Viktoriia Shevchuk: "Life is filled with traveling, learning, and various events (sometimes difficult ones). But, no matter what, I want to move forward, to bright things and fulfill my dreams. By the way, the first thing I did when I lost my eyesight was to get a master's degree and climb Hoverla!"

Victoria Shevchuk, 36, Zhytomyr

Civil activist, guide at the Three After Midnight Museum

About education

I was born and live in the city of Zhytomyr. I've always had poor eyesight: I had congenital cataracts that were operated on late, and I saw somewhere around 10%, which is the first time I saw an ophthalmologist. I studied at a school for visually impaired children in Zhytomyr, and the education there was somewhat special: there were only 10 children in our class, and the school had special lighting, such as bright lamps above the blackboards. I saw the worst of the class, but I could always go to the blackboard and see what was written there. I didn't even have to ask about it, it was just a matter of course.

After high school, I entered the Zhytomyr State University named after Franko and received a degree in primary school teaching and practical psychology. I had dreams of working either in a kindergarten or as a governess after graduation, thinking that even though I could not see well, I could definitely handle one child. But it so happened that in my fourth year I had a retinal detachment that was not noticed in time, then I developed glaucoma, and my vision completely fell: now I am considered a blind person. I have between two and four percent vision, depending on different circumstances: for example, lighting, weather, and whether I've had enough sleep. And I have a very narrow field of vision, about ten degrees: that is, if I look at a person, I don't see them completely, only part of their silhouette.

About working at the museum

I work as a guide at the Three After Midnight Museum in Kyiv. Since I live in Zhytomyr, I have to travel to work by intercity transport, so I always ask for my shifts to be scheduled for several days in a row.

I have been working there for three years, almost from the beginning. I got to the museum itself quite by accident: I found out about the recruitment quite late and was too embarrassed to send my resume. But if you are interested in something, then the things that are supposed to be yours will not go away from you. In my case, I came to the museum after an exhibition at the Book Arsenal, where my friends presented their Braille books. My friends invited me to the museum, and during the tour, it opened up to me from all sides: I realized that a blind person can express himself here, and a sighted person can

- to feel how a blind person lives. Because it's one thing to just understand, and another to feel. So when we left the tour, the first thing I said was that I had to work here. And after a while, I got a phone call and was invited to work!

The museum was created to allow visitors to feel how blind people live and ask any questions they may have, which is the main goal. That's why when you enter the museum, you are surrounded by absolute darkness, you don't need to wear any masks - the room is equipped so that there is no light source. Our audience is primarily sighted people, who often come with their families, and schoolchildren: we admit children from the age of eight, who are less afraid of the dark. Only blind people work as guides.

Of course, people react to the darkness in different ways: some are curious, some are embarrassed, some try to be active. But the most interesting thing is that we have a dialog between visitors and guides, and we learn that some people start to hear better, some people start to move better, some people start to smell better, and some people get lost. But when people go on this walk, they change: they change their attitude to seeing, they begin to notice more around them. This is most clearly observed in those who are brought to the museum as a group: I try to give these people some kind of task to change their attitude. And you can feel how much the person cares about the topic.

Viktoriia Shevchuk: "Life is filled with traveling, learning, and various events (sometimes difficult ones). But, no matter what, I want to move forward, to bright things and fulfill my dreams. By the way, the first thing I did when I lost my eyesight was to get a master's degree and climb Hoverla!"

About the difficulties

In fact, it is very difficult for a blind person to find a job, to be honest. Most employers are not ready to hire a blind person, they won't even give me a chance. I had a case when I came to apply for a psychologist's position in a kindergarten with a cane and was immediately rejected, saying that the position was already taken. They didn't even talk to me, didn't ask me about my qualifications or anything else.

Moreover, at the university, when I brought my documents to the master's program after all the surgeries I had undergone, I almost got rejected simply because I could no longer see. Even the dean, instead of saying "good afternoon," kept saying "God, I don't know how you're going to write your master's thesis!" It was ten years ago, and I was probably one of the first blind people to get an education at our university. But I still wrote my diploma and got an excellent grade! The hardest part was the literature: only one shift in our library gave me books from the reading room at night so I could scan them.

I have almost no professional experience as a psychologist: there were, of course, situations when I helped my friends who were losing their eyesight. I also taught a little bit: I taught "tolerance classes" at schools and universities, where I talked about blind people, about how they are just like everyone else, about how they read, write, use gadgets, and about support. I also conduct trainings on accompanying blind people in libraries and at the invitation of institutions, and I'm very good at it.

About community service

As a person who loves to socialize, I have a lot of friends, and they are an important part of my life. Since 2007, I've had even more friends, all over Ukraine: that's when the Generation of Successful Action, a public organization for people with visual impairments, was founded. We started organizing various seminars, trainings, and even traveling. There were many great seminars from the National Assembly of People with Disabilities. There, in addition to the knowledge I received during the day, I made many interesting acquaintances with very different people and expanded my circle of friends.

