At the origins of higher defectological education in Russia: Vsevolod Kashchenko's courses, 1918-1920

Based on the source material introduced into scientific circulation for the first time (documents from the RSFSR Ministry of Education Fund and V. P. Kashchenko's personal files deposited in the State Archive of the Russian Federation, documents from the V. P. Kashchenko Foundation in the Scientific Archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences), a partial reconstruction and analysis of the activities of the courses on child disability by Prof. V. P. Kashchenko in Moscow is carried out. The place of courses in the system of comprehensive systematic training of specialists in defectology is considered, the content of training, on the basis of questionnaire material, a social portrait of the course student is given, the living conditions of their life are described, the preparation of the conversion of courses into a full-fledged higher educational institution is described. The uniqueness of the courses in the world pedagogical practice is shown. The courses, combining theoretical and practical training, became the basis of the system of higher defectological education, focused on interaction with the child, taking into account the latest pedagogical techniques of 10-20th, XX century. For the first time, a part of the documents used is published in the appendix (individual questionnaires of students, a course work plan, a curriculum, a letter from students about increasing the duration of training).