Silent prayer

This photo project is dedicated to the life of the Orthodox community of deaf and hard of hearing people in Kirov, Russia.

In USSR, there was no formal training for sign language. The main emphasis in Soviet schools was on lip reading. Experts believed that this made it easier for people with hearing disabilities to integrate into society. When children communicated with gestures, they were often slapped on the hands or seriously punished. This has led to significant  loss of Russian sign language system and contributed to inability for the deaf to communicate with each other.

Today, the Orthodox Church and some other charitable organizations strive to improve the lives of hearing-impaired people, but their efforts are not always enough. A lot of work needs to be done to ensure that the life of the deaf and hard of hearing in Russia is prosperous enough so that they do not face discrimination and aggression from others, and also have access to all the necessary benefits.

This story focuses on a priest who learned sign language on his own and began to teach it to those in the deaf community, providing employment training as well as improving social interaction between the deaf.