THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE STAFF OF THE NIZHNY NOVGOROD (GORKY) PEDAGOGICAL INSTITUTE IN THE ESTABLISHMENT AND DEVELOPMENT OF DEFECTOLOGY

The history of geography as a scientific discipline and social practice starts in the mid 19th century. Despite the fact that in the first half of the XIX century in Russia there was a school for the blind and the deaf, and also began to appear the first medical-pedagogical institution for the mentally retarded, in the country there was practically no scientific research on the study of nature (physiological, psychological, social) of children with developmental disabilities, and their education and training. The article discusses the contribution of the staff of the Nizhny Novgorod (Gorky) state pedagogical Institute (B. I. Orlovsky, A. N. Krylov, S. M. Wasilewski) in the establishment and development of special areas in the first half of the twentieth century. In the years of Soviet power, 1920-40-ies., the staff of the pedagogical Institute was involved in training mentally retarded children, expansion of the network of subsidiary schools, the organization of the pedological advice