Sale in the Land of the Deaf
A garment factory in Ryazan that employs deaf people may close. The president of the All-Russian Society of the Deaf (VOG) intends to sell the building of the social rehabilitation center.
President of the All-Russian Society of the Deaf Stanislav Ivanov is planning to sell the building of a social rehabilitation center that houses a sewing business for deaf and hard-of-hearing residents of Ryazan. The company's director told NeMoskva Dmitry ShalimovAbout 30 employees, 14 of whom are disabled, could be left without jobs. Additionally, about 90 people, including children, could find themselves living in a cold dormitory for the deaf when the heating season begins: the residential building and the enterprise share a boiler room. Read NeMoskva's report on the situation.
"For profit"
"Former [VOG] president Valery Rukhledev sold 32 social rehabilitation facilities for the deaf across Russia since 2004, for which he was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2023. But this example didn't stop the 'newly minted' leaders of the deaf society... As of the end of 2022, only eight facilities for the deaf and disabled remain in Russia, including the Ryazan VOG social rehabilitation center," wrote Svetlana Drobotenko, a cultural worker and event organizer, in a Ryazan public group.
In her opinion, the sale of the building of the social rehabilitation center where deaf people work can only be planned "for the purpose of profit".
The author of the post is concerned that the team working at the garment factory will simply end up on the street—next to the workshops is a dormitory, which, like the factory, is heated by a boiler room. The boiler room was built during the Soviet era and is in disrepair. The factory director Dmitry Shalimov asked for help from the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Tatyana GolikovaThe response came from the regional Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, and the gist of it was simple: everything is being done for the benefit of deaf working people in Ryazan.
NotMoscow Tatyana Drobotenko spoke about her personal interactions with the company's employees:
Any order will be completed on time, whether it's a Santa Claus costume or a complex outfit for a children's party. This is a strong team of professionals.
Reality and Prospects
Dmitry Shalimov, who has been the director of the company for almost 20 years, said that the conversation about selling the building began back in November, but he tried to convince the current president of the All-Russian Society of the Deaf Stanislava Ivanova That the enterprise needed to be developed. There was no further discussion of the matter, and in March, Shalimov heard from Ivanov the decision: the building would be sold.
Shalimov was shocked by this news. The garment factory wasn't a "freeloader"—Shalimov made monthly payments to the All-Russian Society of the Deaf. 90 thousand rubles each In his opinion, there were no preconditions for the sale of the building and the closure of production, as far as rent was concerned.
I sent Ivanov a commercial proposal in which I ask him to sign all the contracts with me, and I also offer a higher rent. The whole difficulty of the situation is that the company is connected to a dormitory and a boiler room, which heats all the premises. Recently, the city received 42 orders for this boiler room, and we have until September to fix all these problems. If we don't do this now and heat the dormitory [for the new heating season], this will, at the very least, reach the Russian president. It will be a real mess. I will fight to the end for these people. — he promised.
In autumn 2017 years something has already happened in the dormitory heating emergencyPeople had been using space heaters for quite some time. The company that managed the dormitory owed the boiler room tenant. Anset LLC and went bankrupt.
The debt issue was resolved with great difficulty back then, but even now little has changed, except for one thing: Anset has abandoned management of the dilapidated property. VOG had already offered to take over the boiler room. on the municipality's balance sheet, but the city also abandoned the dubious property. While the industrial building has been partially renovated and is still sound, the boiler room and dormitory, which are integral to it, are on their last legs and require significant investment.
At the same time, Shalimov believes miracles are possible. He's already received a call. from the regional ministries In order to meet and learn about the situation firsthand. It may happen that "in high places" a decision will be made to leave the production of disabled people alone.
But there is also other information: a similar one is being prepared for sale VOG building in Tver, after which the building in which it is located will be sold VOG headquarters itself On 1905 Street in Moscow. Following the large-scale sale of buildings acquired by the organization completely free of charge during the Soviet era, the All-Russian Society of the Deaf (VOG), with its fundamental goals—support for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, unification, rehabilitation, and job creation—will disappear completely. This will be a catastrophe for deaf people.
Everything is "under control"
NeMoskva was unable to immediately contact the leadership of the All-Russian Society of the Deaf; a written request was sent to them. The regional Ministry of Labor responded to reports on social media about the possible loss of work space and employment for deaf residents of Ryazan.
"Our specialists visited the sewing plant today to investigate the situation. The director of SSPI Spets-Lider LLC was invited to a meeting with the ministry to jointly address the issue. The situation is under review.", - such answer sounded May 2.
May 3 the same department addressed concerned citizens answered in a completely different key: We share your concerns regarding the work of special enterprises for individuals with disabilities, including regarding their employment. To find suitable employment, individuals can contact their local employment service or the regional department for work with individuals with disabilities at the Employment Center. Vacancies are selected based on the recommendations of the individual rehabilitation (habilitation) program for individuals with disabilities. To facilitate workplace adaptation, the region provides state support to employers who employ individuals with disabilities. This support allows individuals with disabilities to gain work skills under the guidance of a mentor, and the employer can reimburse their labor costs..
The champion's spending and a strange coincidence
Former head of the All-Russian Society of the Deaf, 78 years old Valery Rukhledev sentenced in March of this year to 7 years in prison for embezzlement of millions of rubles from the organization's funds. Initially, the investigation focused on two criminal schemes, resulting in damages amounting to 320 million rubles. After a preliminary investigation, the number of criminal incidents involving Rukhledev and three of his employees doubled.
"Soviet sambo wrestler and karateka, champion and medalist of the USSR, European, and world championships in sambo and judo, champion of the Deaflympics in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, Honored Master of Sports of the USSR. President of the All-Russian Society of the Deaf, President of the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf, President of the Deaflympic Committee of Russia, professor at the Academy of State Security, Defense, and Law Enforcement of Russia. In 2001, the International Olympic Committee awarded him the title of "Olympian of the 20th Century." He is the only person in Russia to have received this title," Wikipedia states of his achievements.
Throughout the four-year investigation, he claimed that his criminal charges were a result of a struggle for the position of chairman of the All-Russian Society of the Deaf. He heard the verdict. March 22, 2023By a strange coincidence, the next day, the director of the Ryazan Social and Rehabilitation Center, Shalimov, heard about the upcoming sale of the building.
NeMoscow is ready to provide the other party to the conflict with an opportunity to comment on their perspective on the situation.
