DESCRIPTORS: special education, educational exchange, rehabilitation center, extra-curricular activities, formation of a whole child, Russian soul.
SYNOPSIS: The author provides personal impressions and professional analysis of some examples of the special education programs that she observed during her stay in Russia during a week in March 2012.

In this edition of THE RUSSIAN-AMERICAN EDUCATION FORUM which is dedicated to the field of Special Education, it seems fitting to include the very human and personal views of one American who took part in the recent conference in Kursk between Russian and American Educators. 

It has been 18 years since my first journey to Russia.  During that span of time I have often reflected on the deep connection that I have felt with Russia and all of the people I have met.  That journey helped me gain new insight into myself and the world we live in.  It has helped shape the direction of my views and my life, in general. 

So when Jack McGurgan, President of the Amerus Exchange, asked me to take part in the March 2012 seminar on Inclusive Education to be held in Kursk, I was ecstatic!  I always knew I would return to Russia someday.

Professor Tatyana Tsyrlina-Spady, editor in chief of THE RUSSIAN-AMERICAN EDUCATION FORUM, was organizing a group of educators from the United States to present topics on Special Education at the Regional Open Social Institute (ROSI) in Kursk.  The participants would be a wide range of educators from Kursk, surrounding areas, Moscow, and Siberia.  Since I have had a long career as a Special Education teacher, I would speak about the practical aspects of the development of special education programs in my school.

Because I had already taken part in a previous educational exchange in Russia, I knew that I was in for a great deal of new learning.  Certainly, conditions in Russia are dramatically different than they were in 1994, but I knew the outcome would be the same.  I would feel the impact of the people and learn as much from them as they would learn from my colleagues and me.

In this article I will describe some of my views, impressions, and interpretations from the Kursk Conference.

THE STATE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION IN RUSSIA

Before embarking on my trip I naturally did some research into the topic of Special Education as practiced in Russia.  I was struck by the ‘horror stories’ I read about children with special needs either being left at home without a proper education, or being ‘warehoused’ in institutions because the public system was not able to deal with them.  This, of course, was also the case in my country for a good part of the 20th Century.  It has only been in our relatively recent history that our public education system truly endeavors to provide a fair and equal schooling opportunity for all learners, regardless of their disabilities.  In the U.S. we have been developing and evolving in this area for the past 50 years. So it is not unreasonable to expect that this process in Russia will be slow and difficult.  It was with amazement, however, that I learned of two institutions in Russia that are innovatively leading the way.  Both are models for the development of services for children with mild to severe handicaps.

THE KURCHATOV SCHOOL

The first institution is the Rehabilitation Center for Children and Teenagers with Special Needs in Kurchatov, Kursk Region.  This center was begun by Natalia Sergeyevna  Kitsul, a nuclear physicist who has a son with disabilities who is now in his twenties.  Many of the educators from this school took part in the ROSI based seminar and invited us to visit their Center.  It is located in a ‘new’ city which has grown up around the development of a nuclear power plant. The school is set amongst residential high-rises.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by one of the staff, dressed in traditional Russian costume who invited us to break off a piece of a round loaf of bread and dip it in salt before eating.  This is a Russian custom of welcome.  We were then treated to a performance which involved all of the students in the school and their teachers.  An integral part of Russian education is embedded in the visual and performing arts.  It was so touching to see these students, some in wheelchairs, and some with noticeable impairments, put their hearts and souls into this creative pageant.

I took away an important lesson at this point.  Certainly it is essential for any child to become well rounded by participating in the arts, whether it is a form of dance, music, art, performance, or even just the ability to carry oneself with confidence and dignity in public.  For students with special needs however, this type of activity provides a pathway for building self-esteem, allowing creativity to blossom, and for learning a myriad of other discrete skills that will carry the child into the future.

The American visitors watched tearfully as these students and all of the staff captured our hearts.    I could only hope that our students would have such enriching experiences. 

As our visit to the Center continued, we were given an introduction to academic activities and different types of extracurricular activities.  These include greenhouse gardening, sculpture, ceramics, fine beadwork, and doll-making, to name just a few.  We learned that the Center provides medical, psychological, and legal support for families with children with special needs.

My impression, which is very similar to what I felt in 1994, was that Russian educators are always thinking about the well-being of the ‘whole’ child. A sense of nurturing and meeting social, emotional, psychological, and medical needs, as well as academic needs, impressed me in all I encountered. In their tone, manner, demeanor, and expressions, it is easy to see that they are keeping the best interests of the child at heart.

