impossible to install one. Dima himself believes that it is possible to install it, he has already seen lifts in the same entrances, but, in his opinion, people who are far from the needs of disabled people sit on the commission, and issues are considered formally. That’s why Dima now lives in Domodedovo with his parents - after all, he won’t be able to climb the stairs on his own. The authorities have installed a ramp, but it is also impossible to drive in and out without assistance.

Active wheelchairs, which allow people who are unable to walk to move around on their own, are expensive. According to the statistics that I know, among all disabled people in wheelchairs, an insignificant percentage of people move in this way. The rest use what the state gives. Example: the cost of an ordinary stroller is 13,000 rubles. With active use, within the first year it begins to fall apart and requires constant repair. A good German one costs 80,000 rubles, and an active type costs from 150,000. The state compensates only 54,000, that is, you have to buy the stroller yourself, and then they will return part of the money to you.

I look at them and can’t help but think that I see heroes. I don’t like this word, but you can’t call it anything other than a heroic overcoming of circumstances. I really want to help them go to the competition in Poland, where teams from different countries will meet, including those they will have to fight with at the European tournament.

The goal is to get to the Paralympics in 2020, for this you need to improve your playing level. I believe they can. Despite all the statistics, the real state of affairs and forced heroism. After all, everyone wants to be just people, not heroes. Playing wheelchair rugby is not despite, but because of.

And I really want people to be able to choose what to do, even if they can’t walk. So that everyone can leave the house, so that inclusion is real and the ramps are not made for us - healthy people, who, looking at these often useless structures, would think that something is being done for the disabled, but so that they can actually slide down and drive in . To ensure that the queues for installing a lift in the entrances do not stretch for 5 years, it should not be the case that a person cannot leave the house for 5 years. And so that the state looks at problems and gaps in working with people with disabilities as facts, goals and tasks to be solved, and not shyly hides real numbers behind beautiful reporting.

In the meantime, we have to raise money - like this, through funds, to help those who have already embarked on their difficult path to go through it to the end. We just need to help.

Disabled children are one of the most vulnerable social categories, behind formal reports and figures, not just someone’s life, but lives that have barely begun, sometimes spent in suffering.

How do disabled children live in Russia? What is their life like, aren’t they starving?! How different is the life of disabled children from ordinary children?! This is what we will talk about today.

Fortunately, children do not perceive the world differently from adults, and the “stigma” - disabled (which literally means “unfit”) - does not sound as offensive to them as it does to the former.

Babies born with pathology or those who have health problems from early childhood are often calmer about their illnesses and special situation than those who become seriously ill in adulthood.

Psychologists comment on this state of affairs by saying that adults, whose fate suddenly moved into a more limited direction, knew a normal, productive life (and this is often more painful than when you don’t know what it’s like to live, “like all people”), and for children , who initially found themselves in special conditions and have nothing to compare with, they get used to being “different” a priori.

But everything is not quite like that... Disability, especially due to severe and incurable diagnoses, is always a disaster, whether it happens in childhood or in adulthood. Let's talk about the problems of disabled children and their parents in more detail.

How many disabled children are there currently in Russia?

Some statistics.

“According to the Ministry of Health, in Russia in 2014 there were 540 thousand 837 disabled children. This is plus 3.7% compared to 2013 and plus 9.2% compared to 2010.”

In general, the number of disabled people (for example, compared to 2005-2007) in Russia has decreased... but the number of disabled children has increased.

According to the UN, about 10-16% of the world's population have disabilities (officially or unofficially, that is, they have severe health problems).

“According to official statistics, there are about 10 million disabled people living in Russia, and according to the Social Information Agency, there are at least 15 million, of which at least 50% are women.”

In Russia, according to official data, there are about 27 million children (143 million people in general), exactly 10-16% are those same 10-15 million people with disabilities, disabled children, if you follow the same logic, - 2.5-3 million. Official statistics, according to the opinions of competent experts, are greatly underestimated, and quite a lot of parents do not register their child as disabled, despite a serious illness.

In general, official figures say that there are approximately 541 thousand disabled children in Russia, and unofficial figures say that there are many times more of them.

About 12% of disabled children are in specialized boarding institutions.

About how disabled children live in boarding schools in the NTV program “Who dooms disabled children to a painful life”

Neurological disorders are the most common cause of childhood disability:“Currently, on average in Russia, the first ranking place among the causes of childhood disability belongs to diseases of the nervous system (41.9%). Mental disorders and congenital anomalies are in second and third place (33.7% and 17.8%, respectively), and somatic diseases (diabetes mellitus, bronchial asthma, etc.) are in fourth place, accounting for 6.5%.”

There are more and more children with mental disabilities, compared to the 1990s. today there are 40-50% more of them.

Doctors call the factors that most negatively influence the formation of defects in a child - too young or “old” age of the mother, bad habits of parents, work in hazardous production, living in an environmentally unfavorable area, burdened heredity, etc.

