Anton Semakov
Anton Semakov: Hello.
Artem Berman: Anton? Good afternoon.
Anton Semakov: Good afternoon.
Artem Berman: Well, my name is Artem. Nice to meet you.
Anton Semakov: Me too.
Artem Berman: I have three types of questions. I mean, the questionnaire is a set of questions. The first one is “I have never had a job”. The second one is “I was employed but I am not employed presently/ anymore”. The third questionnaire is “I am currently employed”. Well, or I am self-employed or work remotely, whatever, but I am currently employed. Which one are we going to use?
Anton Semakov: Well, I haven’t worked officially, but I was always glad to have a side job. So to say…
Artem Berman: Well, what is the variant… It turns out…
Anton Semakov: I have never worked officially.
Artem Berman: Official work is not the point. “I have never had a job” is not your case. My understanding is that you worked even if it was not officially. So, your variant…
Anton Semakov: Well, for myself…
Artem Berman: Well, for yourself. No problem. Well, we have two variants – “I am currently employed” or “I had work experience, I worked, but I am in between jobs now”. What’s our variant?
Anton Semakov: Well, my earnings are not stable.
Artem Berman: Well, for example, I am in between jobs, right?
Anton Semakov: Well, I am in between jobs.
Artem Berman: Well, yes, if your earnings are unstable, it turns out that you are in between jobs. Well, you are not averse to making money.
Anton Semakov: It depends: when the clients call and come, well, then I have orders, and if they don’t call…
Artem Berman: I see. Is it something connected with a computer, right, some kind of work?
Anton Semakov: Yes, with a computer, digitizing video, digitizing photos, digitizing audio cassettes …
Artem Berman: Let’s … In principle, these questionnaires are very similar. However, since you do not go to work every day officially, then we will follow the questionnaire “I worked, but I am not employed presently”. However, indeed, it is difficult to say. The questionnaire “I am currently employed” is also quite suitable for you. However, again, they are almost the same. The first 6 questions, there will be 21 questions, they are quite simple. Some of them will be, well, personal ones. You should answer only within your comfort zone. Well, in the sense that…
Anton Semakov: I see.
Artem Berman: If you feel uncomfortable talking about something, you can say, “We will omit this topic / let’s move on to the next question”. That is, you say only those things that are comfortable for you to say. That is, we support your comfort. Well, during the interview I will ask your permission to use everything for science and for publication on the site. That is, you can allow it or not allow it, or you can give permission only for use in the research, but not for publication on the site, and so on. That is, we …
Anton Semakov: Well, if I agreed, I knew what I was doing.
Artem Berman: Well, yes, it is logical.
Anton Semakov: Why not?
Artem Berman: It is logical. Yes, okay. Again, after our conversation, I will send you the audio, and as soon as I have the transcription, I will send it. At first, I think, I will have an English version of the interview within a week or two, and the Russian version will be available after two or three weeks. The site is in English now, but I am planning to make it in Russian as well. I mean, this is …
Anton Semakov: Good.
Artem Berman: The next step. We will do it step by step. Several first questions are formal, so don’t be surprised. The first one, “Do you allow this interview to be used for research purposes?”
Anton Semakov: Well, yes, of course.
Artem Berman: The second one, “Do you allow this interview to be published on the website or in the book later?”
Anton Semakov: Yes, why not?
Artem Berman: The third question, “Would you like to use your real name or any pseudonym?”
Anton Semakov: Well, as I understand it, the action does not take place in Russia or in the CIS, so, in fact, I do not care about it.
Artem Berman: Well…
Anton Semakov: I do not mind.
Artem Berman: Well, then, no problem. Although, in fact, I am originally from Ukraine. The site will also be in Russian. However, if you want to use some kind of pseudonym in the future, just write it to me on Skype after I send you our interview.
Anton Semakov: Okay.
Artem Berman: The fourth question is “Your name”.
Anton Semakov: Anton.
Artem Berman: Well, and a surname.