Besides a wonderful banquet held in our honor, the last part of our visit was to see the apartments they have set up to help students learn how to live on their own.  Some of the older students, their parents, and their teachers, were on hand to give us a tour, serve us tea, and proudly share their experiences.  Once again, I felt the total child (now young adult) was being served so well at this Kurchatov center for students with special needs.

THE KURSK REGIONAL CENTER

The second institution our group visited was the Kursk Regional Center for Psychological, Medical, and Social Support.  The main purpose of this institution is to help integrate children with special needs into the schools.  As the director, Tatyana Grigoryevna Zubareva explained to us, she and the specialists of this center want every child to be accepted and valued in society and to be educated to the highest degree possible.  With government support, they provide free services for consultation, diagnosis, and some teaching.  All children from birth to age 18, and their parents or guardians, may come for any support they need.

A unique team of specialists including medical doctors of varying fields, teachers, psychologists, and speech therapists, along with the parents, work together to find the reason for problems children are having which the public school therapists are not able to do.   The approach is clearly collaborative.  Individual plans are formed.  Medical attention is given.  Consultation is provided.  The goal is to transition this plan into action in the public schools where the children are placed. 

As a part of our visit we were free to drop into all the different specialists’ offices and observe their work with students.  I observed a pediatric neurologist working with a young boy with Attention Deficit Disorder on focusing his attention.  I sat in on a teaching session with a speech therapist with a little boy and his mother.  The therapist skillfully brought the boy through a number of learning situations going from general language to more specific with such positive reinforcement and care that the boy was thrilled with his own progress.  His mother was able to be in the room for each session so she could learn how to work with her son at home.  She seemed so proud of her little boy’s growing confidence and language skills. 

I observed a number of other situations including a pediatrician doing a developmental evaluation on a seven-month-old baby.  I saw a vision screening, and a therapist utilizing gross and small motor equipment with a child.

Upon reflection, I found the Center to be entirely parent and child centered.  Parents (and in some cases, grandparents) were part of all the sessions.  They were able to access several different screenings in one appointment alleviating the need to take several days off from work for separate appointments, as would be the case in the United States.  They were truly a part of the process from diagnosis to learning how best to help their children. 

The director of the Center, Tatyana Grigoryevna, seemed to be so dedicated to the purpose of the institution and eager to hear our views on everything we saw.  Her staff members were eager participants in the Inclusive Education Conference at ROSI.  The gracious staff at the Center hosted an extensive banquet and presented gifts to their new American friends and colleagues. 

THE RUSSIAN SOUL

The final and most important area to be addressed is the strong connection between people that I experienced.  It is amazing to be a part of an “Amerus” exchange because of the opportunity to connect with the people of Russia.  I found that the Russian people at every opportunity would look deeply into your eyes, into your soul really, to find out who you really are and if you have the same hopes, dreams, and loves that they do.  We were able to show who Americans really are—not what they see portrayed in movies, TV, and magazines.  They are just as eager to learn about us as we are to learn about them and their culture. 

We also had the wonderful opportunity to get to know our interpreters (mostly university students) very well because they came everywhere with us during our week in Kursk.  Discussions with them ranged from religion to politics; from dating to family life.  These are the impressions that remain with us as we try to make sense of this world we live in. 

As is typical of an AMERUS EXCHANGE visit to Russia I experienced “host-family living” rather than staying in a hotel. For me, this was the ultimate way to learn about customs, daily living, food, and, most of all, the wonderful heart and soul of the people.  The couple I stayed with, Lena and Yurii Tkachenko, had hosted Jack McGurgan many times before, and they were like family with us.  I was quickly taken into their embrace and care.  After only five days, I was in tears at our departure. 

ONE SMALL STONE…

I truly believe that every stone that is tossed into pond, even the smallest pebble, produces ripples that can change that pond forever.  Likewise, I believe that the exchange that took place between Russians and Americans the week of March 28, 2012, will have consequences that will help change the world.  Educational practices that can help children, big ideas about democracy and equality in education, cultural understandings, and most certainly friendships, were exchanged and developed.  It is a small but important step that will continue to thrive between citizens in two very different and unique parts of the world.  I, for one, am most grateful to have been a part of this amazing undertaking.