Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Novosibirsk State University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
The Decade of Disabled Persons concludes today, December 10. It runs in Russia from December 1 to 10 and coincides with International Day of Persons with Disabilities, celebrated annually on December 3. The goal of this annual event is to draw attention to the challenges faced by people with disabilities. Their path to success is doubly difficult, as they must overcome not only the obstacles faced by ordinary people but also numerous limitations due to their health and physical abilities. Some succeed, finding the strength to navigate the challenging path to success in their careers, science, art, or sports. They live vibrant lives filled with events and achievements, devoting themselves to their studies and social activities, finding time for hobbies and entertainment, mastering new skills, and developing new competencies. At Novosibirsk State University, the Social Services Department is responsible for supporting students with disabilities.
Alena Zirko is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the National Research University Higher School of Economics and a PhD candidate in psychology. In 2013, she completed a specialist's degree in Psychology at Novosibirsk State University. She then moved to Moscow, enrolling in a master's program at HSE, and then in doctoral studies. Since 2022, Alena Zirko has been teaching at HSE, and since 2023, she has been supervising students, helping them successfully develop course projects and master's theses on innovative topics in the field of a person-centered approach. Alena also completed professional retraining at the M.A. Sholokhov Moscow State University for the Humanities, in the program "Vocal and Methods of Vocal Teaching (Academic)." Her research interests include music and voice as a resource for psychological support and self-help, as well as the development of Carl Rogers's person-centered approach. Alena plays sports, performs on stage, and travels across the country with her husband, Pavel, on commuter trains. She admits that her lack of vision can sometimes make achieving her goals challenging, but that's no reason to give up or accept her limitations. It's a reason to master new skills, acquire additional competencies, and continually improve.
In the world of sounds
Alena Zirko was born in Novosibirsk. She was born with an extremely low birth weight. Doctors miraculously saved the baby, but for a while they refrained from optimistic prognoses. Her parents, however, did not despair – they did everything possible to give her a chance at an active life. They seized every opportunity, took every chance – searching for specialists in various cities and taking their daughter to appointments, trying various treatment and rehabilitation strategies. Alena's early childhood was spent mostly in hospitals. It was an endless series of various procedures, doctors, rehabilitation courses, and then a miracle occurred – the girl gained strength, and almost all her ailments receded. Except for one – retinopathy of prematurity. This condition causes abnormal development of the blood vessels in the retina in newborns, often leading to hemorrhages, retinal detachment, and complete vision loss. This is what happened to Alena.
Despite being completely blind, Alena grew up an active, sociable, and inquisitive child. Her parents did everything they could to ensure she lived the life of a typical child and had the same developmental opportunities as her sighted peers. From a very early age, her mother took her to developmental classes, where she studied with sighted children. After attending primary school for children with disabilities, Alena was sent to Boarding School No. 39 for children with visual impairments. She remembers her school years fondly—sympathetic teachers, a close-knit class, everyone willing to help and support her in difficult situations. However, there were only a few totally blind children at the school; mostly, they were visually impaired.
"I was the only blind child in my class, which is probably why everyone thought I was slow. While the other kids were quickly getting ready and running from one classroom to the next, I was groping around my desk for my textbooks, notebooks, and pens and putting them in my bag. This took me much longer than the others. I tried my best to keep up with the sighted kids, but I still felt a difference between us. Later, like all teenage girls, I went to discos, dressed up, and wore high heels. However, when I was walking along the streets and school hallways, if I wasn't alone but in a group, I could only walk hand in hand with another girl. At some point, they began to feel embarrassed about it, so I began to learn to walk without their help. Overall, the school provided all the necessary conditions for the education of blind and visually impaired students," recalls Alena Zirko.
Music and inspiration
Alena loved music since childhood. Many of her peers studied at music schools, and she, too, wanted to learn music, which she told her parents. When Alena turned eight, they brought home a piano and, through friends, found a young teacher who agreed to tutor the blind child at home.
"A year after my lessons with Elena Yuryevna began, I entered Boarding School No. 39, and a year later, a branch of Children's Choral Music School No. 19 opened there. I successfully passed the audition, and my childhood dream came true: at the music school, I found teachers—piano teacher Tatyana Nikolaevna Bronnikova and the choirmaster, who later taught me vocals, Tatyana Vladimirovna Korzhova. It took me a while to get into the swing of things, but I soon discovered my musical talent, and my teachers noticed it and began sending me to piano and vocal competitions," says Alena Zirko.
A Journey Overseas
From the 7th grade, Alena began to seriously study English.
