Prior to National Chair Stephan Prändl’s visit to Moscow there had been an extensive exchange of emails between the German Association for Special Education (vds), the City of Moscow University for Psychology and Pedagogic’s Institute for Inclusive Education and the SNE Institute of the Russian Academy for Vocational Training.

Additionally, several talks with Andrej Zarjov, Chairman of the Russian Association for Persons with Mental Impairments, during the SNE Congress in Weimar, served the practical scheduling of the upcoming Moscow meeting with participation of National Chairman Prof. Dr. Clemens Hillenbrand, Oldenburg University and, again, Prof. Dr. Erik Weber, Protestant University of Darmstadt as well as press officer Marianne Schardt.

Successful talks at Inclusive Education Institute and SNE Institute of the Russian Academy for Vocational Training

On May, 23rd 2013 the vds delegates were received by Svetlana V. Alekhina, director of the Institute for Inclusive Education of the City of Moscow University for Psychology and Pedagogic, and her deputy Elena N. Kutepova. During the round of introductions Stephan Prändl pointed out the significance of the German Association for Special Education as Europe’s biggest professional association of its kind with more than 10,000 members, and its contribution to supporting colleagues in preschool, school and extracurricular facilities with its advanced training programme, seminars and congresses as well as the monthly-issued “Zeitschrift für Heilpädagogik”.

Dr. Alekhina reported on the state of inclusion in Russia and their efforts in order to prepare colleagues teaching at General Schools for their new tasks. The exchange of experiences made clear that structures are alike in both countries, similar questions arise and pedagogues feel identically uncertain on both sides.

On the Russian side, too, the necessity of professional and qualifying vocational training is anticipated. Hence, materials concerning the individual focal points of support have been developed in order to be applied in vocational training courses.

The Russian colleagues were also very taken by “Zeitschrift für Heilpädagogik” for its high expertise and up-to-date reports.

National Chair Stephan Prändl assured the institute of an online-subscription free of charge. Furthermore, the exchange of primary literature is to be set about in the near future. The talks finished with the assertion of boarding on a sustainable and tight cooperation to be carried out mainly via digital media. A cooperation agreement between the German Association for Special Education (vds) and the Moscow Institute for Inclusive Education is currently being prepared and due to be signed on both sides.

At the SNE Institute of the Russian Academy for Vocational Training, Prof. Nicolaj Maloveef had called together the entire faculty for a discussion with the German delegation. During his brief talk Prof. Dr. Clemens Hillenbrand gave a review on the promotion of children and adolescents with behavioural impairments in an inclusive school setting. Subsequently Prof. Dr. Erik Weber attended to the extracurricular field and reported on “Inclusion and Participation of Persons with disabilities: The task of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and social realities”.

The succeeding interesting discussion highlighted as well how big an intersection of topics concerning school inclusion there is in both countries. In his closing speech National Chair Stephan Prändl talked about the necessity of international networking and also offered an intensive cooperation with the institute.

He pointed out once again the special challenge of all states’ educational systems and the significance of university cooperation. In his point of view, this is where vds might serve as a platform for exchange and international encounter.

The increase of professionalism in teachers for inclusive tuition and the designing of standards are seen as focal points regarding the contents for future cooperation with both Russian institutes.

Translation: Ruth Stang