Ilsur Metshin speaks with parents of children with disabilities: «I promise that you will never be alone with your problems»

Kazan Mayor Ilsur Metshin met with families raising children with special needs at the Good Kazan coworking.

The Mayor noted that the Good Kazan project has become a unifying site for the entire city: «They say that any journey – the longest, largest, or most challenging –begins with the first step. For us, that first step was the children's project, and it has led us to where we are today. I'm happy that the project is still going strong, and people are coming together not only around the table but also when faced with different challenges».

The Mayor noted that in 2016, there were only 35 disabled children attending schools in Kazan, while this year, that number had grown to over 2,500. «This is a significant difference, and it's very important to us. Even more important is that these children are becoming more socialized, attending special schools with specialized classrooms. In 2018, we had about 50 of these classrooms, and now we have over 700. We will continue to improve this work», – he noted.

Albina Nafigova, the mother of a teenager with high-functioning autism, emphasized the need for special teaching methods for children with ASD. She proposed that the children attend classes in a communicative format. The Mayor supported this suggestion.

The Khutornov-Sakhabutdinov family, who are raising a child with autism, proposed the establishment of a music class for their child. Due to the diagnosis, the parents turned to the Alpari Foundation for assistance and became volunteers. The family requested help in purchasing musical instruments, and the head of the city pledged to provide everything necessary for the class.

The Grigoriev family has a son who has cerebral palsy and attends TISBI Law School and plays bocce. Due to the special needs of the child, the family started producing special chairs to assist with care for children with cerebral palsy and established ORTHOTECHNO company. The Mayor appreciated the initiative and promised support, including advertising assistance.

The Emerald City Children's Center was founded by the Klintsov family, who have a son with special needs. The center focuses on the rehabilitation of children with musculoskeletal, neurological, and neuropsychiatric conditions. In the past seven years, the organization has received more than 20 million rubles in investments from various sources, and approximately 60–70 children attend free classes each year. The family asked the Mayor for assistance in finding an expert to assist with the development of technical documentation for equipment.

«We will not only talk, but we will also help. You know, the true beauty of a city lies not in the number of parks and squares or beautiful facades. It lies in how we treat our most vulnerable members of society, how much attention we pay to them in our infrastructure, our institutions, and, most importantly, in the hearts of our citizens. Our goal is to unite and lead this effort. I am proud to say that we are together in this work. I am confident that we will continue to introduce new initiatives every week, month, and year. And I can promise you that we will never leave you alone with your problems», – the Mayor concluded.