Accessibility in Russia, or the Lack of It
By Lev N. Indolev
There is an old Russian saying: "The head of the fish spoils first." The Moscow headquarters of the Ministry of Labor and Social Services, and the inaccessibly high level bureaucrats who reside there, embody this saying. Presidents and their cabinets come and go, as do individual ministers, but those staircases stand as an unchanging symbol of the government's indifference to senior and disabled citizens - the very people who, it would seem, the government is called upon to protect.
The same can be said of most other government buildings, both in Moscow and in the regions. The architectural style, often ironically called "Stalinist Vampirism," appears to have eternally separated the powers that be from the masses. For example, the social service committee in the city of Korolev (named for an important figure in the space program) could brag of the same type of staircase in its own building. However, unlike in Moscow, the Korolev committee deserves sincere gratitude for constructing a ramp as well. Such an example, unfortunately, is more an exception than a rule. In other cities a decision was made, hurriedly and contrary to current building standards, to retain the old steep iron staircases which a wheelchair user can ascend only with the help of at least one very strong man, and not without risk. Such a construction, for example, mars the façade of the municipal administration building in Rostov-on-Don, a city of over one million people.
St. Petersburg
In this respect, the "northern capital" of St. Petersburg is better off than others. As part of a television production group, I paid a visit to Victor Novoselov, the former vice-chairman of the city legislative council. This is the same Novoselov who, not long ago, was brutally murdered by a criminal gang. It was not at all difficult to get to his office. The city council "inherited" the Marininsky palace from its predecessor the Leningrad Soviet. The palace was built for Emperor Nicholas I, and the architect had to take into account the fact that the Emperor's daughter, the princess Maria, was disabled and used a wheelchair. Vice-chairman Novoselov, who was paraplegic, entered the building using the broad ramps that led to the main entrance, and ascended to his office in a spacious elevator. It was as if the architect had the ability to see into the future.
Novoselov and I discussed the problems of disabled people in St. Petersburg. I expected him to support my grievances about stairs, curbs, and the other inconveniences of the old city, but he had another viewpoint. "We cannot cover the whole city in ramps. I went through rehabilitation in Germany, and while I was there, I learned to jump curbs (he used his hand to show me how high) and ride down stairs. We all need to learn such skills." I replied that this would not work for people without special "jumping" wheelchairs like his, nor would it help the elderly. "Our citizens are good people," he said. "Someone will always help."
Feeling Free in Northern Europe
After my conversation with Novoselov, I remembered going to Sweden with our volleyball team. We spent several days in downtown Malmo. I had a hotel room with a wide door that opened automatically (in case the guest had weak arms), a large bathroom, emergency call buttons on two different levels (in case, God forbid, the guest were to fall) and other conveniences. Strolling through the city for hours, going into stores and restaurants, to the train station and the bank, I never once had any difficulty or felt that I needed anyone's help. I was free! It seemed that the dozens of other wheelchair users I saw on the streets felt the same way I did, but they did not notice the feeling because it was so natural and usual to them. But in three days I could not get enough of it.
The situation was the same in the newer areas and in the subway system in Stockholm, and in the German cities Cologne and Dusseldorf, and in Amsterdam. Everywhere I went, I asked myself the same question: how did they manage it? All these cities are not only older than St. Petersburg, they are older even than Moscow. It is true that in Moscow a few islands of accessibility have appeared - Manezh Square, the Tretyakov Gallery and Victory Park. In the Victory Park museum I even took part in the grand opening of the capital's one and only accessible public restroom. It reminded me of a French comic film, Scandal in Closhmerle, which tells the story of a similar municipal event. It is both shameful and telling that most accessible buildings were built by foreign construction companies.
Medical facilities (clinics, pharmacies), retail establishments (shops, cafes) and cultural attractions are not much different than government buildings. Most theaters, concert halls and museums are not accessible, including the Bolshoi Theater and the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum in Moscow and the Russian Museum and the famous Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. At movie theaters wheelchair users are forced to enter through the emergency exit, which for safety reasons is usually located at ground level. Russian Orthodox churches are usually built on high ground, and only rarely are the steep steps leading up to the church built with handrails.
Disability Activists Making Some Progress
Thanks to the dedication of local disabled activists, accessibility is improving in some cities, including Novgorod-the-Great (thanks to a joint project between the Novgorod Society of Disabled People and the non-profit organization Perspektiva), Ulan-Ude (thanks to the work of the Foundation for the Builders of Housing for Disabled People), and Tver (thanks to the Taniusha, an NGO of disabled people). Sometimes the entrances to stores, restaurants or movie theaters are made accessible on the request of a single disabled person. The owners of a Baskin Robbins store and a store called "Smak" in Korolev built ramps up to their buildings after becoming acquainted with disabled neighbors. But it will be a long time before everyone - not just well-educated and kind-hearted citizens but even local bureaucrats - comes to understand the needs of disabled people. It will be a long time before the government even begins to implement the measures called for in the law "On the social protection of disabled citizens of the Russian Federation."
Situation Better for those with Vision Impairments
The situation for people with vision impairments is in general better than for people with mobility impairments. Although the number of intersections throughout Russia with sound-producing traffic lights can be counted on one hand, the many other services provided to make society more accessible to blind people are thanks in part to the diligent efforts of the All-Russian Society of the Blind (ARSB) and in part to the low cost of these services, in comparison to the costs required to provide accessibility to people with mobility impairments.