Anton Semakov: Semakov.
Artem Berman: Excellent, okay, Anton Semakov. The fifth question is “Contact information” (either e-mail or phone number). You just send it to me on Skype so I can contact you. Okay? Well, e-mail is probably better, a phone number …
Anton Semakov: Good.
Artem Berman: Will not help. The sixth question is “How old are you?”
Anton Semakov: Twenty-five.
Artem Berman: The seventh one is “Gender”. Well, I guess, male.
Anton Semakov: Well.
Artem Berman: Okay, the eighth question, “Do you have a spouse, a partner, children?”
Anton Semakov: No, I do not.
Artem Berman: The next question, “Do you live alone, independently or with your parents and other relatives?”
Anton Semakov: Well, I live with my mother. I also lived with my sister some time ago.
Artem Berman: Again, I want to tell you at once. Our research will be qualitative, not quantitative. I mean, the questions are supposed to be open-ended, so the more information you find it possible to share with me, the better it will be for the interview, because, well …
Anton Semakov: Well, that’s clear…
Artem Berman: Yes, the more interesting, the more information we will have. The eleventh question, again, you answer within your comfort zone, “What kind of health problem do you have?” What happened to you or what is your condition?
Anton Semakov: I have cerebral palsy. Well, the type where the upper part is in normal condition, but the legs have no balance.
Artem Berman: At what age were you diagnosed with this disease?
Anton Semakov: Probably, it was when I was one year and three or four months old.
Artem Berman: That is early enough.
Anton Semakov: In general, it was from birth…
Artem Berman: That is, it is an innate disease.
Anton Semakov: But nobody noticed. Well, it is rather an acquired condition than an innate one. There were different things…
Artem Berman: Well, that is, it was possible to notice it early, and, in principle, it was noticed early. In my understanding, you were diagnosed when you were one year and four months old, right?
Anton Semakov: Well, yes.
Artem Berman: Well, I have the following question. Since this condition was diagnosed early enough, it is probably difficult for you to answer, “How did this disease affect your life in all its aspects, social, family, personal, and professional?”
Anton Semakov: Well, in fact, if you haven’t seen any other options, how can you answer? Yes, of course, it obviously affected things, but on the other hand, by the age of 7, I was already walking, held by one hand.
Artem Berman: Okay.
Anton Semakov: I can go downstairs and upstairs, there are no problems.
Artem Berman: Okay.
Anton Semakov: The only problem is low physical activity. As a result, the heart and the spine are not suited for heavy loads. Well, the heart also beats faster.
Artem Berman: Okay. Got it. Well, health problems are obvious.
Anton Semakov: Well, they were not innate. This is already a consequence of my way of life.
Artem Berman: Okay. Clear. I understood you. The next question is “How did your social rehabilitation start, how did it go, and what happened after that?” I mean, what was the process of returning or, in your case, integration into society? What or who helped you? What were the obstacles?
Anton Semakov: I do not even know how to answer this question. Since childhood, I had friends, well, in the courtyard, well, kids. And no one reacted negatively in any way. For those who, well, who always played with me in my childhood, with me, well, I was just an ordinary child.
Artem Berman: Well, they perceived you just the way you were.
Anton Semakov: Well, when I grew up, when I was about fifteen years old, little children began to focus on it more and more. When I was little, I do not remember children pointing out that I couldn’t walk or something like that. However, actually, I couldn’t walk in my childhood. Well, I just crawled.
Artem Berman: Got it. Well, in any case, let’s move to the next question about education. I mean, it is a stupid question, because you were diagnosed with this condition in early childhood, and before it was diagnosed, you had no education. However, the question is “What kind of education did you get after it?”
Anton Semakov: None. I only started to speak when I was three years old.
Artem Berman: Okay. You started to speak when you were about three years old. Then you went to school. Was the school at home or was it …?
