No excuses: a world without barriers Alexander Popov

I'm afraid to be afraid

- Hello, Sasha! Glad to see you among our heroes special project.

- Hi, Nastya!

- Tell us about your childhood.

- One of the first sweet memories of childhood: dad, great and mighty, enters the apartment, and we're running cheers to him. Unfortunately, my father died when I was five years old. Mom raised me and my sister alone. She's a very strong-willed, though incredibly good.

- Did you study well at school?

- For a number of things - yes.

In my opinion, a lot depends on the personality of the teacher. We had an excellent biology and geography - these disciplines were easy. And here it was a bad mathematician, so with numbers other than basic computing actions, I still difficulties today.

Somewhere in the eighth grade, I fell in love. The girl was from the "A" class. You know, where you would normally collect the most diligent students. To somehow get closer to it, I won the Olympics on biology and hit the "A" class. Exactly one day. On other subjects did not reach the children, and I was quickly brought back to the "G".

- The girl was somehow even managed to conquer? :)

- No, nevzyataya top. :) But it was the first serious experience, when I pulled myself together and started to get what I need.

- Why did you never graduated from the Biology?

- I have a congenital disease associated with muscle atrophy. About 16 years old when walking became harder and harder, I began to study in depth the issue and realized that the prospects are not rosy. So I do not want to spend time on their studies, threw Institute and went to work.

- Where?

- First there was the acceptance inspector in the repair shop of mobile phones and portable devices. Then he opened the service center. For 10 years, his team has grown from one to me 30 people, 20 of whom were highly skilled engineers. It was the region's largest service center, it was quite successful. But my state of health, unfortunately, everything is worse. At one point I realized that I just physically can not go to work. I tried to look for control, but none of them was effective: the repair quickly grew, the quality dropped, the band becoming less manageable. As a result, I made a strategic decision to close the service center.

- You knew that sooner or later will sit down in the wheelchair. It was hard psychologically?

- It was a huge moral issue. I was feeling so terrible shame that I did not know what to do with herself. You're a normal, intelligent, honest, energetic person who is able to do much, and suddenly can not walk any more. Feeling that your value as a person has become less than before. What I just did, to solve this problem: read books on psychoanalysis, I went to consult a specialist - to no avail.

Until one day, I suddenly thought to myself this question just in one second.

All my life I am afraid to be afraid. When I feel that something I'm afraid, just I go to this problem. This is my personal life hacking.

Once I realized that I was afraid to appear in the street in a wheelchair, I'm afraid that I will see in this my friends, acquaintances, colleagues. Suddenly, they think I'm helpless, and start to feel sorry for me? As soon as I realized this fear, I was easy - all the depression disappeared. I began to walk everywhere in a wheelchair, and I did not care what people think about me. :)

Bezbarerro

- Understanding the "perspective" of the disease, you are pre-made alterations to the apartment. Why such rationality? Not in the Russian character to lay straw.

- Think about the consequences teaches business. If you have ever lost money, if you ever are people who pay you a salary, sat around, if you once we understood, that in a month you will not pay taxes, then you will surely learn how to plan for a long time forward.

Now, if my LeaderTask not painted the plan for a month, week and day, I start to feel anxious.

- How did you become the head of the Voronezh Training and Resource Center "Accessible Environment"?

- Initially, I was not planning on careers in a barrier-free environment - I just wanted to ramp and lift in his porch. But quickly realized that this is not a trivial task: the current system is not working, it needs to be radically changed.

During the three years of correspondence with the management company and other instances I have accumulated a huge folder formal replies. Even when the district council ordered the management company to give me a ramp, the latter did not move. I had to go to court. Even during installation, I had to stop work four times: in spite of the clear and clear project management company tried to do both simpler and cheaper. But the result has ensured that the ramp did and did it right.

- But the struggle for access from the apartment to the street is not over?

