The IV scientific and practical conference "The Value of Everyone" was held in the Public Chamber of Russia in Moscow. It brought together experts who discussed issues of living arrangements for people with mental (mental) disabilities, Patriarchy.ru reports.
The forum was attended by the Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova, Deputy Director of the Department for the Disabled of the Russian Ministry of Labor and Social Protection Kira Afonina, a member of the Russian Government Council on guardianship in the social sphere, head of the section "Children and adults with disabilities and disabilities" Elena Klochko, head of assistance to people with disabilities of the Synodal Department for Church Charity and Social Service Veronica Leontieva, president of the charitable organization "The value of each person".
Bishop Panteleimon of Vereisky Panteleimon, Chairman of the Synodal Department for Charity, sent a video greeting to the participants of the conference.
"This conference should help us to realize the importance of every person who is called by God to life. Helping people who need, cannot live fully without us, corrects us ourselves. Therefore, it is important not to separate such people from society and not to create special zones for them. It is very important that society takes care of such people, does not forget them. When we care for another person, our heart expands," Bishop Panteleimon said, addressing the conference participants.
The forum participants discussed the issues of legal capacity and guardianship, accompanied and educational living, protection of interests, social and labor employment, family support, alternative and additional communication.
During the conference, Veronika Leontieva, head of assistance to people with disabilities at the Synodal Department for Charity, noted that in 2023 the law "On Social Protection of Disabled People in the Russian Federation" was amended to enshrine the concepts of accompanied accommodation, accompanied labor and social employment for people with disabilities.
"These changes in legislation have been sought by non-profit organizations for many years. Gradually there is a process in which the state begins to transfer the care of special people to temples, community groups, and non-profit organizations. Centers for helping families with children with disabilities are being created, projects of accompanied accommodation, inclusive workshops. Volunteers and Sisters of Charity help in orphanages and psychoneurological boarding schools," said Veronika Leontieva.
She also noted the importance of creating an institute of distributed care in Russia. "We are very much waiting for the institute of distributed care to appear in Russia and the relevant bill to be adopted. Today we are returning to the traditional forms of family life, when people even with severe disabilities begin to live not in specialized institutions, away from society, but among us," - said Veronika Leontieva.
Also the head of the direction of assistance to people with disabilities of the Synodal Department for Charity told about the "Brotherhood of the Queen of Heaven", which was established in 1900. "The all-church public organization "Brotherhood in the name of the Queen of Heaven", which included bishops and priests, members of the Royal Family and sisters of mercy, undertook to change the situation of people with severe developmental disabilities, creating shelters and day care centers, educational programs, labor workshops, accompanied living projects in different regions of Russia. The Brotherhood was very active in educational activities: it published brochures and held public lectures on the peculiarities of such people up to the revolutionary events. Today in different dioceses of Russia we hold seminars, which are dedicated to the revival of methods and projects of the Brotherhood at the present stage in church assistance and life support for people with mental disabilities", - said Veronika Leontieva.
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Today in Russia there are over 400 Orthodox organizations that help children and adults with disabilities. The Church participates in the creation of accompanied living projects for people with disabilities. Such public-church initiatives are already at work in Penza, Moscow, New Moscow, Yaroslavl, Leningrad, Orenburg, Ivanovo, Omsk, Vladimir regions, Livny in Orel region, and Karelia.
The annual conference "Everyone's Value" brings together experts from government and public organizations, charitable foundations, professional communities, and public authorities to share best practices and consolidate efforts to solve problems that impede the normalization of the lives of people with disabilities.
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