How Denise Roza is Helping to Make Disabilities More Visible in Russia
Denise Roza instantly felt at home when she arrived in Moscow thirty-two years ago. She fell in love with the language, culture, and people. For a couple years, Roza bounced around different jobs in Russia, each position hammering in the feeling that she wanted to work directly with the people of the country.
As she started to work in community outreach, she discovered a passion to help Russians with disabilities integrate into society. In a time period in which non-profits were just be introduced in the country, Roza founded Perspektiva, a non-government organization (NGO) that strives to support and empower Russians with disabilities to lead full, active, and independent lives.
Roza sat down with us to discuss the societal shifts she has witnessed during her role as Executive Director of Perspektiva.
The Russian Revolution
Roza has called Russia home during a dynamic period for the Russian disability rights movement. When recalling the situation for people with disabilities when she first arrived in the then -- Soviet Union in the 1980’s, Roza likened the societal stereotypes and lack of legislation to be on par with the United States’ disability rights movement in the early 1950’s.
Now, Russia has surpassed the US in some respects, choosing to ratify the UN Convention on the Right of People with Disabilities. This opened up a frank discussion of accessibility concerns in education, employment, and society at large.
In the past thirty years, what tangible steps have been taken to integrate Russians with disabilities more fully in society?
The Power of Exposure
When Perspektiva was just beginning, the NGO put a special emphasis on exposing able-bodied Russians to their peers with disabilities. Roza shared with us that few able-bodied Russians could name a person they knew with a disability, let alone a time where they worked or went to school alongside someone from the disability community.
Perspektiva began to give people with disabilities the opportunity to lead those first instances of exposure, whether through training sessions given to teachers on how to best assist children with disabilities in the classroom or training sessions given to employers on the facts and myths of hiring people with disabilities.
This not only gave people with disabilities the set of skills needed to better advocate and educate about the disability community in Russian society, but it also exposed teachers and employers to a part of society that was previously unknown to them.
As Perspektiva has grown, so too has the organization’s sphere of influence. The NGO still focuses on increasing the education and employment opportunities of people with disabilities but has expanded into collaborations with other like-minded organizations worldwide.
For Roza, the success of Perspektiva has been incredibly rewarding to watch over the past twenty years. The skills and insights she has learned from her time as Executive Director has given her the ability to dive into a new emphasis on Russians with disabilities in the performing arts. Roza has accomplished this through founding the International Disability Film Festival and becoming an outspoken advocate for the inclusion of Russians with disabilities on both the stage and screen.
While Roza acknowledges that there is a lot of room left to grow before Russian is truly inclusive and accessible to all members of society, the country has made large strides forward with the assistance of NGOs like Perspektiva.
Want to hear Denise Roza in her own words? Check out the Traipsin’ Global on Wheels Podcast: