People with disabilities who study and work at HSE University enjoy numerous services: students have access to individual curricula, social scholarships, and academic advisors, while all students and staff with disabilities use wheelchair lifts, hearing aid systems, and many other resources that ensure full access to all that HSE has to offer. HSE News spoke with HSE community members with disabilities to find out what life is like for them at HSE and how the university measures up to their needs.
Vsevolod Ganinets
Second-year student, Business Administration
Changing Majors
I am from Kazakhstan, but I have been living in Moscow for a few years now. I’ve liked this city since I was little. Right after I graduated from high school (I went to a Russian school in Astana which confers high-school diplomas in both Kazakh and Russian, so I have one Kazakh diploma and one Russian), I went to Bauman Moscow State Technical University, where I studied for a year. However, after that first year I got injured, and I had to take time off from school and return to Kazakhstan so that I could recover. My rehabilitation lasted a really long time. When I was fully recovered, I wanted to continue my studies, but I decided that I wanted to change my major, because I realized that I did not want to commit my life to a fundamental technical profession.
I opened the list of the best Russian universities (my ambitions were very high) to browse programmes. I liked the Business Administration Programme at HSE University. My father has a business in Kazakhstan, and I have always been keen on entrepreneurship and management. I entered HSE University under a quota offered for foreign citizens in the Russian Federation. I have never regretted changing my area of study: maths is easy for me thanks to my technical background, and I am fond of learning new subjects such as economics and law.
Affordable Education at HSE University
This year our faculty moved to Shabolovka. Knowing that the campus was not equipped with the wheelchair lifts, I discussed the problem last spring with the manager of my programme, Alena Rabinovich, and Tamara Lepetova, who helps students in difficult situations. The university responded immediately, procuring the relevant equipment (the wheelchair lift and ramps) and installing it where possible. They also promised to build a lift to upper floors, although no fixed timeframe has been determined yet. On the whole, the Shabolovka and Pokrovka campuses, where I have classes, are wheelchair-accessible. Pokrovka is an ideal place in this respect. I was happy to be contacted by the directors of both campuses. They explained the layout of the buildings and gave me their contact details. I can always phone them with any question. The university is quick to respond to my requests. For instance, when I wrote that the outdoor wheelchair ramps needed special anti-slip coating, it was provided almost the same day.
Before I enrolled in HSE University, my main concern was the university environment. I didn’t know how accessible it was. The HSE website provides information for applicants with disabilities (everything is more or less clear, compared to other universities’ explanations). When creating an accessible environment, organizations should take into account the opinions of those who need it. Although a non-disabled person may think it is enough to install ramps everywhere, many subtle aspects might render the equipment inconvenient or useless altogether.
Immediate and Long-Term Plans
Even before I graduate, I want to do an internship at a large international company to see how it works. I’m going to continue my studies by doing a highly specialized master’s degree to deepen my knowledge. I don’t want to be an academic; I’m more interested in working at a company where I can put my knowledge into practice.. I'd like to set up a business of my own here in Moscow. It might be something like a technical management company, although I haven’t decided yet. If I have the opportunity to study or work abroad, I will definitely do so. I enjoyed spending a year in the USA in high school through an exchange programme called FLEX. I like big cities, so I’d love to visit New York, London, Berlin, or Barcelona. I’m ready for anything.
Lena Khanova
Second-year master’s student, Master’s Programme ‘Transmedia Production in Digital Industries’
On Bold Ideas and Bringing Them to Fruition
I began to more or less be able to walk when I was 13 or 14. I hoped I would get stronger and be able to work on television or in the movies, but I wasn’t able to fully rehabilitate before graduating from high school. Come to think of it, it was very daring of me given my diagnosis, so I decided to do a distance learning course in law with Bashkir State University. I had hardly begun my studies, when I realized I’d made the wrong choice. By my fourth year, I was even more certain of this. Therefore, after I earned my bachelor’s degree, I decided to take a risk and do what I had been putting off since I was 13. I began searching for information about creative jobs. A line about ‘creating web-series and podcasts’ caught my eye in the description of an HSE master’s programme, and I decided to participate in the Olympiad on transmedia production. This gave me a chance to enter HSE University on a tuition-free basis. At first I got really stressed out—I knew I wouldn’t be able to live in Moscow all alone, especially in the winter, since I didn’t have anyone who was ready to put their life on hold to go and help me get around (who has such a person anyway?). Some other problems came up, too, so I kept on putting off my application. Eventually, I rang the admission committee to get some advice on what I should do: what would happen if I decided to withdraw my documents? How could I get them back? By pure coincidence, the employee who answered my phone call was a woman who was also from Bashkortostan. She encouraged me, saying that I should stop worrying and submit my documents—now was my chance.
My Studies
In the end, HSE organized an individual distance-learning curriculum for me. I live in the city of Ufa, and I listen to all the online lectures and complete assignments here. Before the start of each school year, I usually get in touch with the new teachers to explain the situation to them, while my group mates help me with online webcast. Fortunately, our programme focuses on practical research. I get some of the marks for my projects I do with my group mates and other marks for my individual assignments. There might be occasional problems because of poor internet connection, but it doesn’t matter.
I’m lucky with my group mates and the group leader. We socialize and communicate outside of class. I’ve never been so close to any of my classmates from school or university before.
I wish I had begun changing my life earlier. I had been dreaming of studying at HSE University since 2013. Before I became an HSE student, I didn’t care much about myself, because I thought I had no prospects. Now I have a lot of opportunities. I’m not ready to take advantage of all of them yet—not so much due to physical reasons, but personal ones—but I’m working on it.
An ideal job for me would be producing video clips and series. However, I understand that it is quite difficult to get a job in the industry. It might take 10-15 years to find a job there, and you might even never find one. Meanwhile, I’m going to challenge myself in some related areas, such as playwriting or text working. Everything depends on what my portfolio will have looked like by the time I graduate from HSE University.
I wish universities offered more opportunities for disabled people. In fact, you only need a laptop for a distance-learning course (a good smartphone will also do the job) and someone who can help with the online broadcasts of the courses. But for positive changes to happen, we first need new laws and educational reform.
Distance Learning
I am studying remotely at HSE University and the Moscow Film School called Bez Granits (‘Without Borders’). I’m also doing an internship with Microsoft. Listening to an online lecture or having a Skype interview is not a problem. It is just another way of communication. Unfortunately, my friend, who is also disabled, wasn’t able to enroll in a university distance-learning course, because it was required that all applicants be physically present at the entrance exam, and she was unable to come to Moscow. There are no programmes that interest her in Ufa, so she isn’t able to study what she wants. Another friend of mine cannot go to university at all. She leaves her flat only once every few months, because there is no lift in her apartment building. So, of course, she can’t attend university, either.
Getting to and from where you need to go on campus is not the only challenge we have to overcome. There is also the challenge of getting to campus in general: taking the metro, buses, getting over high curbs, and so on. People often forget about all these things when they talk about accessible education. Cities do not change as quickly as we would like them to, so by the time the infrastructure really improves, a number of generations will have grown up without any hope for self-fulfillment. Distance education could help a lot, but it is left undeveloped in many regions.
Anna Novikova, Academic Supervisor, Master’s Programme ‘Transmedia Production in Digital Industries’
Lena’s academic success is quite comparable to that of the best students who are doing their distance-learning programmes. First and foremost, we should give Lena credit for her hard work, conscientiousness, and intellectual curiosity. She’s got a follow-through attitude despite serious obstacles that life has put in her way. For example, in Ufa she regularly has stints in the hospital, where the internet connection is poor, which makes it hard to listen to lectures and do assignments. But Lena manages.
She is very creative, which is probably the most important thing for our programme and for a career as a producer, which is what she wants to pursue. You will never succeed without energy and willingness to push your ideas forward. Excellent marks on exams do not necessarily mean a person will make a real professional.
Not only are Lena’s projects highly recognized by her teachers, they are known outside the university. She has recently completed a project for the Prosvetitel Award. Lena wrote a scene for a comic strip about the winners of the book prize. Thanks to social media communities, an artist saw it and decided to make the drawings. The Prosvetitel team liked their collaborative work so much that the comic strip was not only published on social media, but displayed at an exhibition. It was also presented at the prize’s short-list announcement ceremony.
There are no particular difficulties in organizing distance learning. When Lena began her studies, Programme Creative Supervisor Alexander Arkhangelsky and I asked Lena’s group mates whether they would like to take responsibility for helping her with online webcast of lectures, staying in touch with Lena all two years of her studies. The students said, yes, they would, and they kept their promise. I have never had to remind them that in their group there is a person whose future is partly in their hands. Over the past 18 months, they have been coordinating their efforts, taking their turns to webcast all lectures and seminars for Lena through social networks. In fact, this isn't just charity, it is great producer experience for them. Many creative media and design teams are now working remotely, and it is very useful for a student to learn how to support their efforts.
