Mirabella

Artem Berman: Great. So, look, I have three types of questions. So… These questions are divided, well, actually, into 3 questionnaires. The first questionnaire is “I have never had a job”, that is, “I have never worked.” The second variant is “I was employed, but I am not employed at present”. For example, temporarily, or somehow differently, but in any case, I had work experience, but I do not work now. The third variant is “I’m working now”, that is, “I’m currently employed”. Which one are we going to use?

Mirabella: You know I have a very interesting situation. As for me, it’s better to use either the second variant or the third one. I am officially employed, and this is a full-time job. And… I have a good position, it’s all clear. However, this is not the work that I want to do. It’s just remote… Well, I am officially employed. I mean, I don’t know…

Artem Berman: Well, I think we can use…

Mirabella: The second variant is probably better, because, well, it’s a little bit, well, not a little bit, but it’s not what I want, and in this case, I’m looking for a job anyway.

Artem Berman: Yes, let’s use the second option. To some extent, these options are similar, and up to some point, different. If we use the second variant, we have 18 questions in total.

Mirabella: Yes.

Artem Berman: The first 5 questions are absolutely formal and short. The first question, “Do you allow this interview to be used for scientific purposes and for the purposes of scientific research?”
Mirabella: Yes.

Artem Berman: “Would you like to publish this interview under your real name or would you like to use any pseudonym?”

Mirabella: Pseudonym.

Artem Berman: Then the question, “Your name.” Well, write to me, for example, on Skype, which pseudonym you want to use.

Mirabella: Oh, good.

Artem Berman: The next one. Contact information, e-mail or phone. Well, in principle, you can also …

Mirabella: Yes, well, I’ll send it to you.

Artem Berman: Any contact information. Then there are two politically incorrect questions, but given the scientific purpose, it’s possible to ask, “How old are you?”

Mirabella: Twenty-five.

Artem Berman: And the next question, “Gender.” Well, I guess, female.

Mirabella: Female gender.

Artem Berman: Yes, the most difficult. Female gender. So, the eighth one, “Do you live alone or are you married? Do you have a partner?”

Mirabella: My gosh, partner … A common-law marriage.

Artem Berman: Well, yes. This word is “partner” in English, so, yes, I’ve understood. The ninth question, “Do you have children?”

Mirabella: No, I do not.

Artem Berman: The next question … Again, you answer only within your zone of comfort. “What kind of disability do you have?” That is, what kind of restriction do you have?

Mirabella: Disability. Got it. Loss of sight.

Artem Berman: I get it. Sub-questions, “What happened? At what age? How did this affect your life (social, family, personal, professional, etc.)?”

Mirabella: So, it happened when I was five years old. I had one hundred percent vision. What is the reason … Well, doctors do not know the reason. After the operation, my vision was simply lost. Well, it had started to fail even before the operations. How did this affect me? Well, I do not know, honestly. Probably it was more in the social aspect than in problems with employment. I have never had problems with employment, either when I was studying or now. However, in the social sphere … Because people have many stereotypes about blind people… Therefore, the social sphere.

Artem Berman: Well, again, since it happened when you were five, at that moment, as I understand, you were not studying or working yet. It is obvious.

Mirabella: Well… I went to a specialized school. The school gave me absolutely the same knowledge as an ordinary one.

Artem Berman: Okay.

Mirabella: Yes, therefore … Well, I have peers … I had friends from kindergarten, and we are still friends with those guys…

Artem Berman: Super. We have just moved on to the twelfth question. You have already started to answer it, namely, “How did your social rehabilitation start? What was the process of social rehabilitation? What or who helped? What or who hindered?”

Mirabella: Probably, we can say right away that it was my entry into society. Well, neither I nor my parents ever had any kind of despondency, no one ever shut me away right after I lost my sight … I had friends. They read to me a lot. There was no Internet, no electronics. After that, I went to school. Initially, it was harder for me at school with blind children, because, nevertheless, well, typhlopedagogy, education…and no one could explain many things to children. You start to realize things only in junior school, in the fourth grade. Well, in addition to this, it was also a boarding school, although I went home every day (I came in the morning and left after school), and the children are all different. In addition, I was attracted to ordinary children. It was easier for me with them, from the kindergartens, from schools. Social services with volunteers in the district were also of great importance to me. I studied music as well as art there, and there were festivals. Therefore, well, in general, there were no problems in communication, in socialization.

Artem Berman: Super. We move on to the next question then. The thirteenth question, “Your education.” Once again, tell us just that thing that is okay for you to tell us. Sub-questions are as follows, “Did you have any education before the thing that happened to you?” As I understand it, at the age of five you had not.

Mirabella: No, of course, not. Well, I graduated from the specialized school, then I immediately entered Taras Shevchenko National University, the Institute of Philology, in 2010.
The specialty is “Ukrainian language, literature, and English”, a full-time form of study.

Artem Berman: The next one is at once, “What influenced the choice of specialization? Why this one?”