Anton Semakov: First, I attended a preschool education institution. Well, those were lessons. It’s better to say that it was a kindergarten at first. Since there was a default in the country, the kindergarten was closed. In order not to lose time, our parents sent us to a preschool education institution. We were writing, reading, and learning the alphabet there… What else … There was English, well, it was rather formal, such as “paste the picture in a notebook”, “learn the word”. No one explained to us different aspects of the rules, such as using “does” and so on. We were six or seven years old. Then I went to school. We visited the school very often in the first and the second year. I had classmates. That is, well, in fact, the first year I studied, well, almost at school, although I was officially listed as homeschooled. After the fourth grade, I moved to another school too. I studied at an ordinary school for ordinary children. That is, it is not a special school. What more can I say?
Artem Berman: Well, you finished it, and after that…?
Anton Semakov: I have senior secondary education.
Artem Berman: Did you continue to study? Did you enter any university and so on?
Anton Semakov: I did not enter a university, but I was offered remote lessons in algebra and the Russian language. We had our own tasks, which we had to do. I was engaged in other things at that time. It was not that we didn’t want to, we just got tired of it… After school, we wanted to do something, but nothing right was decided. We could only have been cooks, so…
Artem Berman: Where do you live? In what city?
Anton Semakov: I live in the Urals, the city is …
Artem Berman: What? Can you repeat?
Anton Semakov: Sverdlovsk region.
Artem Berman: Okay, Sverdlovsk region. Well, my mother comes from Sverdlovsk, that’s why I spent my childhood in Sverdlovsk. So, this region is familiar to me.
Anton Semakov: We also used to live three months at home and one month in Yekaterinburg.
Artem Berman: We are partly compatriots. Look, you’re still young enough. Are there any plans for education now? Taking into account the availability of the Internet and a large number of options for distance learning. Well, just lots of universities, where you can…
Anton Semakov: I do not see a better option than being self-taught. I do not plan any formal education, but learning to do something by myself is quite possible.
Artem Berman: Fine, got it. Accordingly, what kind of work do you do or would you like to do? How do you see or saw yourself in the professional setting? Well, you say that you digitize information now. Tell me more about this.
Anton Semakov: How can I say … Digitizing video cassettes, audio cassettes, and film. Well, when it comes to the computer, I do what people ask… even reinstalling Windows. Something like that.
Artem Berman: Have you ever had an official job? I mean, that you went to the office, well, more or less …
Anton Semakov: No, I was never even offered one.
Artem Berman: Well, at home, remotely, but more or less long-term… Have you had such offers?
Anton Semakov: I was offered to assemble pens at home. The point is that you buy pen parts, and then send them off somehow later.
Then people started saying that they send you defective parts, and you cannot sell pens with a defect, and you cannot keep them for yourself either. In general, I was advised to become an accountant or a programmer in my childhood. And that’s all. The bottom line is that you buy pen parts at your own expense, assemble them at home, and somehow later, there, you sell them.
Artem Berman: Well, and what do you think about being an accountant or a programmer?
Anton Semakov: Well, before the 11th grade and in the 11th grade, I thought that I would study programming and everything would be fine. However, what I can do in programming, well, it doesn’t really deserve the name, it’s more about writing scripts and classes for myself, yes… When I saw that I coped with that, and it worked somehow. I had it working, but not perfectly. I realized that it was difficult for me. The problem was not that I did not understand, but that I didn’t know the English syntax. It is necessary not only to know English but also to write it correctly. Without any mistakes, well, ideally. I had a problem with English syntax. Back then it seemed that it was very difficult to change that. However, I write scripts for myself.
Artem Berman: Tell me about it. Firstly, programming is just one of those areas that was relevant then and is still relevant now, and secondly – there are many remote resources where you can learn a programming language or some technologies. To develop in this direction. Even if it is not official, without any university, without any diploma. Anyway, do you have any plans?
Anton Semakov: I’ve been doing three-dimensional modeling for the third year already. I’m probably just tired of this, as if it had been 10 years. Programming is not my thing. We have seen what petting zoos are. I like it. It would be possible to work there, something like that.
