There are almost no facilities for handicaps in Russian cities. They are not studying in regular schools. There is limited number of schools for people with special needs. They are ushered to the margins of society. Most of them are doomed to stay under home care or live their lives in a hospice-like institutions. We as a society are ignorant. We learned to turn our heads away from these people to not see them, and just keep going.

When I came to the United States, I was amazed with how much is done to create equal access for people with disabilities. But my perception didn’t change. I still don’t see them. And as a habit, I turn my head away. They exist in another dimension and time.

Pigment prints, 6″ x 4 1/2″ and 2 3/4″ x 2 3/4″.