Ustimenko O. Education for Children with Defects of Eyesight in Ukraine (on the Example of Kharkiv Educational Complex named after V. G. Korolenko during 1887-2013)

The object of the research – historical development of education for children with defects of eyesight in Ukraine. The dissertation purpose: on the example of Kharkiv educational complex named after V. G. Korolenko to investigate evolution of education for children with defects of eyesight in Ukraine from time of occurrence about today. The methods: historical-genetic, historical-comparative), method of reconstruction, historical-typological, historical-system, method of an oral history. Scientific novelty: the dissertation is the first complex work that is devoted to the investigation of history of special education for children with defects of eyesight, and of the emergence and evolution of foremost in this field Kharkiv educational and upbringing complex named after V. G. Korolenko from the end of 19th to the beginning of the 21th century which has been taken as an example for the study; specificity of blind children’s everyday life, upbringing and education was investigated in the thesis basing on a broad variety of documents and historiographical works; prerequisites of school’s opening, the rules and principles of admission to this institution were studied; changes in the work organization and life of the institution in the time of defectological education reorganization in the 1920-1930s were traced; preoccupation history of the boarding school № 71 including the reasons that led to the failure of evacuation measures was analyzed; controversial figure of one of the directors of the boarding school O. Utkin was studied; functioning of the boarding school in the hard times of occupation and in the first years after the liberation of Kharkiv was researched; thus, as the result of this investigation, the main stages of researched institution development were determined, and factors that affect upbringing of independent behavior of blind graduates were distinguished; the analysis of communication of pupils with teachers and upbringers, administration of the institution, the local community has been done, intellectual and cultural image of blind person was showed. Practical value of research: the materials of the dissertation can be used for preparation of special courses on a history of social maintenance of the population, history of the local-lore, history of development of ophthalmic defectology and also in educational and volunteer work on adaptation of blind person to daily life. Sphere of use: higher educational institutions.