However, the age that we consider for mothers is already “old” (35 years) - for example, in some European countries the time for the birth of the first child. It’s far from a matter of age, although it’s that too... Over the years, the number of abnormal cells in the body becomes more and more and the chances of giving birth to a healthy child decrease, but all this is aggravated against the backdrop of poor ecology and the abundance of genetically modified products impregnated with nitrates and nitrites. And absolutely healthy young parents give birth to disabled children with severe developmental defects.

Now let’s move on from numbers to life...

Life of parents of a disabled child:

No matter how rude it may sound, after all, every parent has their most precious child, and even a common illness for someone is a disaster for them, but disability disability is different. There are those who have diabetes, sometimes imperceptible external paresis of the facial nerve, somatic diseases, and there are more “severe” children: those with oncology, cerebral palsy, autism in complicated forms, absence of limbs, etc.

About the life of disabled children and their parents in the program “The principle of action (the life of disabled children in Russia)”

From the experience of personal communication with parents of different categories of disabled children, I can tell you a sad and, for some, unpleasant truth: those whose children are “harder” are often kinder and smarter than those who “achieved” a child’s disability despite a non-severe diagnosis. The latter often make an idol out of the child, suffer from problems that do not exist... Of course, not everyone is like that, sometimes, if a child needs medicine, help - benefits will be a significant benefit.

Ideally, a whole life is dedicated to a disabled child, especially a severely disabled one.. In families where there is such a child, problems always begin, and then either the parents unite for a goal, or the whole burden falls on one of them, most often the mothers... About 50%, according to some data - 70-80% of fathers leave families where there is a disabled child. And what it’s like to carry such a child alone is difficult to imagine for anyone who has not encountered similar problems.

Since the mother, if she has a well-developed maternal instinct and sincerely loves the child, goes into caring for her child, perhaps feeling guilty for the child’s illness, trying to somehow rehabilitate him, she forgets about herself.

Men, on the other hand, do not have a maternal instinct, and they often perceive the situation as the fact that a woman has neglected herself and become a “mother hen.” And sick children are an unpleasant sight for everyone, only the mother has reserves, and for men, unhealthy offspring, among other things, are a blow to pride.

Mothers need to become successful and capable of everything, but many do not have enough strength for this... For example, mothers of children with severe autism and mental retardation have a high risk of developing mental disorders and nervous breakdowns. Mothers who fought their children’s cancer but were unsuccessful... who buried their children - sometimes cannot return to normal life at all.

But there are those who live in spite of and become stronger precisely because of the difficulties; there are women who, finding themselves in such a difficult situation, valued their lives and the life of their child.

If a child’s “peculiarity” is visible externally or he is inappropriate in behavior, these are almost always sidelong glances from the outside. Unfortunately, our society is not yet familiar with inclusion and does not particularly strive for tolerance in relation to those “not like everyone else.” If you had friends, there are fewer of them, or they disappear altogether. Both mother and child, in the absence of character, strong ties with the outside world, and without active relatives, may be doomed to involuntary isolation.

Those who find themselves in an extremely dead-end situation with a disabled child are thinking about placing the child in a specialized institution. Someone decides to do this. Once upon a time, even I, being in a comfortable position, condemned such people, but when I saw everything from the inside out, I realized that no one has the right to condemn...

The most amazing thing is when I once met two women who had very difficult children with cerebral palsy - in response to someone’s phrases that it would be easier to send their children to a boarding school, they indignantly declared that this was akin to murder, that you couldn’t have your own “little blood” so throw it. I was amazed at their attitude towards life and the great, powerful maternal instinct that manifested itself in them so clearly. This is probably the image of a real mother, giving all of herself for the life of a child, no matter what he is...

To say that raising children with disabilities is difficult is to say nothing. Of course, a lot depends on the severity of the situation of the family or mother, but sometimes, To raise such a child you really need to sacrifice your own life.

On forums, in Internet communities, and among a group of similar mothers, there are many positive stories about how parents of “difficult” children cope. And, of course, it is better, instead of worrying about fate and depression, to change something and help correct the situation, to rehabilitate the child; this, as a rule, is the most successful recipe for illness and melancholy.

There is another point that not all who feel sorry for parents of disabled children will take into account. Quite a lot of mothers and fathers of such children passively give up, that is, the child lives with them, but they “pull” everything, endure, and do not fight. They give up, fall into apathy, do not take care of the child, or, even worse, do not even understand the gravity of the situation, they are going to give birth to five more, when the one already born should be raised.

At the hospital, I met several times people who registered mental disability for their children (mental retardation) in order to receive a pension. For example, a 35-year-old woman who has six children (three are mentally retarded) lives well on a good amount of child benefits in rural conditions, and it is obvious that she drinks.

But the main thing is that her children are normal, she just didn’t take care of them, they neglected them, they were dressed poorly... And nothing can be done: she is not a complete drunkard, periodically sober, she cares about the health of the children by registering disability in a timely manner, guardianship or taking away the children, and, as a rule, when it has already reached a critical point, or does not pay attention at all.

And in fact, there are enough such people and situations.

State assistance to disabled children and their parents

The pension for a disabled child currently amounts to 12-13 thousand rubles. Depending on the diagnosis, there may be additional payments for orthopedic shoes, clothing, and strollers. Benefits are provided (there is a benefit package - about 1000 rubles, which you can refuse if you wish, and the amount will go towards your pension) for travel on transport, for medicines.

Different Russian regions have their own conditions for providing benefits to needy categories, somewhere they can allocate a plot of land for construction, somewhere they give a good discount when buying an apartment.

There are many foundations, societies, and state specialized children's centers that work free of charge with disabled children and their parents. There are even foundations that work with children with a certain diagnosis.

The main thing would be a desire to contact and rehabilitate the child - you can always contact and find the right people. Volunteers can come to your home, either work or just sit; it is possible to attend events, concerts, theaters, various activities, participate in competitions, trips to camps, sanatoriums.

In addition, there is help and classes from social security.

According to the legislation of the Russian Federation, they are required to admit a child to any educational institution, both school and kindergarten, but there are not always conditions for education there. Our country is still taking small steps towards solving the issue of inclusive education. Many disabled children, especially those with mental disabilities, are educated at home.

At the moment, communication of a child with obvious physical or mental defects in a group of ordinary children can be difficult, especially if everyone is teenagers. It’s not just that we have children, our adults are not accustomed to people with disabilities, so what can we expect from small representatives of society... True, according to personal, and not other people’s observations, there are a lot of kind children among modern youth who are loyal and friendly towards “ not like everyone else."

Chances of recovery in children with different diagnoses

Predictions about whether the child will become normal are of concern to all parents of disabled children. Severe forms of oncology in the last stage, unfortunately, are incurable... If the disease is detected, as they say, on time and appropriate (usually expensive) therapy is started, there is a very high percentage of a successful outcome.

« Every year in Russia there are 5,000 more children with cancer. Oncological diseases in Russia are detected in 12 children out of 1000.

Over the past 15 years, the number of patients with cancer aged 0 to 18 years in Russia has increased by 20% and is gradually increasing. This trend is observed all over the world. This is due not only to the increase in the number of cases, but also to improved diagnosis, including in the early stages.”

Children diagnosed with cerebral palsy need constant rehabilitation, Regardless of the degree of the disease, if even with a mild form the child is neglected, everything will get worse; there are cases when mothers “pulled out” almost completely paralyzed children.

Only God knows what will happen next, but often effort means much more than money. And even those who do not have the opportunity to take their child abroad can do much more for him in the country, with faith in healing and appropriate actions.

No cases of recovery from autism. Autism is a mysterious disease of our time, there are no pills for it. Partial rehabilitation is possible depending on the severity of the disease and the efforts of the parents. The child can master basic communication skills, socialize, and with constant practice, begin to speak or respond to requests and signals. But in general, autism cannot be cured.

Any non-fatal diagnosis is not a death sentence; only, depending on the severity of the disease, efforts are needed to rehabilitate the disabled child.

“Mild” disabled people often have such a tendency in life, formed by their own parents, as dependency. They were accustomed to being treated like a crystal vase, blowing away specks of dust, not being taught many banal things, feeling sorry for them and doing everything for them. As a result, they grow up completely unadapted to environmental conditions and are not independent. In addition to the fact that the child is disabled, he is also an ordinary child, with all the characteristics and manifestations of character, and parents often forget about this.

Today society is trying to get away from such flashy words as “Disabled”, but in everyday life and in official speech many still use it:

“The word “disabled” (literally meaning “unfit”) is now increasingly being replaced by “person with disabilities.” However, this well-established term is often used in the press and publications, as well as in regulations and legislation, including official UN materials.

Public organizations of people with disabilities believe that it is important to use terminology that is correct in relation to people with disabilities: “a person with developmental delay” (and not “weak-minded”, “mentally disabled”), “a survivor of polio” (and not a “victim of polio”), “using wheelchair" (and not "bound to a wheelchair"), "has cerebral palsy" (and not "suffers from cerebral palsy"), "deaf", "hard of hearing" (and not "deaf-mute"). These terms are more correct, as they weaken the division between “healthy” and “sick” and do not evoke pity or negative emotions.”

There are more and more disabled children in Russia; children are a reflection of the situation in the world as a whole and a litmus test for society. New means are emerging that cure children with severe diagnoses, medicine is inventing new ways to combat diseases.

But something else remains at a primitive level (in some regions it is especially pronounced): the lack of adaptation of society to children with disabilities; it is not so much necessary to try to teach people with disabilities to make their way, and how much to convince society that it is they who must adapt and accept people with disabilities?. In the meantime, these small representatives of society, who have begun to realize their uniqueness, are forced to make their way through the thorns to the stars separately and alone, like pioneers, and often unsuccessfully.