Educational opportunities for physically handicapped students in post-Soviet Russia: the role of the judicial system

This thesis examines the role of the judicial system in deciding educational opportunities for physically disabled students in post-Soviet Russia. First, the history of the approach to education for disabled citizens in the Soviet Union and the legacy this has left for the independent Russian Federation is discussed. Then, twenty separate court cases from varied regions of Russia, adjudicated between 2010 and 2013 are surveyed in order to determine whether Russian judges have required schools and municipal authorities to install ramps for mobility-impaired citizens on the basis of the 1995 federal law “On the Social Protection of Handicapped Persons”. The conclusion is drawn that Russian judges consistently uphold the implementation of ramps for accessibility in school buildings, but that these cases are indicative of a broader piecemeal approach to accessibility