Teachers are always supportive too. At the beginning of the year, I told them we were going to have a special needs student. Now Lena contacts new teachers directly. Everything works out naturally, and not because of top down decision-making and tough management on my part or the part of my colleagues. As I mentioned before, it is possible thanks to our professional environment and digital life more than people of many other professions.
I hope Lena will be able to come to defend her thesis in June. I can’t wait to meet her in person. That will be a great day for all of us.
Igor Cherkashov
First-year student, Logistics and Supply Chain Management
HSE University is the most unconventional university in Russia. They don’t have PE or any unnecessary course requirements like they do at the main university in Stavropol, my hometown. Plus, HSE University is in Moscow, which is where I wanted to go after school.
I like logistics, and all my classes have been interesting to me so far. The university has procured an FM-system (a device used to transmit audio signals in public places, so that hearing aids or cochlear implants receive clear interference-free sound – ed.), so I am able to do everything without any hindrances. The teachers wear microphones, a special transmitter sends their voices directly to me, and I can hear everything as if I was sitting very close to them. Some teachers refuse to put on the mic, though (e.g., one of the teachers thought that the device was harmful for his health). Then I have to ask the programme manager to help me and explain to his colleagues why they should do this.
Once, when we were defending our projects, my business ethics instructor suggested that each student speak into the microphone. My classmates agreed, and I was able to hear everyone. However, I am a bit concerned that new lecturers might not want to wear the equipment, which once again would make me ask university staff for help. If so, this would take time and I might miss some important information. I don’t want to miss anything and fall behind, because my key objective is to finish the first year successfully. I study hard and I want to get a bachelor’s degree. I haven’t thought about a master’s programme yet. I’d love to study abroad. The major challenge on the way to my dream is the English language. As I am hearing impaired, it is difficult for me to understand a foreign language. Although HSE University offers exchange programmes, they are the same for all students, and it is hard for hearing impaired students to compete with the others.
People should understand that the hearing impaired might not be able to hear a speaker at the first attempt, so the speakers should be ready to repeat what they say. Another thing that many people forget is that we also use lip reading, which is why it is important that the speakers should not close their faces or mouths while talking. Moreover, a hearing-impaired student is unable to hear everyone when a number of people are speaking simultaneously. Personally, I find it much easier to have one-on-one communication. On rare occasion, I am able to speak with three people at a time, but even this is hard for me. With 15 people or more discussing something at once in one room, I cannot hear anything. It means all of them will understand what is being said, while I am left out.
Pavel Zdorovtsev, Director, Student Development Department
HSE University tries hard to make its environment as convenient as possible for effective studies, meeting the needs of every disabled student. This may include an individual curriculum, which would consider the manner of perceiving and digesting information, or special equipment to support the process of studying. For instance, the university has procured a tailor-made FM-system for hearing-impaired students and special scanners and printers for the visually impaired. We offer academic advisors for students with special needs. Most of these advisors are students of the same programme, who assist their peers with their studies and navigating the university. Our colleagues are very ‘student-oriented’, they do their best to create a convenient, accessible, and comfortable environment for students with disabilities who live in the dormitories.
As far as financial support is concerned, students with disabilities are entitled to social scholarships (ordinary or merit ones; the latter are granted to first- or second-year students for academic achievements) and other financial support, the amount of which is determined on a case-by-case basis, depending on the student’s life circumstances. For instance, the university partially reimburses people with musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) for their taxi fares to and from campus. HSE University may also ease the financial burden of expensive medical treatment or rehabilitation.
We try to make our traditional corporate venues, such as the Night Festival, the Iron Egg Award ceremony, and events held by our students’ organizations, accessible for all our students and staff, regardless of their health status.
Fortunately, we have never had serious conflicts involving students with disabilities and their group mates or teachers. Some rare occasions usually result from misunderstanding between the parties and are promptly resolved. For two years now, we have been holding special workshops for university faculty and staff about the resources we have available and how to work with special needs students.