I am currently the head of the Zhytomyr branch of the NGO Generation of Successful Action and its information committee. I try to unite people with disabilities, those who, for various reasons, cannot use a cane. Before the quarantine, we tried to go out together: to the theater, the pool, yoga, or just picnics. I also developed the topic of ensuring that people with disabilities are served properly: in cafes and shops, so that they feel like a full member of society. When I hear that "we don't have such a service to serve people with disabilities," I don't back down and stand up for my rights, call hotlines, and submit applications. Once, I was refused service in a store near my home because the saleswoman said she saw me walking my dog - as if I was pretending to be blind! I had to complain, and after that they treated me like I was in the best store in Europe!

About traveling

I love traveling! Of course, I dream of traveling abroad, but unfortunately, I spend a lot of money on treatment. That's why Ukraine is my main destination: I love both the sea and the mountains (maybe the sea a little more!). I have been to all regions of Ukraine except Ternopil.

Each city has its own peculiarity, its own appeal: Odesa has its own style, Lviv is recognized by its cobblestone streets and the special dialect of Lviv residents. If you just climb the High Castle, you'll get a special feeling! It's not that I perceive the city tactilely; rather, I catch certain details, such as the pace of life, the aroma, the worldview of the people who live there. It's hard to explain, it's more on a sensual level. I really like Kharkiv, I adore Kyiv, Crimea - I've probably been everywhere a tourist can go. Uzhhorod also has its own little things.

I go to villages and mountains, and I actively relax: I rafted on the mountain rivers Opir and Stryi in Lviv region, and twice rafted on the Dniester. Many of these events are organized by various organizations for people with disabilities, so I always meet my friends whom I may not have seen for several years. What is worth a hike to the Runa meadow, when we lived in a forty-person tent! There are many wonderful memories - how can you not become friends?

Life is filled with travel, learning, and various events (sometimes difficult ones). But, no matter what, you want to move forward, to bright things and fulfill your dreams.

By the way, the first thing I did when I lost my sight was to get a master's degree and climb Hoverla! We had a group with visually impaired people and two blind people: they looked at us with doubt whether we would even make it up there, but we did it faster than anyone else!

I also traveled on tandem bicycles: it was the "I See, I Can, I Will" bike ride. In 2015, I rode from Zhytomyr to Cherkasy in a week, and in total, blind people rode through 10 regions of Ukraine in 30 days as part of the project.

About realized dreams

One of my dreams is to go skydiving and scuba diving, but because of the high pressure drop there is a risk to the eyes, so doctors don't advise it. So I went parachuting over the sea, and it was really cool! It was also in Crimea, many years ago, when I was in a camp for people with different types of disabilities. At first there was prejudice against me, they didn't want to let me go. But a friend persuaded me, explaining that it was my dream. When I finally took off, I felt incredible: firstly, because I succeeded, and secondly, because of the special feeling of pleasant silence when you fly over the sea and feel like a bird. I was so excited that I repeated my flight the next day!

Another of my realized dreams was swimming with dolphins. It was during the May holidays, again in the Crimea. My friends talked me out of it - it was cold, expensive, but I had been dreaming about it so much! I was with my blind friend, and they tried to keep us away again! As if the dolphin could hit us with its tail, and they didn't want to be responsible for that. But I knew how smart they were, and I knew perfectly well that the dolphin would somehow sense that I could not see! Eventually, the volunteers allowed me to pet the dolphin, and when I took it by the fin, the dolphin seemed to pick me up and start swimming! They seem to sense a person's mood and attitude to life. And it was very cool! The dolphins turned out to be very delicate creatures, I was able to look at them, swim among them, scratch them. And the organizers, seeing how we interacted, how delighted I was, did not charge us.

I also realized another dream: to ride a horse. I dreamed, of course, like in the movies: a guy and a girl riding on the same horse, with beautiful photos... But it turned out that there is no such double saddle in Ukraine. I was interested in riding for myself: I wanted to try what it was like instead of controlling the horse. But the instructor taught me a little bit and then put the horse into a gallop. My hat flew off, but the sensations were extraordinary!

Perhaps, the next thing that will follow such extreme experiences is a flight in a wind tunnel. Although there were again fears that I might not be allowed, I received my invitation: it was from the museum's visitors, professional skydivers. All I had to do was wait for warmth and spring! I always say that you need dreams to make them come true.

The interview was prepared within the framework of the All-Ukrainian project of the National Assembly of People with Disabilities of Ukraine "Rights of Women with Disabilities: Action in Development". The project is funded by the State Budget of Ukraine.

Texts of stories: Valeria Lazarenko.
Illustrations for the booklet: Yelyzaveta Yablonska