The social well-being of families of children with disabilities in contemporary Russia
The article is devoted to the assessment of social well-being of families of children with disabilities in contemporary Russia. Social well-being is defined as satisfaction with social benefits, integration into society as well as a subjective sense of well-being of individuals. An analysis of social well-being gives an opportunity to assess the ability of the Russian social policy to accommodate beneficiaries' needs. The empirical basis of the research includes interviews with experts, parents and children with disabilities themselves (N = 16) collected in three Russian regions, as well as data of official governmental statistics. Based on these data, the research problem is discussed around the most relevant aspects of social policy for beneficiaries that influence their social well-being such as primary and secondary education, employment, social services provision, public opinion towards children with disabilities. Certain positive changes that affected the social well-being of children with disabilities are observed at the macro-level. According to the data of all-Russian surveys and interviews, public opinion towards people with disabilities becomes more tolerant and friendly nowadays. Transformation of the social policy at the meso-system level is also observed. One of the directions of such changes leads to the development of inclusive education aimed to integrate children with disabilities into school community and society. These educational institutions put emphasis on the socialization of different categories of children, the maintenance of friendly relationships with other students as well as on the individualized approach to the educational process, taking into account children's opportunities and family demands. In this context, the level of social well-being of children with disabilities can also be increased due to a finer adjustment of the whole system and creation of a wide range of educational institutions for different categories of students particularly taking into account their ability to study. The problem of employment of children with disabilities also remains unsolved. Families of children with disabilities demonstrate certain dissatisfaction with state social services, their quality and efficiency. The healthcare system, rehabilitation services, health resort treatment as well as the accessibility of cultural objects are criticized by the informants. In this regard, non-commercial organizations and parents themselves as the micro-level agents play a significant role in increasing the social well-being of families of children with disabilities.