Artem Berman: And do you mean some kind of home zoo? A home type one, something like that?
Anton Semakov: I do not even know how to explain. It’s not in every city. It is basically located in big cities – Tyumen, Yekaterinburg.
Artem Berman: Just a private house where certain animals live, right?
Anton Semakov: Well, in general, it was a shop, in a shopping center, where we went. I liked it. Not everyone is lucky enough to have such work.
Artem Berman: Got it. However, it is interesting in any case. What do the members of your family – in your case it is a mom – think about your work? That you work or that you don’t work? Are you motivated to seek a job or are they neutral?
Anton Semakov: She does her utmost to support me. She understands that it’s very difficult to find work – one job after another, after another. I’ll do what I have to do.
Artem Berman: That is, you definitely have her support. It is clear that it is difficult to find a job. But when you have one or when you are looking for one, family members act as motivation and an incentive, right?
Anton Semakov: Motivation and an incentive are when something is needed, but there is no money.
Artem Berman: Well, it’s logical, yes. We will talk about it a little: “Is your work related to your education?”
Anton Semakov: I believe that what I’ve learned – video editing, audio editing, 3D modeling, with the exception of programming, the basics of which were shown to me by one person – is not connected with school or anything else.
Artem Berman: That is, there were no special courses, everything that you did, you did by yourself, right?
Anton Semakov: There were Internet lessons.
Artem Berman: The question is, “Do you think that education as such gives more opportunities in life, provides more prospects in life?”
Anton Semakov: In Tyumen – yes. In large cities – yes, of course. Well, in cities like ours … We are officially considered an urban type village. It seems it is not a city …
Artem Berman: An urban-type settlement.
Anton Semakov: What kind of education can you have in such small settlements … The best option for work is working through the Internet or being a guard. I do not even know who asks about higher education here.
Artem Berman: Fine. The question is, “It is clear that there are difficulties with health, but have you ever thought about changing your place of residence?” Moving to Yekaterinburg, Tyumen.
Anton Semakov: Almost every moment of my life. But then you look at housing prices and understand that the standard of living won’t be higher. Where would I earn 2.5 million?
Artem Berman: Do you mean for buying an apartment? It is logical. Well, the next question, “How do you maintain your level in what you do?” In particular, video courses, books. How does the learning happen?
Anton Semakov: How? When you have been doing this for many years, some nuances are already becoming obvious. When you have been doing this for more than a year or two, you don’t need to look at any lessons. But it happens with Photoshop. If I do not understand something in Photoshop, I watch how to do it. However, I also have a good knowledge of Photoshop.
Artem Berman: The question is, “Can you imagine a situation where you don’t work, where you don’t do anything at all? What would be the consequences?”
Anton Semakov: I can afford it, but it’s wrong.
Artem Berman: Why is it wrong? What does work mean for you?
Anton Semakov: That is, in fact, others working for you, and you living thanks to them. I believe that even if I had a regular job, I would still be working to some extent.
Artem Berman: Well, do you consider working for yourself a moment of some kind of rehabilitation?
Anton Semakov: Only as social communication, perhaps.
Artem Berman: Got it, let’s go on, “Do you have any financial support from the state?”
Anton Semakov: Well, yes.
Artem Berman: According to the Russian legislation, even if you worked, you would get a pension, right?
Anton Semakov: It used to be said that if you have disability group I and you work, then they could change the first group to the second group or even remove it. My understanding is that if you work, your pension is not indexed. That is, they pay, but it is not raised. But that’s if you work officially, not for a private trader.
Artem Berman: What kind of problems and difficulties do you encounter at your job? What is the most difficult?
Anton Semakov: Not all people probably understand this. I did not have this, but every time a person reacts. People are different. Some do not react, but some are surprised.
Artem Berman: We have the last two questions. The second one will be quite creative, but now there will be an uncreative question. You don’t have to say figures, just tell me if it’s significant or not, whether it’s important or not. What percentage of your income is the state’s assistance? A significant percentage, a significant part of your income, or not? Or, even more so, are your earnings the main part and the pension not so important?
