Lessons From the Zagorsk Experiment for Deaf-Blind Psychology

Abstract

This work outlines the historical background and implications for deaf-blind psychology of the so-called Zagorsk Experiment, which was conducted in the USSR in the early-to-mid-1970s. Pioneered by the Department of Psychology at Moscow State University, the experiment involved conducting extensive fundamental research and deploying a comprehensive compensatory-rehabilitative pedagogical framework for several deaf-blind graduates of the Zagorsk Children’s Home (Moscow region). This endeavor has brought novelty insights into the nature of deaf-blindness, and has yielded compelling evidence that the challenges and limitations caused by this type of disability can be effectively overcome even at the adult stage through a systemic cooperative-independent learning and development approach, gradually enabling a solid mastery of core human cognitive faculties and independent living skills.