— The classes were conducted by Ekaterina Eduardovna Mironova using her own special methodology. They took place in a specialized state library for the blind and visually impaired. These classes required many hours of home preparation, and I became involved in this process with great diligence because I learned that in grades 9-12 of a specialized school, students can participate in the future leaders exchange program. To take part in it, you had to win the competition; a prerequisite was good command of the English language. High school students from our school went to the USA for a year, studied there, and lived with host families. This seemed to me something particularly interesting. I didn’t hope for a trip overseas, but I dreamed about it. And I decided to pursue this dream, so I invested a lot of time and effort into learning English. As a result, in 9th grade I won this competition and spent the next year in Austin, Texas. This is a very hot state. There I lived with a host family and went to a regular school operating under an inclusive education system. About 3 thousand schoolchildren studied there. I had my own teacher there – a teacher for people with visual impairments. This woman taught me English cursive writing and taught me how to use a special organizer. In those years, such organizers were given to children in schools. The device had internal memory, was equipped with a Braille display, and could be used to create files and do homework. But the most convenient thing is that this organizer could be connected to a printer—Braille or regular—to print out the text and submit the work to the teacher, Alena Zirko shares her memories.
For a whole year, the girl attended a Texas school on a regular basis, sang in the school choir, performed in concerts, participated in vocal competitions, and continued her piano studies. She made new friends—not only American schoolchildren but also fellow exchange students. She was placed with a fairly religious family, and on weekends, Alena attended the local church, Sunday school classes, concerts, and volunteered—teaching Russian to a family preparing to adopt a boy from Kazakhstan.
After returning to Novosibirsk, Alena participated in a competition for gifted children with disabilities held by the World of Art foundation. She passed the rigorous selection process and performed as part of a choir at several charity concerts. This experience helped her make friends in various cities across Russia, some of whom she remains in touch with to this day. Later, as a student, Alena performed as a vocalist at concerts organized by the foundation in Novokuznetsk, Novosibirsk, and Moscow.
Limitations and advantages
Alena approached her career choice responsibly. During her school years, she initially dreamed of becoming a musician and even wrote music.
If something touched me emotionally—whether happy or sad—I'd sit down at the instrument, improvise, and sing. But dedicating my life to music was scary—I'd heard so many stories from adults about the hard lives of musicians, especially blind ones, and the challenges of finding employment in the field. So, by high school, I thought carefully and deeply about my path to adulthood. What should I choose? Foreign languages? Asian studies? Psychology? Perhaps the latter, since I've always been interested in relationships, and since childhood, I've dreamed of helping people resolve interpersonal contradictions and conflicts. As a child, playing with dolls, I'd simulate various situations—in the classroom, in a choir, with friends. Or I'd simply make up such stories for myself. But in both cases, I had a protagonist who resolved all conflicts, overcame all difficulties, and helped restore peace and tranquility to the team or company. This heroine was strong, courageous, energetic, and very smart. But sometimes, another girl would take center stage—sensitive, vulnerable, tender, and creative. She became a musician and delighted those around her with her talent. Gradually, she began to fade into the background, and the first heroine, who naturally became a psychologist, came to the forefront," says Alena Zirko.
But in real life, making a choice proved more difficult. Her lack of sight imposed many limitations. After her trip to America, she wanted to become a translator. Her good knowledge of English was quite conducive to this. Many noted her other advantages: musical talent, a keen sense of people. But every advantage had its limitations. A music teacher needs sight to read standard sheet music, to see a student's hand placement and body position. An interpreter also needs sight—most people assume that any event may require the assistance of a chaperone, and a blind translator will face difficulties working with scanned images or handwritten documents. That leaves psychologists. But even there, there are limitations. However, there are also loopholes that allow them to be overcome. A psychologist can work on a helpline or conduct research as part of a research team, performing functions that are otherwise impossible without sight. For example, need to create a post for a social network? While a blind psychologist prepares the text, a sighted colleague selects images to go with it. It's worth noting here that for any of the above-mentioned professions, you simply need to search for and find tasks that are suitable and feasible for a blind person, of which there are quite a few.
"Blind people face a certain number of limitations in any profession. It's a given, they exist, and there's no escaping them. It's important, recognizing this, to find a counterbalance to draw on. There's always a choice: either do nothing at all, or try to mitigate existing limitations and pursue your goals," says Alena Zirko.
Only at NSU!
By the time she graduated from high school, Alena hadn't made up her mind: she was torn between philology and psychology. But she had one thing in mind: she would only apply to Novosibirsk State University. She learned from her school teachers that this university offers all the necessary facilities for blind and visually impaired students. It has an inclusive program for students with visual impairments, a resource center with computers equipped with screen readers, a reading machine, scanners, and a Braille display. It also has a social services department that provides comprehensive support to students with visual impairments. Several graduates of Alena's school successfully studied at NSU and were glad they chose this university.
