I'm a Uber taxi driver, and I haven't heard from birth

According to the Department of Disability Affairs of the Ministry of Labor of Russia, About thirteen million people with disabilities live in our country, which is slightly less than 9% of the total population. At the same time, disability continues to be surrounded by many stereotypes, while it remains only to dream of an “accessible environment” in Russia. We talked with Irina Tarasenko, who was born without a hearing and worked as a Uber driver, about what kind of education is better for hearing impaired children, what employment options for people with disabilities exist in Russia and what is needed for Russian society to become inclusive. We discussed in detail how to correctly speak about deaf people, and at the request of our heroine we leave the word "deaf" in the text, since it is preferable for her.

On education and employment

I was born in a family of hearing people, but I have not heard from birth. I went to a specialized school for deaf children. I do not think that my experience is any different from the experience of other deaf children: there were special classes on the development of residual hearing, lessons on the development of speech. After graduation, on the advice of parents, she entered the institute at the department of physical rehabilitation, she studied for five years in the specialty “Physical therapy trainer” - if I had the opportunity, I would be happy to work in this area, but, unfortunately, it did not work: That moment was not a suitable vacancy. In addition, I studied at the pastry chef - I have an appropriate education.

I am not a professional, so I can’t say exactly which form of education is better for deaf people: inclusive education, when deaf children go to a regular school, or study in specialized institutions. I think the main thing is to create good conditions so that people with hearing impairments can get a quality education. All learning processes should include either sign language interpreters or teachers with sign language knowledge. It is very difficult for a deaf person to get an education first of all because there are not enough sign language interpreters.

The main problem of the deaf in Russia is employment: it is difficult for them to find work, and if it turns out, their work is usually very low paid, although in large cities like Moscow this is much easier. It seems to me that this is because the majority of highly paid professions imply constant communication and communication with people. When hearing impairment is, of course, a big problem. Now there are special technologies that allow deaf people to communicate with the outside world, but for the most part, managers prefer not to complicate the process and hire people who hear.

I know that now special organizations help the deaf - there is an opportunity to even get a job in a large company in a position where you can communicate with people in writing. No one helped me myself - I accidentally found out that there is an opportunity to work as a Uber driver. I connected to the platform through a deaf partner too.

On the work of the driver and passengers

I do not feel any restrictions on my work, in Uber there are comfortable conditions for deaf people. When ordering a car, an inscription is displayed warning the passenger that a deaf driver is traveling to him. It turns out that there is no need to actively interact with the client and the whole process is reduced to minimal mechanical actions. It seems to me that in other areas everything is a little different: for example, it is often easier for management to solve problems that arise, to explain something verbally to an employee.

Usually I have no difficulty in communicating with clients: they are initially aware that the driver is deaf. If necessary, I communicate with them using a notebook and pen, which I always have with me. We can still communicate with gestures, some lips understand what I want to say. Passengers are very polite and open, friendly-minded - never met rudeness or inappropriate behavior towards me. It is easy for me to communicate with strangers: I am an open person, it is easy for me to talk with those whom I do not know.

In fact, I do not think that there are any significant differences in driving a deaf person and hearing: deaf drivers on the road are not inferior to others. The most important thing is to follow the rules of the road. I deliver passengers from point A to point B: I accept the order in the appendix, I leave for the client and I carry to the specified address. The problem with the sound signal on the road is solved very simply: the deaf have better developed eye movement. This is a rather complicated mechanism to describe; it is influenced by many factors, including those related to psychology. In short, the development of eye movement allows deaf people to anticipate subsequent events a little in advance.

About inclusiveness

In order for the environment and infrastructure in Russia to become more accessible for people with hearing impairment, serious and large-scale changes are needed. For example, it would be great if creeping lines appeared on bus stops and in public transport, denoting the names of stops, counting down the time until the bus arrived, and so on - that would help a lot. Of course, now there are new stops with information boards, but far from everywhere. Similarly, with new trains in the subway, where there is a running line with information about the stations, - alas, they do not always and not all branches of the metro.

In order to make the environment comfortable for people with hearing impairments, it is very important that there be enough sign language interpreters in the country. According to the documents of the IPR (Individual Program for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled), it is possible to use the services of a sign language interpreter for free only forty hours a year. If a person exceeds the limit, he will have to pay for work at his own expense. There are very few sign language interpreters for our huge country: there are about three to five deaf people per translator abroad, and we have many times more. In order to somehow get closer to a foreign level, we need specialized educational institutions, and there are very few of them in Russia. Plus, wages do not go to any comparison with how much specialists receive abroad.

Deaf people are surrounded by a lot of stereotypes. Mostly people think that we can do nothing and cannot: “How can she drive a car? She is deaf!” He also often calls deaf people deaf-and-dumb, this is also not true - we are talking, just in another language. Among the deaf, there are many people who can speak - yes, their speech is different from ordinary, but it can be understood.

There are no universal rules for those who want to respect the deaf person respectfully: everything depends on the situation. In any case, you should never emphasize that there are any differences between us, in the end we are no different from others. Deaf people are ordinary people, just like everyone else.

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