“We don’t need you here”: a woman tried to drive children with autism off the playground

The conflict broke out on July 26 at the playground of the Baltic Pearl residential complex in St. Petersburg. On one side – a resident of the microdistrict, walking with her granddaughter in the courtyard of the house. On the other – mentors of the center “What’s the difference”, involved in the social integration of children with special needs. The reason for the disagreement is children with an autism spectrum disorder playing on the same playground with “ordinary” children.

The woman tried to drive away the pupils of the center, as they allegedly frightened the child with whom she was walking. At the same time, right before the incident, the woman’s granddaughter was swinging with children with developmental disabilities on a swing and there were no problems.

A local resident rudely explained to the employees of the organization: children with autism should not play with her granddaughter. “Get the kids out of here. Sick children should walk separately,” the woman said.

She decided to find out from the mentor where their center is located and who allowed them to walk on the common ground, threatening at the same time that they would “move out of here”. “We don’t need you here! Develop your children somewhere else, she scolded. “I don’t understand why you come here. You won’t be walking around here. You have your yard, but we will find out if you can walk with children there with these features.

The thing is that the center rents a room in the third building at 18 Admiral Cherokov Street, but received permission from the management company to walk on the playground in the courtyard of the neighboring building. And this did not suit the woman who owns an apartment in this house. The heroine of the scandalous story called on the mentors of the center to organize their playground, adding that for children with developmental disabilities “there should be their own quarantines, everything of their own.”

During the conflict, an outraged resident and one of the mentors filmed each other on mobile phones. At the same time, the woman hit an employee of the center several times on the arm, demanding that she stop filming it. Then the woman called an employee of the management company and forced her to go down and take away children with special needs.

A video of the conflict was posted in the microdistrict group on VKontakte. The inappropriate behavior of the Russian woman outraged other residents of the house and users of social networks. “Such a shame and disgrace! She says, but I’m ashamed. How can you be intolerant of children, what kind of wildness? — surprised one of the subscribers. “Separate sites are needed just for people like this woman, because there is not even a question of ethics, delicacy, humanity and civilization,” another one supported her.

As a result, the neighbors recognized the Russian woman who drove children with autism spectrum disorder from the playground. After the video was posted, the woman had to delete her social media pages due to angry posts and comments.

Later, she tried to explain her act, which caused even more indignation among the Russians. According to her, a child with special needs really scared the girl. “He doesn’t talk, hums and screams. My granddaughter climbed down the hill and asked: “Grandma, who is this?” the woman shared. The Russian woman added that she goes to rest with the child and does not want the girl to “look at it all.”

The woman believes that she has the right to establish her own rules in the yard, since she is the owner of an elite apartment. She also boasted that she had already managed to ban the pupils of the local kindergarten from walking on the site. The Russian woman is sure that her neighbors will support her in the decision to drive out children with special needs from the yard.

Director of the center Valeria Kataeva stressed that this is not the first time the mentors have encountered an aggressive neighbor. But this time, the center’s employees wrote a statement to the police because of insulting children and violating the law on the social protection of people with disabilities, as the woman crossed all conceivable and inconceivable boundaries. The Investigative Committee in St. Petersburg began a pre-investigation check of information about the conflict that occurred on the playground.

“What’s the Difference” is a non-profit center for helping children with autism spectrum disorder, located in St. Petersburg. It has occupied premises near the site since January 2021. The center exists on donations and is engaged in teaching children with special needs of any age, holds events for their parents. It is attended by over 80 families.

“The woman who drove the children away thinks they are dangerous or sick”

Tatyana Morozova — clinical psychologist, expert of the Naked Heart Foundation

Why did this conflict occur?

1. What many people don’t realize is that it’s not only unethical, it’s illegal to kick a child with a developmental disability from the playground. Any discrimination, including violation of the rights of people with disabilities, is the same violation of the law as theft or damage to someone else’s property.
2. People with developmental disabilities have been in isolation for a long time. Many Russians grew up never meeting people with autism spectrum disorders, so they are influenced by myths about them. The woman who kicked the kids off the playground obviously didn’t go to an inclusive school and doesn’t know anything about autism. She thinks these children are dangerous or sick and may frighten other children.
3. There is a lack of adequate information about people with disabilities, their abilities and needs, and why inclusion is useful and important for everyone.

What should be done to avoid such situations?

We need more reliable information, so that children have the opportunity to grow up together, and that inclusiveness is not only on paper. And for this, it is necessary to develop a professional community – to train teachers, doctors and other specialists who will be able to ensure real inclusiveness. This is exactly what the Naked Heart Foundation does – it conducts information campaigns and trains specialists.

Russia is not unique in this respect. This was also the case in other countries – people with special needs were separated from society for a long time. But gradually the situation is changing.

Can children with special needs play in the same playground as normally developing children?

Young children do not really notice that their peers with autism spectrum disorder are somehow different from them. When they get older, their attitude depends on the reaction of adults – parents, teachers. If adults are calm, have the right information about children with special needs and can answer their child’s questions about it, then the child behaves appropriately.