On November 10, 2026, the first meeting of the XXIV Congress of the All-Russian Society of the Blind took place in Moscow. Archpriest Mikhail Potokin, Chairman of the Synodal Department for Church Charity and Social Service, addressed the participants with a welcoming speech.
In his speech, the priest noted that cooperation between the Russian Orthodox Church and the All-Russian Society for the Blind continues to strengthen. Today, many initiatives are being jointly implemented aimed at providing spiritual support to people with visual impairments and creating an accessible environment for them.
The Synodal Department for Charity has been cooperating with the VOS for more than ten years. In regional organizations, clergy and church social workers conduct classes on Orthodox culture, organize pilgrimages, and provide targeted assistance. Libraries are replenished with Orthodox Braille literature and audio recordings.
Special attention is paid to the accessibility of temples. Relief icons appear in churches, allowing blind people to get acquainted with sacred images through touch. People with visual impairments participate in church choirs, help develop recommendations for creating an accessible environment, and teach special training courses.
At the Congress, which brought together representatives of all regional organizations of the Eastern Partnership, the results of the work for 2021-2026 were summed up. Vladimir Sipkin was unanimously elected President of the Company for a new five-year term.
The All-Russian Society of the Blind has existed since 1925. Today it unites 75 regional organizations and more than 214,000 people.

Photo: MediaVOS