"It was a crazy, completely crazy idea"

For the past 25 years, Natalya Kremenova hears and sees only her hands. What does not prevent her from making reports, editing texts and leading the only magazine in our country for the deaf -blind readers of your interlocutor . Colta.ru asked Natalia about how the publication is being made for those to whom the usual media is not available to us.

“What is your name? Write ” - Natalya Kremenova holds out her hand. I write my name gently. “The namesakes! “She rejoices and adds:“ You write very vigilantly, but we will communicate much faster with the help of a dactic alphabet. ” This is the main method of communication with a blind man - each alphabet of the alphabet corresponds to its tactile sign. At first, the dactical alphabet seemed more complicated to me more than the highest mathematics, but Natalya trained me in dactylology in half an hour - and after an hour we communicated fluently.

- Natalya, how did you become the editor of the magazine?

-Since childhood, I dreamed of being a journalist-I inspired the example of a warrior father. But it was dad that I forbade me to enter the journalism department because of health problems: already in high school I did not see well and heard only with the help of the hearing aid. As a result, I graduated from the Faculty of History of Moscow State University, worked as an editor of the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, then the methodologist of the educational programs of the All -Russian Society of Deaf, and when completely dazzled - at the enterprise of the Society of Blind to the manufacture of pipes. In 1976, I was diagnosed with Josher Syndrome. This rare genetic disease becomes one of the causes of bouncer. Once our “Usher-forum” (a non-profit organization of care about people with Josher syndrome.- Ed. ) Invited to England. There I met a magazine for the deaf-blind people “Rainbow”-it was in 2002, in my opinion, he is still under this name. They gave me a number printed in English with Braille, - a friend who owns it freely to me. And I realized that it was precisely such a magazine that we do not have enough in Russia.

- And what was special about him?

- I was struck by how positive the magazine was! There were notes, letters, stories of blinded people and their accompanying translators. He went out once a quarter, the issues were called - spring, summer, autumn, winter. As I understand it, the editor of this magazine was a sighted person. Now, however, I have no one to translate foreign literature, so for a long time I have not followed the foreign publications for the blind men. Then I talked about the magazine to my friends - Lena Volokh, a weakly dull poetess, and Nina Solovtsova, an inaudible journalist, and they supported me. Lena Volokh and I unanimously, without saying a word, said: “What are we worse?!” Lena before that led the “hand in hand” in the magazine of the All -Russian Society of the blind “Our Life” - about the problems of the blind men. To make a magazine was a crazy, completely crazy idea. I had neither publishing experience, nor finance, from technology - only Braille and ordinary printing machines.

- When did the first issue come out?

-In 2003. The first issue was done in my kitchen. They edited, argued, together invented the headings, headlines of articles, themes ... Irina Salomatina helped us a lot, she was then the director of Usher Forum and released his ballot twice a year. We read it, and sometimes wrote for him. That is, the magazine was not born from scratch - he had an excellent parent. But we really wanted to make our magazine. Irina understood and supported us, found the volunteers who scored and flashed our texts, gave the materials to the printing house, where the ballot was printed. She herself already does not remember how she found money for it. The first number came out, if I am not mistaken, with a circulation of one hundred copies. These were ordinary plane magazines.

We printed one instance manually on the Braylev typewriter. He was transferred from hand to hand, but then lost. Another then we were published for free of the Moscow library for the blind.

- But how did they read them?

- People with residual vision could read themselves - there was an enlarged font, relatives were read to many with the help of a dactic alphabet.

- There was no Braille circulation then?

- We printed one instance manually on the Braylev typewriter. He was transferred from hand to hand, but then lost. Another then we were published for free of the Moscow library for the blind. But, you see, in Russia there is a magazine for the blind “Our Life” - it has been published since 1924 - and many more Braille almanacs and magazines. And many blind men do not read the magazines of the All -Russian Society of the Blind. Most people with Usera syndrome before, before loss of vision, belonged to the deaf world. For them - someone else's, not all of them own Brile.

- How did you distribute the magazine?

- Just sent by mail To their friends from Sochi, Perm, Novosibirsk, Ufa, Kirov, Tyumen, St. Petersburg. Irina Salomatina also found the money for the banderoli. Then, for many years, I paid for these parcels from my funds-about 25-30 copies, the remaining 70 remained in Moscow, we handed them out at the meetings of Usher Forum, one at a time I myself took to the Moscow branches of VOS and Vogi ​​(the All-Russian Society of the Deaf.-Ed. ), To universities-specialists in correctional pedagogy. We initially decided that we would not sell the magazine, that this is a non -profit project. When our friends and readers sent money, they went to postal expenses. Those who supported us were very grateful, but never offered anyone to do it.