Sidewalks and special pedestrian roads for visually impaired people are common in areas where businesses, health and recreation resorts, belonging to the ARSB, are located. They are marked with white paint or equipped with borders and handrails. At pedestrian crossings, road signs and stoplights alert drivers to take caution. At some Metro stations in Moscow, the flooring on the very edge of the platform has a unique texture. Blind people are warned of approaching trains by a bell sound, and the change from a man's voice to a woman's announcing the station names signifies movement away from or towards the city center. Some, unfortunately not all, buses and trolleys are equipped with sound systems to announce not only the names of stops but also the route number and the direction in which the route is running. These and other conveniences, however, are characteristic only in Moscow and in specific neighborhoods of a few other cities (Samara, Saratov, Bataisk), near enterprises that employ blind workers and where visually impaired people traditionally live in high concentrations. But according to data from the ARSB, even in Moscow, only half of visually impaired residents will risk travel through the city without the assistance of a seeing guide. The idea of training guide dogs has not caught on in Russia, above all, because of the economic burden it would pose. There are, however, two schools in Russia where guide dogs are trained.
In large cities, cars parked illegally on sidewalks and in courtyards present a serious inconvenience and even danger to blind pedestrians. Street vendors spread haphazardly along roadways also present a problem. In smaller cities and villages, the needs of visually impaired residents are rarely if ever taken into account.
Bureaucratic Obstacles
In addition to physical barriers, there are the bureaucratic obstacles, which have an influence on a moral and psychological level. For example, last year, at the end of May, a police blockade prevented me from driving my car into the territory of Moscow's Luzhniki Sports Complex, where a citywide ice cream festival was being held. "Come any other day," said the junior officer who stopped me, "but today you need a special permit." This only increased my determination to enter, and permission was finally granted by a lieutenant colonel, the assistant to the head of all traffic police in Moscow's central administrative district.
The fight for our rights must start with small steps. In Samara, the Desnitsa Society won a lawsuit against local traffic police for illegally charging fees for the registration of license numbers to disabled drivers. It seems trivial, but 960 people got their money back. Disability activists also won a suit pertaining to remuneration for a plot of land used to build a garage.
Considering the sluggishness of the Russian judicial system and the Soviet tradition of "don't spit into the wind," it is understandable that neither individuals nor organizations of disabled people take local authorities to court with any frequency. I am not aware of a single case in which government officials were punished for failing to provide an accessible environment for disabled people.
Public Transportation Mostly Inaccessible
Throughout Russia, public transportation, railways and air travel remain almost entirely inaccessible to disabled people. Experimental train cars equipped with one large, two-bed cabin designed for disabled people and their traveling companions now run on some lines. However, the train stations themselves are difficult to navigate, and the high steps, narrow doors and inconveniently placed handholds make buses and trolleys impossible for wheelchair users and treacherous for elderly people and those with difficulty walking. The majority of train stations, even those renovated relatively recently, are not equipped with disabled-accessible toilets, or even with a few broader stalls. The first aid station of Moscow's Vnukovo airport, the departure point of hundreds of mobility impaired people bound for resorts in southern Russia, is located 5 steps down from the main floor. The escalator in the Sheremetevo-2 international airport has not worked for many years, and wheelchair users must be carried up the stairs. Visitors from all over the world who use wheelchairs have been subjected to this humiliation.
Some Promising Housing Projects
With regard to accessible housing, it is necessary to give the government of Moscow its due for making plans to build several dozen apartment buildings in the newer neighborhoods that will be accessible to wheelchair users. These apartments will be equipped with individual lifts, spacious bathrooms, and wide doorways. In other large cities, such as Nizhny Novgorod and Samara, older apartments are being reconstructed to make them accessible. In Ulan-Ude, city officials in conjunction with local disabled people's organizations (through the Achievement Foundation) are planning the construction of an apartment complex for wheelchair users that would also include manufacturing enterprises, athletic facilities and a recreation center.
But the aforementioned projects are only a drop in the ocean - the majority of the population, both disabled and non-disabled, live in four- or five-story apartment buildings without elevators. In large cities the norm is nine-story buildings, which have small elevators but not freight elevators, which are more convenient for wheelchair users due to their spaciousness. Freight elevators are found only in 16- and 22-story buildings. Elevators notwithstanding, nearly all apartment buildings have narrow entranceways with a few steps and no railings. These steps are a tremendous obstacle for wheelchair users, especially women, the elderly, and those who live alone.
The Pointlessness of Minor Improvements
The saying that "the most serious barriers are inside of us" is in vogue these days, and in fact it is true. If a wheelchair user or a blind person cannot find the internal strength to go out into the world and inform people of his existence, then any battle for accessibility in architecture is pointless. Any bureaucrat will say, "Look, we built this expensive ramp (or lift) and there aren't any more of you out on the streets." In part he would be right. His mistake would be the fact that a single ramp or a "speaking" traffic light will not solve any problems. An illustration: in Moscow they built an elevator in the Altufievska metro station, apparently because it is close to a school for disabled children (and a wonderful one at that), which is run by the wife of the city official in charge of social services. It would be easy for a wheelchair user to get down to this station, but why? All he could do would be to ride around underground and come back to this same station - there are no other wheelchair accessible stations! The same goes for those notorious ramps. If disabled people cannot leave their homes, what is the purpose of a ramp at the neighborhood store? And another example: if they level out the curbs in one place but forget to in another, then they have not increased accessibility for disabled people at all.
Therefore, the problem of accessibility should be resolved in its entirety and not by one-time efforts done "for show." Experience shows that unless disabled people themselves strictly monitor social programs designed for their benefit and insist that these programs are carried out, no progress in increasing accessibility will ever be made.
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