Mirabella: Why philology?! I was really thinking, either the Faculty of Law or the Philology Department. I chose philology because I decided to learn how to write and speak first, and then think practically. I graduated from it in 2016. Well, that was a bachelor’s degree course until 2014, then I entered a master’s degree programme. That was also a full-time form of study. I was so fortunate that after graduating from the university I was offered (since I studied on a state-financed basis) to go to another university for a part-time form of study (Academy of Labor and Social Relations and Tourism).
So, I chose the Faculty of Law. Well, I decided that it is possible to combine everything, well, philology and law. That is how I am getting a second higher education at present. Well, by correspondence.

Mirabella: Super, that is, you are a master of philology and now you are doing a master’s degree, well, in jurisprudence.

Mirabella: Yes, yes.

Artem Berman: Super. So, you, well, now you have a job, but you are thinking about changing it.

Mirabella: Yes.

Artem Berman: So we can say that you changed jobs in your life. Accordingly, there will be a number of questions related to this.

Mirabella: Okay, let’s ask questions, and I’ll tell you in more detail.

Artem Berman: The first and most important question, “Why did you decide to work in general?” So, I want to work or, say, I do not want to work, I have the opportunity not to work, and I will not. Why did you decide that work is important to you?

Mirabella: Well, first, this is my independence, my freedom. Moreover, this is my socialization, if this work is office work. That is why I’m looking for office work now. Secondly, it is the feeling that society needs you, that you did not study in vain, well, and of course it’s also financial independence, which is quite important.

Artem Berman: So, the next question is, “Did those organizations or organization where you work or worked provide you with any necessary support?”

Mirabella: Oh, well. If I heard you correctly, and if not, repeat the question again. I should start with the fact that I started to work in my fifth year, that is, when I entered the master’s programme, and I started working in a specialized publishing house. This is the editorial board of the joint editions
“ZAKLIK”. This edition specializes in publishing media, we can say, for blind people. Previously, there was funding: a children’s magazine was published, an adult one, and an adult newspaper. Nevertheless, everything is very sad now. So I was offered, that is, an official job. I am supposed to write three or five materials per month, send them to the editor-in-chief, and that is it, actually. That is, I do not need to go to the office, and, naturally, the materials are all connected with something new, with some kind of activities. Everything is related to people with a vision impairment: where I went, where I was, about education, about the socialization of the blind, about societies. I was responsible for different sections, there, and success stories, how blind people became lawyers, teachers. Everything is very interesting and informative as an experience, and I would say even motivating. However, after graduating from the university, it was philology, I started looking for a job because I no longer went to the university every day, but still, I want to go somewhere in the morning, for some kind of discipline. That’s why I’m looking for office work.

Mirabella: In principle, you have answered two questions. One of the questions, “Has the organization where you worked / work provided career opportunities or prospects? Do you see your career path? What is it like?”

Artem Berman: Well, I cannot say that this is a representation of the career path, because, well, I have been here for four years, and it hasn’t happened for three years now, and I’m not sure that this is the way, because again we have political issues hanging round our necks. Funding for this edition is not paid after the New Year; salaries are paid approximately in April, so, of course, it’s difficult to talk about a career. Moreover, the subject matter is very narrow, and you can’t develop yourself. Well, even though it is a specialized publishing house.

Artem Berman: In principle, you have already answered the next question, “Do you have plans to come back and continue working in this organization, or are you looking for another job? If so, why?”

Mirabella: I am looking for another.

Artem Berman: And why? You answered that it would be more interesting for you to have an office job.

Mirabella: Office work with ordinary people, well, I mean, without disabilities. Well, I mean without a visual disability; you already know a lot about this topic. I want to improve my knowledge.

Artem Berman: The next question, “What does your family/partner/friends think about the present absence of a job (in principle, we are talking about a questionnaire where a person does not work, but is planning to work) or that you want to change it?”

Mirabella: Their attitude is fine. They understand that it is difficult to find another job, well, that’s why no one limits me. They still support me financially, and there are no problems.

Artem Berman: Well, “Can you imagine yourself never returning to a job?” Would such an option suit you or not, and what would be the consequences?

Mirabella: I can only imagine it in case of maternity leave, and so, well, if it comes to the absence of work at all, well, I do not know … Something terrible would have to happen for me not to work.

Artem Berman: That is, work is an integral part of your personality, and it means quite a lot to you.

Mirabella: Yes, absolutely, that is, self-education, work, of course. Well, I don’t know, I have put more emphasis on my main job. I also had an unofficial job. Should we talk about it or not?

Artem Berman: Yes, of course, everything will be very interesting. Maximum information. I am very grateful to you.