- And the circulation was enough for everyone?

- It was still not enough. The magazine was transmitted along the chain: read - returned - sent to another.

- Almost samizdat!

- Literally. We registered the magazine in Roskomnadzor only in 2009, and in 2010 in the Ministry of Justice. Prior to this - six years - the magazine was like Samizdat, an unregistered publication, and they learned about it by "sundress radio". When the magazine was five years old, there were publications on different sites about him, but his readers were always the best advertising.

- Who are they?

- People with varying degrees of dazzle. There are those who do not see anything and do not hear anything at all, like me, there are hearing impaired blind and poorly visible deaf. But all this is in any case complex, complex diagnoses. Now the magazine is also being read by specialists studying the problems of deaf -blind, defectologists, and ghost -breeders. Parents of deaf -blind children read - getting to know adult stories, they understand that children have a future.

- And who are your authors?

- The magazine was and remains the voice of the deaf -blind people themselves, this is distinguished by “your interlocutor” from many other media. The authors are often the readers themselves. Permanent and perennials - who are literally with us from the first days - 10-12 people. But in general, in each issue there are new names. Writes for the magazine and specialists, psychologists, employees of charitable foundations.

- Tell us how you work.

- I am a huge correspondence. I have Braylevskaya technology, and in the editorial office-the Braylev display and a mini-computer. I make a number plan. I learn in advance about the events planned by the Co-Union Foundation (Charity Fund for Support for Bullflowers.- Ed. ), Food, I write a report. Or I am sending someone to events, and sometimes I ask you to interview my colleague who has an inaudible journalist of the newspaper Mir of the Deaf. Materials are sent mainly by e -mail. But sometimes real letters on the bribe in envelopes come. Then you need to first enter the text into the computer, and then edit again. We have to constantly return to the beginning of the text, to the beginning of the phrase or paragraph. Therefore, on the day I can edit only one article. But the magazine is quarterly, so I cope with the volume of work.

- How many people make a magazine?

- The editorial council has 12 people. I have deputy Elena Gromova, she is a certified Tiflosurdor -translator, accompanies me at events and leads our site. There is a professional journalist Valery Kuksin, before he headed a magazine for the deaf “in a single system” for many years, he most often comes up with catchy headlines for materials. This is my main assistant, he helps with editing. There is a responsible secretary, he collects the number and reads it completely. Elena Volokh leads the heading "Lira", writes poetry and materials herself. Elena Sillaova, an inaudible teacher of the Glusha School, leads the “Education” section. Professional Tiflosurdopper Rodion Terekhov is responsible for the heading "To help volunteers and translators-proving." Stanislav Shemet, an executive director, is engaged in legal and financial issues.

- And how is the work organized? Do you have editorial fly?

- practically no. It is very difficult to hold such meetings with dazzle. Mostly discussions are held by e -mail. The number is made for two to two and a half months, it is necessary to reflect all the important events of the past period. We make a layout and design for free, on a charitable basis, the specialists of the Medialine publishing house make, for which many thanks to them.

- What does the magazine write about?

- We conceived him as an absentee club of friends of friends in misfortune, where blind people could share the experience of rehabilitation and conducting active life. I ask our correspondents in the regions of essays about blind people and their families - or they themselves tell about themselves. There is a “News from the regions” section-about club meetings, excursions, master classes. We try to make a “wisdom” section in every issue - parables that make us think about life and their attitude towards it. We print legal information, household: recipes, stories about how blinded people lead the household, adapt to the world. Unfortunately, there is constantly not enough space. We would like, for example, to print intellectual games, charades; We have Lena Volokh - a lover of all such troubles and puzzles, you could make a constant page, but so far it does not work out. We cannot increase the number of lanes - this will increase the circulation.

- Do the magazine receive a salary?

- In 2016, the employee’s salary was 11,000 rubles. From this year, it was increased to the minimum size in Moscow - 17,500. You cannot pay less by law. The author of the author, depending on the volume of the material - is from 1000 to 3000 rubles.

- What does your interlocutor exist for?