Anton Semakov: About 80 per cent.
Artem Berman: Well, a significant part.
Anton Semakov: Although I know that someone earns more, I don’t want to live off others.
А. Do you mean what you take as payment for your work?
Anton Semakov: Well, yes. Although, by the way, no one charges such amounts as I do.
Artem Berman: All work costs money. If you spend your time, it’s normal to charge…
Anton Semakov: For digitizing video I charge what should be charged, but when it comes to computers… to reinstalling Windows… People usually charge up to XXX. But it’s not my story.
Artem Berman: Well, it’s already your character, because on the other hand, if the market price is XXX, then this price is normal. This is your character.
Anton Semakov: I don’t charge more than YYY rubles.
Artem Berman: This is your character.
Anton Semakov: If I did not have enough money, the situation would be different.
Artem Berman: That’s just the question of “enough or not enough”, “Are you satisfied with the current level of your income?”
Anton Semakov: In general, yes, but sometimes there are some nuances. For example, you have cats, and you need to spend money – to visit the veterinarian, for example. Then there are problems. There is no surplus at the moment, although to say that there is not enough would also not be the case.
Artem Berman: Are you rather satisfied?
Anton Semakov: Especially when you consider that people who work earn half that amount. Some of them. Not all, but, let’s say, a major part.
Artem Berman: I understand that this is connected with the general economic situation in Russia. The crisis and all these things.
Anton Semakov: No, no! I think it depends on the city. My sister lives in Tyumen now. The story is completely different.
Artem Berman: This, again, is the story of a small town with few prospects, right?
Anton Semakov: All the factories are closed… I do not even know how to tell you …
Artem Berman: Tell me honestly. This is a small town, and the fact is that it is gradually dying.
Anton Semakov: And what we see here … Let’s say, for comparison. We have utility payments of 7000-7500. It is 4000 in Tyumen.
Artem Berman: At the same time, the salary in Tyumen, probably the average salary, is two or three times, or even five or ten times higher than in your town.
Anton Semakov: Well, not ten, but 2.5 times higher. At least 2.5 times.
Artem Berman: Then you need, in spite of all the difficulties, to think about moving. As an aside, I broke my neck at the age of 16, I moved at 22, I also lived in a small town.
Anton Semakov: So to say, we are in shock … Damn, why is it just one country, but we have lots of homeless people here? However, in fact, we are 1 hour from Tyumen. Why do they live like that, and we live like this? At the same time, prices for products are the same, and there are even cheaper prices as well. That is, everything is exactly the same for basic services, but some things cannot really be described.
Artem Berman: Well, I say, you really need to think about moving.
Anton Semakov: The same, say, with the Internet. There, the Internet costs 450 rubles for 100 MB, and here we have, for example, a tariff of 30 MB for 600 rubles.
Anton Semakov: Yes, what can I say … Once again I can tell you, I broke my neck at the age of 16 and moved away from my parents to Kiev at 22 years old. I lived with my girlfriend. It was hard, I rented an apartment, but I realized there was not much for me in the small town. However, I have never regretted that I left.
Anton Semakov: When there were factories, lots of people came to our city. It was one of the important cities. A machine-building plant and a hydrolysis plant. There is nothing of this now. We even had our own mineral water.
Artem Berman: Got it. Once again, it’s your decision. I think your prospects are in Tyumen and Yekaterinburg – the nearest big cities. We have almost finished the interview. The last question is creative. I’ll start a phrase and ask you to continue it. Roughly speaking, some phrase, and you continue.
Anton Semakov: Let’s try.
Artem Berman: We only have six such statements. You can continue with one word, one sentence or a story. It’s up to you. So, “I …”
Anton Semakov: I … What can I say to “I”?
Artem Berman: I do not know …
Anton Semakov: I do not know either…
Artem Berman: Well, people answer “I live”, someone responds “I’m weird”, someone – “I’m struggling”.
