The founder of the first in Russia school for the blind, Konstantin K.Grot was born on 12 of January 1815. K.Grot, who devoted the second part of his life to organization of help to the blind, had remarkable biography.
In 1835 he graduated from the State Lyceum, where Pushkin studied. All his life he supported his connections with his fellow-students, and he often was the initiator of their traditional meetings on 19th of October.
After graduating of the Lyceum he worked in various Ministries: Finance, Internal Affairs, State Properties. From 1853 to 1860 he was the Governor of Samara. During many years he was a Member of the State Council of Russia.
Organization of help to blind people, their support and treatment of blindness - in those directions he worked for12 last years of his life, and devoted his energy and care. In 1871 as a result of efforts of K.Grot and his adherent A.Skrebitsky in studying the causes of blindness and prevalence of the desease in Russia, the Board of Guardians over the blind, named after Empress Maria-Maryinsky - was founded.
On 13th of February 1881 the Emperor Alexander II confirmed the main principles of the Maryinsky Board of Guardians worded, and on 18th of October K.Grot kept the first meeting of the members. K.Grot worded the Regulations of the Board. The Regulations stated that the main goal of work is "to teach blind people skills and crafts within their capacity, for they could live without outside help, and work and act independently as far as it is possible".
The Board of Guardians was created as a private charity society under the patronage of the Royal Family.
It was K.Grot, the person with wide connections and close to the Emperor Alexander II, who created the first school, which was opened in 1881 in a small apartment in Tavricheskaya street. Later it moved to Vasilyevsky Island, and in 1889 a building in Pesochnaya street, which was especially built for the school. K.Grot made a substantial donation out of his own and his sister's, R.Grot means, for construction of the first specialized school and workshops for blind children. The specialized school was named after Alexander II and Empress Maria Alexandrovna. To the post of the head of the school was appointed a well-known specialist in teaching the blind G.P.Nedler.
Later on the Board of guardians, headed by K.Grot, opened similar schools in Kiev, Moscow, Tallin, Kazan, and other cities. By 1900 there were 24 schools for blind children in Russia, and by 1917 - 35 ones. In 1900 the first conference of teachers was hold. Educational programs for blind children were discussed there. At the same time the first International Congress, where problems of help to blind people were discussed, took place in England. G.Nedler, the first principal of the boarding school for the blind in St.Petersburg, participated at the conference.
K.Grot worked out the standard Regulations for the Alexandro-Maryinskaya specialized school. Children of 7-11 years old were admitted to the school. At the early years of their studies the children were supposed to acquire skills of self-service, learn reading, counting and music.
In the higher forms the students studied history, geography and basics of math. At the same time they were provided primary vocational training: basket plaiting, brush making, piano tuning. Blind children were taught handicrafts, which could secure their independent living.
Later on a metal-working department was opened in the specially built building of workshops. Children worked here to perform two special orders: manicure scissors and hinges for school desks. Blind girls learned knitting caps, mufflers, sweaters, etc. Besides knitting and crocheting the girls learned machine knitting. Many of them were doing this job on leaving the school.
Much attention was devoted to children with gift for music. Lessons of music were organized for them, the teachers were often invited from aside. Blind people can understand and appreciate music, besides music can have great emotional influence on them, that is why the curriculum was enriched with various musical disciplines: notation, solo and choral singing, musical instruments playing.
Working on the project of the school, K.Grot tried to use experience of well-known foreign teachers. On his commission a Russian teacher E.Trumberg, after special training in Germany, and in collaboration with other Russian pedagogues, in particular with A.Skrebitsky, worked out the Russian version of Braille alphabet, which in still used by the blind in Russia.
Works of the greatest foreign specialists in teaching the blind were translated into Russian. The first publications of blind authors appeared. It was the time when the first steps of typhlo-engineering were made. Reading machines of Roseng-Lebedev, typewriter of A.N.Kobako were developed. The know-how of the typewriter was used later in Germany by Pichte.
At that time the basis of the system of training of Russian typhlo-pedagogues - specialists in teaching the blind - was laid. Strong influence on development of Russian typhlo-pedagogy and practice of teaching the blind had German-Saxon typhlo-pedagogy. The St.Petersburg school for blind children (Alexandro-Maryinskaya school) with support of K.Grot became the center of professional training. Teachers from provincial schools did practical work there, their experience was generalized and new methods were developed...
Konstantin Grot died on 30th of October 1897. The great services he has performed for organization of help to the blind were highly appreciated by his contemporaries. In 1906 a monument to him was set up in front of the Alexandro-Maryinskaya school for blind children. The monument was designed by sculptor M.Antakolsky on means, collected by blind people all over Russia. Now the monument is situated in Shaumyzna street, near the new building of the school.
The teachers, who have worked in the school for many years, devoted all their time and care to work with the blind. Among those specialists first of all should be mentioned the managers of this unique school: the first principal of St.Petersburg Alexandro-Maryinskaya school G.Nedler, his successor, director of the Institute for blind children (it's how the Alexandro-Maryinskaya school was renamed) - E.Chugunov, director of the boarding school after the Great Patriotic war L.Veleganinova. All those people kept up and developed traditions of teaching, upbringing and rehabilitation of handicapped children.
Before 1931 the school provided primary (five-year) education only. Later it changed for seven-year education (before the Great Patriotic war the number of pupils was about 200), and from 1942 general ten-year education was put into practice (the number of students increased to 280 people).
The teachers took care of students spare time, physical training. Valuable contribution in this work made remarkable pedagogues, sports instructors N.Rzhanova, S.Kuzmin, A.Manannikov, Z.Manannikova, Y.Starodubtsev and others.
Special attention to physical training of children whith serious visual impairments and some aggravating diseases was given by N.Shepovalnikov, sports instructor, who worked in the boarding school from 1934 to 1967. He gave children lessons of skiing, skating, gymnastics, swimming, chess, draught. As a result of his activities, in 1950th his students participated in national and even international sport competitions for blind children.
The St.Petersburg boarding school for blind children and children with visual impairments is a reliable successor of the best traditions of Russian typhlo-pedagogy.
Archival researches, which are carried out now, as well as analysis of pedagogical literature, used in practical work of the boarding school, let the specialists make a conclusion, that the role of the founder of the first school for the blind in Russia, K.Grot, as a pedagogue, public figure, and statesman of the second part of XIX century in Russia was practically similar to that of Valentin Gayue in France in the end of XVIII - beginning of XIX century.