Alexander Demin
Alumnus (BA, MA) of HSE University, Lecturer in the School of Logistics, Faculty of Business and Management
My Place at HSE and in Life
I’ve always liked learning. However, working as an engineer, i.e., carrying out research in laboratories, taking part in expeditions, or dealing with complex drawings, would be too difficult for me. This didn’t discourage me, though, since I knew that I could choose any subject in economics. HSE University is second to none in Russia, as far as this area is concerned, so my choice was obvious.
Not only did I become a student here (Editor’s note: Alexander has completed the Logistics and Supply Chain Management Programme), but I also became a member of a students’ organization called ‘High School Radio’. This year, they suggested that I write something for their webpage, and I ended up writing a post on the very topic that we are discussing right now.
THE QUESTION | What are you afraid of?
‘It takes an hour for a child with cerebral palsy to write the words Thank You.’ Have you seen this ad on TV or somewhere on the street? Well, it takes less. Or more, perhaps. In fact, does it really matter how long it takes the child to write these words? Who cares? But the advertising rules tell you to consider the contrast. The child needs as much as an hour to write something, while you don’t need more than a minute to help!
As a matter of fact, it takes some children a minute or less. The rest of the time in this scenario is spent with friends who are joking about why you didn’t take an hour to write the words. You end up saying something humorous in return, and then you realize it is time to say and write the words ‘Thank You’. Thanks for the humor, even though it might be quite black sometimes, as it would be impossible to live without it. Thanks for unsuccessful ads made by social services, as they don’t let you feel disheartened. Thanks for the friends who don’t let you take the problem too seriously.
It is not trifles such as these that can make you feel miserable. What makes you feel miserable are the things you cannot or don’t dare to laugh about. They are your skeletons in the closet. But you can look them in their empty eye holes, smile back, and ask, ‘And you, what are you afraid of?’
Having studied here for four years, pursuing my bachelor’s degree, I have realized that I don’t want to leave HSE University. Therefore, enrolling in a master’s programme became the next logical step in my academic career. It also opened the doors for me to teach. I remember my colleagues telling me when I was still a student at the School of Logistics: ‘You should stay here after you receive your bachelor’s degree’. I didn’t actually agree with this until I successfully completed the most difficult subjects in logistics as an undergraduate student. In classes, I took note of what students liked about their teachers, and I eventually wanted to try teaching myself. Doing this entailed a battle against my own complexes I’ve had since childhood, as I wanted to be sure that I would be able to teach others in spite of my problems.
Teaching
I teach seminars in several subjects for bachelor’s and master’s students in the School of Logistics. What I like most of all about working with students is the face-to-face communication. If you have suffered from a disability since childhood, the key thing is to be surrounded by people you can count on. Communication with students, especially communication based on mutual respect, helps me believe that I belong here and that there are no barriers between me and my students. Besides, I like explaining things and helping students learn new information. That’s how I feel helpful, which makes me happy. Anyone feels happy as long as they feel useful. Each class I hold convinces me that my life wouldn’t be full without my students. However, despite my love for teaching, I’m planning to push forward my academic career. I want to study new areas and continue my master’s research in global supply chains.
Since becoming a teacher, I have learned how to work with people with special needs. However, when I was a student, I didn’t ask for any special conditions. Fortunately, my cerebral palsy causes only purely mechanical problems, so I didn’t need anything apart form some extra time at exams to write detailed answers. Stairs are my main ‘enemy’ in the university buildings, while lifts are my best friend, so university infrastructure is important, too. Of course, you cannot make disabled people forget about their disabilities. How can we change the structure of the buildings that were constructed a long time ago? Although I should mention that the reconstruction of the Pokrovka campus has enhanced HSE’s level of accessibility. Based on my own experience, I can say that the new campus is very convenient for people with musculoskeletal disorders.
People around me
I think a comfortable social environment is more important than infrastructure. The curator of the first-year students has been of much help to me. Soon after I enrolled in HSE University, she told me I shouldn’t hesitate to contact her whenever I had any question. When I heard this, I knew everything was going to be all right. My group mates and HSE staff have done their best to make my studies and work as comfortable as possible. A simple thing that takes no time or effort for an ordinary person may help the life of a disabled person greatly. This both helps you and gives you confidence that you are recognized and accepted by the society. I refuse to think that I was the only lucky person; I want to believe that would be the case for anyone in my situation. I tend to think that, first and foremost, it is HSE students’ personal attitude that should make our university an accessible place for everyone.
