Special education

A new stage in the system of education of the younger generation has been opened in our country. New radical changes were introduced in the education of intellectual backward pupils, deaf and dumb children and blind children.

From the very first days of its existence the government paid much attention to the education and upbringing of intellectually backward children, deaf and dumb children and blind children. Many special schools were opened and the teaching at these schools is free of charge.

In tsarist Russia there were no special schools for children with defective hearing, no nursery classes for born deaf children or those deafened in early childhood, and no educational establishments for adult deaf.

Later on to set up a unified educational policy, the government issued a decree (July 5, 1918): “In order to transform the system of education, to unify and to build a new one in accordance with the principles of all primary, secondary and higher establishments, whether open for all or not, whether general or specialized, and also establishments for preschool or out-of-school education will be handed over to the authority of the People’s Education, no matter whether they are state-owned, public or private.”

The state reorganization, planned to bring order and clarification into future development of educating the physically handicapped children, was begun at the ‘All-Russian Congress to Combat Physical Handicaps among Children’ (June 24-July 2, 1920).

Among children of school age there is a limited group which cannot be taught in general, common school; this group includes deaf mutes, the blind and intellectually backward pupils.

Various special schools for the education of intellectually backward children, the blind and the partially sighted, with the speech defects are provided. These children cannot follow the regular school program because of their handicaps but they can profit by restricted and adjusted program. Among these are auxiliary schools for the children intellectually backward.

In fact the intellectually backward child cannot grasp even the simplest connection and relations between objects and phenomena without the teacher’s help. The experience has shown that with the creation of certain educational conditions, these children can acquire elementary skills laid down in a special program. In addition they have vocational education, that is, they are taught sewing, knitting, carpentry, metal work, bookbinding and so on. Practical education in agriculture is successfully carried out during the final years in a number of auxiliary schools.

In order to prepare pupils for later vocational education, the first classes have handwork lessons, practical activities in the living nature corner or the school’s experimental garden, and take part in excursions. In the classes for older children (5-8) the pupils are taught elementary systematic knowledge and skills: their native language, natural sciences, mathematics, geography and one or other vocational subject. In order to correct defects in physical developments the pupils of the auxiliary schools undergo a system of training in rhythmic, curative gymnastics and physical culture.