- As I remember the magazine, I remember so much the search for funds for its existence. I remember that for the first five -year anniversary the number was collected and I rushed about in search of money for the printing house. Wherever she wrote, no matter what organizations she contacted - nothing. I wrote to our most active authors and readers: “Everything, I can’t, no strength. I close the magazine. " And in response - pleading letters: No need! One reader wrote: "After all, this is our bridge to each other!" And I realized that I just have no right to quit everything. I turned to the founders of the Usher Forum. They raised the money to the anniversary number, and two more. From 2011 to 2014, we had a joint grant project with the Moscow Social Protection Department-then the magazine began to be released not two, but four times a year. And in 2014, the State Fund for Support of Bully Golo-Golo-Great Personets appeared. They started To delve into the problems, they turned to Tatyana Basilova, the head of the MGPPU, the professor, she is a large specialist-psychologist in the field of dumbness. We have been friends for a long time. Tatyana told President of the Fund Dmitry Polikanov about our journal. So "Your interlocutor" became the first project of the fund. The help of the fund was made by the magazine modern, beautiful, photographs appeared. But the main thing is that the circulation has increased, now about 1,700 plane and 130 Braille specimens come out.

- Is that enough?

- The circulation is growing with each number. The Co-Union Foundation initiated the All-Russian census of deaf-blind people-everyone who took part can subscribe to the magazine for free. The fund finds out in which format it is more convenient for a person to receive it - based on this, the circulation is formed. Geography has expanded very much - now we are read not only in large regional centers. I recently found out from the list of mailing list that in the Irkutsk region there is a city of Zheleznogorsk-Ilimsky.

An official answer came - it was refused, since "the Braylev display is not a means of rehabilitation of first necessity for the disabled person and is not included in the federal list of technical equipment."

- Is the publication of such a magazine expensive?

- We spent 127 thousand rubles on the release of plane specimens of the last issue, 60 thousand on the Braylevsky circulation. Braille literature according to the law is sent free, and the targeted newsletter of flat printed specimens cost 97 thousand. The fund has many other projects, it provides us with only partial support. Therefore, we decided to try crowdfunding. We learned about him from Marina Men, director of the Circle of Creative Association - in the summer she managed to raise funds so for the continuation of the workshop where blind people work. And we recently also posted our project on the Planet .

- What are your impressions? Will you continue crowdfunding in constant mode - or look for other financing methods?

- It was very difficult for me to launch this - to record a video message, to agree on some awards for sponsors: I have no free access on the social network. Our goal is 400 thousand rubles, now we managed to collect a little more than half. Maybe in the future it will be possible to raise funds for the production of a runs on a brief. Still, more people learn about us. And we also think to submit a grant of state support. We re -register the charter: now it is written there that “your interlocutor” is a socially significant publication.

- Can you name the most significant magazine materials for you?

- About four years ago there was a publication. In St. Petersburg lives a married couple - Natalya and Vladislav Demyanenko. Both are totally blinded - they do not see and do not hear anything. Natasha is also a stroller. Both are our active authors, she is a member of our Redsovet. For most of the year, they live together outside the city, even in winter, almost alone in the country village, can you imagine? They serve themselves perfectly themselves. But, of course, you constantly need to be in touch with parents, who, in which case, can quickly come to them from the city. The only connection with the world is email. Vlad and Natasha had an old Braille display, donated by one of his friends, and they were very afraid that he would fail at any moment and they would be left without communication. Natasha began to write to different organizations, funds, and government agencies with a request to help purchase a new Braille display. It is wildly expensive, about 300 thousand rubles. And both of them do not work, they live in retirement. Natasha’s mother went to an appointment with one official. He listened carefully, took the letter and assured that they would definitely help with the display. Then the official answer came - it was refused, since "the Braille display is not a means of rehabilitation of the first necessity for the disabled person and is not included in the federal list of technical equipment." Natasha’s attempts to explain that for them, totally dense, the display - precisely a means of first necessity, remained unanswered. I invited Natasha to write a note about this. We published it. And I sent it to one unnecessary blogger known in the Vosovsky environment. He posted Natashin's text on his blog, and the noise immediately rose! People discussed, gave advice, offered to raise money. Someone sent the article to the company "Elite Group", it is engaged in the purchase of Braille displays in the United States. In this company, many employees are blind. Their board of directors decided to present to the Demyanenko Brylev display. They presented the programs to him and delivered a display from Moscow to St. Petersburg for free. It was just a miracle, the guys were so happy! And now the display works for them, and if there are any questions, Natasha writes to the company, they always advise her. And I was happy that the magazine helped.