Maryana Lyukhanova, 25, leads an active life. She is an actress in Rayduha (Rainbow), a Kyiv theater for the deaf. She also works as a sign language teacher and translator. In her leisure time, Lyukhanova snowboards and sings.
However, because of her hearing impairment, Lyukhanova has to put in more effort into everyday activities. “Family support helps me to achieve my goals. And of course, good luck also matters,” she says.
But Lyukhanova is the exception rather than the rule, as problems of the deaf still go largely ignored in Ukraine. “We the deaf adapt to the surrounding world, which still does not pay attention to our problems,” says Mariia Andriienko, a representative of the Ukrainian Union of the Deaf, a non-profit organization.
Even though Lyukhanova wears a hearing aid that makes her impairment less apparent to other people, she still feels uncomfortable when she goes out. “I feel very embarrassed when I have to initiate a conversation with a stranger,” she says.
There are 46,000 people in Ukraine living with impaired hearing, according to Ukrainian Union of the Deaf. That’s according to the official statistics – the actual figures could be much higher. And although the Ukrainian Constitution guarantees equal rights to everybody, people with special needs, including the deaf, find themselves at a disadvantage in day-to-day life.
Watching TV, going to see a movie at a cinema, or attending a theater performance are impractical because of the lack of interpreters for the deaf. Even very ordinary situations, like taking a trip on public transport, can be a challenge when the names of stops are only indicated by an audio announcement.
“We can’t call an ambulance or other social services. There’s not always a friend or a neighbor available who can help,” says Lyukhanova.
A sign language interpreter working during a broadcast on the TSN.ua news website on July 26. (Courtesy)
One of the most serious problems is deaf people’s limited access to information on TV, says Andriienko of the Ukrainian Society of the Deaf, adding that TV shows are rarely translated into sign language, and most subtitles for movies are too small and often obscured by TV advertisements.
“We cannot even listen equally with others to speeches by Ukraine’s president, because there are no subtitles or interpreters for the deaf!” Andriienko complains, adding that this “leads to the deaf having a sense of estrangement from social and political life.”
The deaf also lack jobs and find it difficult to attend educational institutions to obtain a specialized or higher education.
According to Ukrainian legislation, 4 percent of employees at a business should be people with special needs, but in fact many employers try to avoid hiring people with disabilities. Some simply pay the fines for breaking the rules, while others hire people with special needs only on paper.
“It’s not easy for a deaf person to find a job,” says Andriienko. “It seems to me that most employers have a stereotypical idea that the deaf are not able to perform their duties well.”
Bu this is not the case, says Darya Kiryatska, head of the communications department of Auchan Retail Ukraine, a Ukrainian subsidiary of the French food retailer.
Auchan Retail Ukraine is among the few companies in Ukraine that hire deaf people on a regular basis. Its 209 deaf employees work alongside 3,800 Auchan workers in 11 locations. They work as cashiers, personnel inspectors and team leaders.
Oleh Popov, 32, a hearing-impaired cashier working at one of Kyiv’s Auchan supermarkets, is one such worker. A special sign at his workplace indicates to customers that they are being served by a deaf cashier. But the line of customers at his cash register is just as long as all the others. Viktor Skeniyevich, one of Auchan’s customers, says he is satisfied with quality of service from the deaf cashiers. “I like it that deaf people are working (here),” he said.
“Hearing impairment does not affect the quality of service,” Kiryatska of Auchan says.
Popov has been working in Auchan for three years, and is happy with his job. “Customers often write me thank-you notes,” he says smiling. “This is the easiest and the best job for me. I wouldn’t be able to do anything else because, for example, I can’t talk with clients over the phone.”
Andriienko of the Ukrainian Union of the Deaf notes that “a deaf person can find a job in services, but only a few can get an interesting or a well-paid job.”
Another challenge for people with hearing impairments is watching TV. Despite numerous reported violations of rights of the deaf in Ukraine, only one case has been filed in the courts, according to Ukrainian Society of the Deaf. In 2010, a deaf person filed a case at the Kyiv District Administrative Court against the government, complaining about the lack of TV subtitles and sign language translation. Even though the petitioner won the case, the court ruling has not yet been fulfilled.
International organizations still have to pressure Ukrainian officials to improve the protection of deaf people’s rights in the country, even after Ukraine ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2009. Last August, the Kyiv Society of the Deaf participated in a meeting of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and presented a report on violations of the rights of deaf people in Ukraine. A couple of days later, on Aug. 23, when Ukraine celebrated National Flag Day, the president’s speech was translated into sign language, which had never happened before.
“Obviously, it became possible after there was UN influence,” said Ihor Bondarenko, the head of the board of sign language interpreters of Kyiv’s Union of the Deaf.
Nevertheless, the attitude towards the deaf in Ukrainian society is gradually improving, says Andriienko.
As one of Auchan’s customers, Nina Fedoriva, said: “Mutual communication is good for us and for the deaf. Our attitude toward people with special needs is a measure of our humanity.”
Editor’s Note: This article is part of the “Journalism of Tolerance” special project by the Kyiv Post and its affiliated non-profit organization, the Media Development Foundation. The project cover problems and challenges faced by sexual, ethnic and other minorities in Ukraine. It is made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Internews. The contents are the sole responsibility of the Kyiv Post and the Media Development Foundation and are independent of the views of USAID, the U.S. government and Internews.
