We are not asking for alms...

Today is International Day of Persons with Disabilities. This day has been celebrated annually in Russia since 1992, when the UN General Assembly declared December 3 as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Most cities in the Russian Federation and other countries will host charity events to help people with disabilities, sports competitions and cultural and entertainment programs. But the presence of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities does not solve this acute social problem, but only indicates its presence. On this day, the editorial office of Polit.ru received an open letter from the portal for the deaf Deafworld.ru (Country of the Deaf) , which we publish in full.

Mr. President!

Gentlemen, governors, senators and deputies!

Citizens of the Country of the Deaf are turning to you. People come to our country in different ways, but no one comes here voluntarily. We, the hearing impaired, are cut off from the world of sounds and ordinary human communication. Due to hearing loss, we cannot live a full life; our choice of educational institutions and professions is limited. The most important thing is that it is extremely difficult for us to find decent work. We find ourselves completely dependent on the attitude of healthy people towards us.

December 3rd is declared Disabled Persons Day. On this day, it is customary to remember people with disabilities, often forgetting about them the remaining 364 days of the year. For people with disabilities, this is not a holiday, but a day of mourning for lost hearing and health, and the opportunity to fully realize themselves.

On this day we want to remind you of our pressing problems. We do not need alms, but the opportunity to fully realize ourselves as citizens of the Russian Federation, the opportunity to receive a full-fledged education that is in demand in the labor market and a decently paid profession. Among the hearing impaired there are many good specialists in various fields who can perform their work no worse than people with normal hearing. Their only problem is communicating with others. But this problem can be overcome if there is a humane and tolerant attitude towards the deaf employee on the part of employers and colleagues. We are not asking for alms, but for the practical implementation of the right to social rehabilitation of disabled people enshrined in Federal Law 181 of November 24, 1995. Disabled people need the realization of the right to work; disabled people want to work and earn a decent living.

For the purpose of social rehabilitation and practical implementation of Federal Law 181 "On Social Protection of Disabled Persons in the Russian Federation", people with hearing impairments need the development and adoption by the State Duma of federal laws and programs that take into account best international practices, including the federal Affirmative Action programs in force in the United States (" Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunities, which directly encourage the hiring of people with disabilities.

The dignity and level of civilization of a country are determined by its attitude towards people with disabilities. People with hearing disabilities ask to be given the opportunity to be full citizens of the Russian Federation, and not just residents of an isolated reservation in the Country of the Deaf, which they currently are.

Residents of the Country of the Deaf www.deafworld.ru