- Yes. I decided to equip electropanelboard special lift. Here a stick in the wheels start to insert a neighbor. One day she called me at the same time the housing inspections, fire and police. :) All three services have arrived, but seeing things with your own eyes and evaluated as a neighbor talking to people, just gave me a work permit.

- Recently, a similar incident I was in Perm. There is also a neighbor, pensioner did not allow the girl to make the lift. How to deal with such moral invalids?

- Of course, sad to watch this. It should be understood that in any community there are inadequate people. This is normal.

Operate them only need the law. In no case do not get involved in the conflict, not to succumb to provocations.

They will certainly take you to the scandal. But do not waste your nerves to disputes and persuasion - act in accordance with their rights and legitimate interests, and all documented.

- But many do not even try to fight and years of sitting in their homes, in prisons. How do you think why?

- Low motivation of people with disabilities - a big and serious problem. They have extremely low self-esteem, and to overcome external barriers often simply do not have the moral strength.

The country has little good, really working public organizations. Typically, a person comes to the local disabled society sees there stagnant and grandparents, and his hands are completely omitted. It seems that such a hopeless darkness everywhere and overcome bureaucratic monster impossible.

- His center "Accessible Environment" do you want to show that it is not so?

- Including. We believe that the rehabilitation process consists of three stages. Origin - physical rehabilitation (treatment, surgery, sports, and so on). The second - the adaptation of the environment, when a man came to his senses and wants to have access to the world. And the third stage - self-actualization. It is achieved through employment. We are working on the last two stages.

When the end of my saga with a ramp and a lift, I went to the head of the regional society of invalids and said that I wanted to do an affordable medium. The first thing I did - traveled on the projects that the city has been adapted for the program "Accessible environment"And identified a number of errors. It turned out that the management of agencies and contractors need expert assistance in the adaptation of proper and what is not in the Voronezh region any organization that has supplied specialized equipment (signs, pictograms, signs, mimic and so Further). This niche we occupied.

In 2014, my house was hell: through my apartment took about 50 organizations that were in need of advice on building codes and state program. On the day it was sometimes for 10-12 guests: directors, accountants, engineers and so on. We realized that we needed a room where could run our team and where people could come. The head of our disabled community to see the effectiveness of our work, gave us his.

We got half a million rubles from the Department of Labor and Employment (this is compensation for the employment of three wheelchair users) and invested the profit from the sale of tactile products. Money is still not enough - had to invest their funds. But in the end we have completely reconstructed the room and create a master house for a person with disabilities. For the result we are not ashamed, in 2015 showed how right and comfortable we did everything.

- The result has turned out really great! Heard you like to go to a museum?

- To some extent, yes. Center adapted to all categories of people with disabilities: wheelchair users, visually impaired, hearing impaired, persons with mental disorders.

We wanted to show how to make a ramp, set the call button personnel, placed signs with Braille, mimic how to organize internal ergonomics of workspaces equipped with a bathroom, what should be the furniture and so Further.

Many things are tested in our office. For example, drop-down rapids - it is convenient if not? Contrasting elements on furniture - help or not? All this we check on her, and then implement.

- Do you even met Elena Flying and invited her to check hotels and restaurants not only for cleanliness but also on Inclusion. What did she answer?

- We wrote them a long letter explaining the problem and our vision of the result, but the response has not yet received.

But even if it is not followed, everything will still shoot videos on the accessibility of facilities. As long as part of the grant to establish the availability of maps of Voronezh, which we won, but we'll see. :)

Criticizing - I suggest, I suggest - do, do - answer

- Sasha, knowing the nature and state of the problem, say whether we will ever reach the European level of the environment adaptation for people with disabilities?

- I think in the next 15 years the situation has radically changed. We will see people sitting right now in homes, on the streets, in shops, in the movie.

Seriously changing legislation, there are experts, activists - all of this is able to break the system.

The main thing - to realize that with power need not conflict, and incorporated into her work.

- criticize - we offer?

- Do not just so, and criticizing - I suggest, I suggest - do, do - answer.