"Psychology attracted me primarily because it involved working with people from different fields and the wonderful opportunity to get to know them better. Even if I didn't end up working in my field, my ability to better build relationships with people would help me succeed in other professions, whether as a translator, an English teacher, a music teacher, or a performing musician. I also decided that I would have two other professions besides psychology, one related to English and one related to music. Then I would be a one-man band and would definitely have a field day—or so I thought, because I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to find a job due to my lack of vision. At the time, society was pervasive in the idea that it was very difficult for a blind person to find a job," says Alena Zirko.
From the very first day, the girl was immersed in the unique atmosphere of Akademgorodok. She overheard passersby discussing scientific research, smelled the forest air, and was captivated by the atmosphere at NSU. But she still had to explore the place, learn how to navigate the terrain, settle into the dorm, and make new friends. The hardest part was overcoming her fear: what if she couldn't study at one of the country's leading universities? After all, quite a few students are expelled after their first exam session. So, from the very first days, Alena focused all her energy on her studies, leaving only four hours a night for sleep. Then, overwhelming fatigue set in, and she realized that perhaps she shouldn't be overextending herself like that.
NSU orienteering specialists helped Alena navigate Akademgorodok and learn the necessary routes. She is especially grateful to one of them, Ekaterina Chupakhina, who regularly coached her, and as a result, by her fourth year, Alena had become a confident city orienteer.
"At first, I was really worried about how I'd fit in with my classmates, but I soon made friends. I'm quite a sociable person, and I'm interested in people. So, I had a lot of friends in the group, I spent time with different groups, and I still keep in touch with some of the guys," says Alena Zirko.
Alena never missed an opportunity to explore different fields. In her second year, she began an internship at the Novosibirsk Integration Association, where she immediately became involved in practical work with blind children, as well as children with complex disabilities, through diagnostic and developmental activities. At some point, she discovered that these children were highly responsive to music, and began developing a music therapy approach. She then decided that this would be her research interest. Yana Sergeevna Revina became her academic advisor. Under her guidance, Alena wrote her term papers and then her thesis, exploring a topic that had fascinated her over the years: music in psychology.
"I was thrilled to explore something I loved and something that could help others. I was also working with children with various disabilities, and when the opportunity arose to provide counseling, I began recruiting clients and undertaking supervision—a professional counseling process in which a psychologist (the supervisee) discusses their work with a more experienced colleague (the supervisor) to analyze cases, receive feedback, and develop professionally. At the time, we had a student psychology center at NSU, where psychology students completed internships. As part of this center, we conducted various trainings and went on internships in psychiatric clinics and therapy departments. And all of this provided such a rich field of practice," recalls Alena Zirko.
The girl presented the results of her research in the field of music therapy in psychology every year at the International Scientific Student Conference (ISSC).
Alena remembers her life in Akademgorodok and her studies at NSU with fondness. Those years were filled not only with study and research, but also with friendships, interesting events, and exciting travels.
Our social services department organized trips to the theater, swimming pools, and in the summer there were trips to Crimea, which I got to go three times! It was a very rich, socially active life. At the conferences where I presented papers, there were also creative sections where I could perform musical numbers, and I always took advantage of this opportunity. I felt involved in the faculty and university life thanks to the resource center, where I could sit and study from morning until night. I felt at home at NSU. I remember the main building, the passage to the laboratory building, the resource center located there, the cozy cafes… It's all so nice to remember. I remember with particular gratitude the head of the social services department, Zhanna Yakovlevna Ermola, to whom I could always come with my problems and receive help, compassion, and helpful advice. "The financial assistance from the university for purchasing various rehabilitation equipment to help students with disabilities study was a great help. Thanks to this, I bought a special Braille display, which I used for about 15 years, as well as other useful devices that served me well for a long time," Alena Zirko said.
"Tower"
Over time, the girl began to consider applying to a master's and doctoral program. Then one day, information about an Olympiad held by the Higher School of Economics (HSE, Moscow) appeared on the information board at the dean's office. Alena decided to give it a try and participate. This was the first step on a new path. Following the competition, she was accepted to the master's program. She chose the program herself: "Human-Centered Approach."
"Every person has a resource, a strength they need to identify and then use. A person-centered approach involves helping others find this resource through dialogue and mutual presence, draw on it, and live their full, fulfilling lives. This resonated with me! During my master's degree, I shifted my focus slightly: I studied how clients express their inner experiences in counseling, trying to identify what helps them translate their inner difficulties into words and how this helps them address their needs. I continued to strive to use music and applied this in my PhD thesis. This was a deliberate decision, made jointly with my supervisor at HSE," says Alena Zirko.
From 2013 to 2015, while pursuing a master's degree at HSE, Alena completed professional retraining at the Sholokhov Moscow State University for the Humanities, in the "Vocal and Vocal Teaching Methods (Academic)" program. This meant she studied at two universities simultaneously. In 2020, she defended her PhD dissertation at HSE and remained there as a lecturer.