Mirabella: So, it also started from the university, from the fourth or third year of study. I started to take part in different volunteer movements, projects that were aimed at going to state structures, communicating with the media and breaking society’s stereotypes towards people with disabilities. This project is called the “Speaker’s Bureau”. The president of the charitable foundation who organized everything is Julia Kisenchuk. You probably know her. Well, and, in principle, it was such a launch pad for me, because I also met many people and started volunteering on the resource portal “Gurt”. I did many radio podcasts there, I made them by myself, I found people for interviews. Well, in principle, of course, I do not know, probably, before the New Year, I [interference] won in radio journalism [interference with communication]. Then I understood that there was no real way to work there. So, I had experience of volunteering in radio journalism. Last year a museum (it is open after midnight) where blind guides work was established in Kiev. For an hour and a half, they lead an excursion in the dark for ordinary people [interference with communication] … from ordinary life, where a person in the darkness does all the usual things that he/she does in daily life. I was there for three months, but I went there with the goal… Once again, I knew that there would be no career growth, because, in principle, permanent locations are not the same. It’s an abnormal thing for me. People usually have the same questions, and it was just interesting to me psychologically, how people would react to the darkness at all. Well, having stayed there for three months, I left, first of all, because of the low pay. If four people pay 800 UAH for an hour and a half, the guide gets just 100 UAH for that hour and a half (including the fact that in your free time, visitors can ask you an unlimited number of questions. You show how to use Braille, how to write, how to read). This is irrational; therefore, this is the main reason why I left this museum. People with whom I communicate think that, of course, if they make such sums, the guide gets a decent percentage, but this is not true. That is the experience I once had in this museum. In addition, I gave excursions in English. The point is that after working as a radio presenter, I still do not know in which sphere I want to find myself, whether to go on in jurisprudence, which I like very much, or to put more emphasis on PR and advertising.

Artem Berman: Well, it’s partly related to the next question, “Is your current or previous work related to your education?” Moreover, two sub-questions … The first one, “Does your education help you to have more opportunities to find work?” Let’s say, you have more options to choose from. In addition, the second sub-question, “How do you maintain your level in the profession?” Well, courses, self-education or whatever. Well, “Is your work related to your education?”

Mirabella: Of course. It is related to my education because philology and journalism are interconnected. In addition, the English language, well, the practice, also provides you with more opportunities. Of course, I try to take part in master classes, courses, everything related to writing. For example, copywriting. So, well, it is related.

Artem Berman: Well, that is why you continue to develop. Moreover, in general, the fact that you are getting a second higher education, already having a master’s degree, means a lot. In addition, in general, it is obvious that you improve yourself. The seventeenth question, “Do you receive any financial help from the state?”

Mirabella: Yes. Some money comes to my mum’s card.

Artem Berman: Then the sub-question, “When you were working, were you still receiving financial help?” Well, different states, different laws.

Mirabella: Yes, of course.

Artem Berman: Then the question is, “What is the percentage of your total income from this support?” Well, as I understand it, if you do not really follow this, then it is a small percentage.

Mirabella: Yes, absolutely, it’s natural.

Artem Berman: Are you satisfied with the level of income that you had, or that you have now?

Mirabella: No, I am not. I am not satisfied at all.

Artem Berman: Looking for something more, respectively. What makes you move? This, probably, will be the penultimate question. That is, what makes you forge ahead?

Mirabella: First, this is even not financial independence, but the fact that I’m used to always being in motion. I remember my university, there, I do not know, a bachelor’s, a master’s degree, I managed everything, studied, and went to theater classes, and something else was involved, and preparation for classes. Therefore, of course, the most motivating factor for me is discipline, the organization of your routine, your day. You can clearly define what you want to do, when, on what day, at what hours, despite the work.

Artem Berman: Super. The last question is, it seems to be the last one, but it has a number of sub-questions and quite difficult ones, well, open sub-questions in their pure form. That is, if I start the phrase, then you should finish it. We have six phrases. Well, the very beginning is, “I …”

Mirabella: I live.

Artem Berman: It is. The second question: “I was (before the disability) …” Well, you were five years old, but …

Mirabella: Well, yes.

Artem Berman: Apparently, I was a child.

D: Yes, yes, I was a child.

Artem Berman: The next question is, “I am able to …” Or, “I can …”

Mirabella: I am able to develop, to learn, and I am ready for changes. It is better to say so.

Artem Berman: “In future I see myself …”

Mirabella: Oh. Well, probably, let it be the presenter. Most of all, I would like to work on television. Well, let it be like a dream, a TV presenter.

Artem Berman: Well, super. Again, if there are any things not related to the profession, mention them too, a climber, a mother of three children, that is, any options.

Mirabella: No, only career interests. That’s all.

Artem Berman: Super, super. Hence, the last two open questions: “I want …”

Mirabella: I want there to be tolerance in society.

Artem Berman: It is logical. The last one, “I’m afraid …”

Mirabella: I’m afraid of war.

Artem Berman: War. Got it. I understood you. In fact, that is all my questions for you. Thank you very much for your time. We are connected on Skype and, in fact, on Facebook.

Mirabella: Yes, thank you. All the best.

Artem Berman: Thank you. I wish you all the best too.

Mirabella: Good-bye.

Artem Berman: Good-bye.