Imagine a public body, which are obliged to implement the program "Accessible environment". At best, the officials sent on any training seminar, but usually this does not happen. In addition to this body hangs still a lot of questions that need to be promptly addressed.

Meanwhile, the right to adapt only professionals can object to the experience and knowledge. And if we speak about the involvement in the adaptation of infrastructure of people with disabilities, it will have to be experts. Only in this case, the state allocated money will be spent effectively.

- How to become such an expert?

- Last year we came up with the initiative to establish a federal training center "Accessible Environment". We want to make the shaft of scattered information on accessibility, which have now been structured to teach the program was created. So that people could remotely read the educational materials, watch the lectures. And those who want to deal with these problems professionally in his city, could remotely pass a qualifying exam and get an official expert status (certificate).

Then the system will work in a new way: to each object is attached expert, his visa will be on the design and construction documents. This will mean that he has put his knowledge to the project and is ready to be responsible for the result. Without a visa expert will not be able to enter the facility in operation. Believe me, a professional of this level will always be in demand and will be able to earn.

- By the way, employment - this is another area of ​​activity of your center. A few words about this, please.

- We have created labor exchange for people with disabilities and from April to December 2015 we were able to employ about 25 people. Another 50 were trained. This is a good result, considering how severe the degree of disability were the boys and how many prejudices in the minds of employers.

- They are afraid of responsibility?

- Including. They are afraid that not cope that will be permanent sick leave and compensation. Therefore, we do not come to the employer with the demand, "Take! You owe! ". We come with a proposal: see what a class specialist as inexpensive it will cost you, what his motivation!

we also try to do of people with disabilities competitive workers. To do this, we provide training relevant to the specialties market. For example, in February, we will start a course on public speaking, from which listeners call centers will recruit employees themselves. It will tutorial on the SMM, advertising on the web, the English language. And most importantly, we want to make this year's Business Council, which would unite the interests of workers and employers, and are planning to hold a competition "career path" among graduates with disabilities.

- I sincerely wish that all these plans were realized. Sasha, covering the topic of accessible environment, give our readers who would like to see in their entryway appeared ramp for wheelchairs and mothers with prams - whether stepwise algorithm of actions.

- The first - to get into the internet and see what are the ramps. Second - contact your nearest company which is engaged in manufacturing and installation of ramps, with the request determine whether there is a technical possibility to make such a ramp, and to prepare a commercial offer on it.

The legislation allows for the work to install the ramp without the consent of tenants, but I would err. Therefore, the third step - to make the questionnaire and go to the neighbors. Even if in your house there will be those most inappropriate people that we talked about above, the bulk of tenants will not be easy against the right design.

I would also appealed to the management company. Often she has the internal resources to do it, and maybe if you give a normal drawing and monitor progress of work, it is done correctly.

Step Four - to find the money. It could be the means of the management company, and sponsorship, and special tools for housing adaptation program (such is in some cities). Do not forget that you can just make money on the ramp! It makes sense to also apply to public organizations. Their experience and connections may help you. Remember, any problem can be solved, if you put this much effort and time.

Everything! :)

Perpetuum mobile

- Sasha, do you work for 12-15 hours a day. Two questions: how and why?

- Before, I always thought that every business takes energy. But recently realized that the opposite is true: every done deal, especially aimed at the creation, adds energy.

This is an ongoing source of energy. If I roll somewhere on vacation for more than three days, the thirst activity begin to build devices on tables, beds on the line set. :)

- How do you then have a rest?

- Over time, you begin to appreciate the very simple things. Possibility to sleep, read a good book, chat with a clever man, go to the country, take a cold shower in the morning, eat a piece of tasty cooked meat - is not happiness? :)

- Sasha, finally covet anything Layfhakera readers.

- Do not be afraid to work hard. You'd be surprised how much will change in your life.

- Thanks for the conversation! It was informative!

- Thank you for inviting! :)