"My colleagues at HSE were always willing to accommodate me and help me make something that was not very accessible, but I also had developed certain skills in how to request this assistance, thanks to my life in Akademgorodok and my years of study at Novosibirsk State University," notes Alena Zirko.
In addition to working with students at HSE, Alena works as a psychologist at the "Helping Others, Helping Yourself" helpline. She also tutors English, teaches classical vocals, and provides client consultations. Diversity is important to her. She recalls her previous fears and doubts with a smile: she was worried she wouldn't be able to find a job, but now she works three professions at once, and is successful in all of them! She is engaged not only in practical work but also in research—she continues her research in music therapy and plans to write an article about aromatherapy from a psychological perspective in the near future.
"It's important to believe in yourself, listen to yourself, and find your own research field that you want to cultivate. It's also important to be passionate, but not burn out, because if you're passionate about your topic and truly love it, everything will work out," says Alena Zirko.
In new locations
When moving to Moscow, Alena was very worried about how she would adjust to such a big city, but in reality, everything turned out to be much easier than she imagined. A master's degree program has far fewer classes than a bachelor's or specialist's degree, and over her years at NSU, she had become accustomed to a heavy workload, so she had plenty of time to explore new areas.
"The only difficulty in Moscow was remembering the routes. In Akademgorodok, everything was much simpler—one university building, a dorm, a shopping mall, and a few other things. My mother helped me out for the first six months in the capital. She lived with friends, came to my dorm every day, and taught me how to get to the buildings, grocery stores, and so on. But I dreamed of the time when I could simply leave the house and go wherever I wanted, not along a memorized route. At first, this dream seemed impossible, but then I met the blind kids from the "Marathon in the Dark" project, and thanks to them, I realized it was entirely possible," Alena Zirko recalls.
And that day had arrived! Alena was getting ready for an interview at a language school, and afterward, she decided to stop by a hair salon and an official office. She didn't have a GPS at the time. She found the addresses online, studied the metro route, and left the house. Thanks to the help of passersby, she succeeded, and she gained confidence that any difficulty could be overcome if she just conquered her own indecision.
Sports and travel in the dark
And then Alena took up… running! Running had always helped her relieve stress, and she used to run hand in hand with a sighted friend. Finding a running partner in Moscow was difficult. But the enthusiasts from the "Marathon in the Dark" project helped her meet volunteer leaders. She joined the running program, and it gave her strength and energy.
"I didn't even know about this interesting training method where a blind athlete and their leader run in a team: two loops are made at the ends of a rope or elastic band, one of which the blind runner holds onto, and the other, the sighted leader. And that's how they run the distance," Alena explained.
Running captivated her, and soon traveling was added to her hobbies.
While finishing her master's degree, Alena began seriously considering whether she would be able to establish herself in the capital or whether she would need to return to Novosibirsk. Renting an apartment in Moscow was clearly out of the question; she would have to find more affordable housing in the surrounding area and learn to ride commuter trains. But, even more importantly, she needed to master mathematical statistics for psychologists. She made several attempts, but all were unsuccessful because many statistical programs weren't supported by screen readers. Working with them required knowledge of specialized software. Alena mentioned these problems to a friend, also a psychologist, who belonged to a social media group created specifically for the blind. She introduced Alena to Pavel. The young man turned out to be a professional statistician. He was also blind, lived in the Moscow region, and rode commuter trains every day. And not just rode, but traveled throughout the Moscow region. Alena invited the young man to running training, and very soon Pavel became part of the team.
Pavel, in turn, suggested that Alena take the commuter train to Vladimir. The young couple researched the city's landmarks in advance, wrote down their addresses, and upon arrival, they visited museums and churches, took tours, and chatted with museum staff. Then they headed to Suzdal, spent the night in a restroom at the train station, and then continued on to Kolomna.
The young couple also took commuter trains on their honeymoon. They decided to visit Belarus. Later, they traveled through the cities of Russia's Golden Ring, and this year they reached Novosibirsk. The trip lasted exactly a week and proved quite tiring, as they had to stay overnight in train station restrooms. However, Alena believes that such travel has its advantages.
"I never imagined that two blind people could travel unaccompanied, especially on commuter trains, all over Russia. But it turned out to be possible! For me, it's an opportunity to visit museums in various cities and learn a lot about the daily life and culture of people of the past, about interesting personalities, and about a specific period in history. Such trips allow you to experience the atmosphere of the city through parks, ponds, squares, plazas, and monuments. On such trips, you have the opportunity to experience every millimeter of the journey, although there are certain challenges because you constantly have to find out, ask, and search for something, but there's a certain interest in that," says Alena Zirko.
In closing this story, I would like to wish everyone for whom this is important to listen to their hearts, choose according to their hearts' call, and, thanks to this, live a rich, colorful life!
Material prepared by: Elena Panfilo, NSU press service
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