Anton Semakov: Well, like this?
Artem Berman: Yes. “I” and what comes first when you think about yourself.
Anton Semakov: I guess I do not really think about myself in this way. When people ask me, what do you do …
Artem Berman: No, “What do you do?” is another question. For example, I live, I fight, I survive, I am suffering, I am happy … I do not know …
Anton Semakov: I’m very pleased. Not with what I am, but with the state in which I live. However, it could be better.
Artem Berman: Fine. Another question is more for those who have been injured. Therefore, in your case it will be difficult to answer, we can omit the question, “Before the disease, before the injury, I was …” Well, you were just a baby.
Anton Semakov: In the cradle. However, not even in a cradle. It was in a hospital.
Artem Berman: Yes, of course. The next question, “I can …” or “I am capable of …”
Anton Semakov: I hope one day I will be able to find a job. A normal and stable one.
Artem Berman: Got it. The next question is connected with the previous one, so, maybe, you will repeat your answer, and, maybe, you will say something else, “In the future I see myself…”
Anton Semakov: I see myself as a self-sufficient person in the future.
Artem Berman: Super answer! And the last two questions, “I’m afraid …”
Anton Semakov: Probably, the state when I cannot take care of myself. In fact, I can do it now. If I lived on the first floor, I could live on my own and would not need anyone.
Artem Berman: Well, this is to the question of the necessity of changes in your life. However, this is your life, and everything is up to you.
Anton Semakov: We have three-story buildings in the city, five-story buildings; there are also two-story buildings. No elevators, nothing. There were no disabled people in the country before. They built houses and did not think about such people. We saw modern apartments, modern houses in big cities. We lived in rented apartments. I was very surprised that they do not have such problems.
Artem Berman: Well, yes, and it turns out, there is such a magical thing as an elevator.
Anton Semakov: There are even two elevators! One is ordinary, and the other is a cargo one. In addition to this, there are no thresholds in the entrance, and the ramp to the entrance is not at some kind of 90 degrees, but normal.
Artem Berman: I see what you’re talking about, because I …
Anton Semakov: I can’t pull out a vehicle such as a bicycle or a wheelchair without any help. I have no balance … You seem to be standing, you get pushed and you fall at once.
Artem Berman: Well, it’s clear … I understand that an accessible environment, that is the scientific name for what we are talking about, these are important things.
Anton Semakov: Speaking about an accessible environment, I want to say that we have a lot of spots in the city where they made a place for a wheelchair on the ground. Almost every asphalt path has a place for a wheelchair. That is, in terms of accessibility, this is not the worst city in the region. At the same time, it’s not Sochi. Here, nowadays, if the owner has not made such a place near the establishment – a school, a hospital or just any shop – he is not allowed to operate until he makes it.
Artem Berman: Got it. A good environment is extremely important, so I agree with you. Look, the last question, “I want …”
Anton Semakov: I want to be in demand.
Artem Berman: This is a good answer, and you have summarized our conversation with it.
Anton Semakov: I do not want to live by the principle of a pensioner. As if I were living out my last days. I definitely would not want to.
Artem Berman: Well, that is logical. Look, Anton, we have already answered all the questions that I had. If there is something that you would like to say, something I did not ask you about, then, please, tell me.
Anton Semakov: I have already said everything about how things are here. I do not even know what to add.
Artem Berman: Got it. Thank you very much for your time. I will send you an audio recording of our conversation, and when the text is ready, I will send the link to the page.
Anton Semakov: Well, I’ll write it now.
Artem Berman: Super. Thank you very much for your time again.
Anton Semakov: Wait a second. I will…
Artem Berman: Yes, no problem.
Anton Semakov: I will copy it and write it down now, so as not to forget.
Artem Berman: No problem.
Anton Semakov: Yes. Have you received it?
Artem Berman: Well, super, I’ll send you the audio and transcript when it is done. Thank you, goodbye.
Anton Semakov: Goodbye.