"The Light Does Not Diminish…"
Report on the Annual Conference of the Russian Association for Special Education and Social Therapy, held June 12–15, 2026, in St. Petersburg at the Center for the Art of Education (a private Waldorf school)
The biennial conference had chosen the theme “Values of Life – Values of Age”. About 50 colleagues from all over Russia gathered for the event.
As in other parts of the world where social-therapeutic communities were founded about 30 years ago, people are reaching retirement age, and the community must address age-related illnesses, new daily routines, adapted living arrangements, and the issues of dying and death.
The conference painted a picture that can be described as follows:
We refer to the field of special education when we are talking about children who require assistance. When we speak of social therapy, we are referring to adults who require assistance, within an age range that encompasses work and life from approximately 20 to 40–60 years of age, depending on the individual.
What changes when people who need assistance retire and can no longer participate in the daily routine of a sheltered workshop or other work settings? What changes for the individual and for the organization, and what level of support become necessary?
We have many questions about this stage of life, but currently few concepts, experiences, or lively images to draw upon. With the conference serving as a starting point and a shared recognition of this need, work on this topic will certainly continue in Russia in the coming years.
There were presentations by Tamara Isaeva on biographical work, by Vera Simakova on the development of social therapy in the broader social context and the associated learning processes of people who require assistance, as well as by other colleagues. Sonja Zausch gave a presentation on the culture of aging:
from “higher – faster – farther” to “deeper – slower – closer”
In addition, artistic workshops, working groups, and two master classes were offered. In Sonja Zausch’s master class, participants worked together using eurythmy to explore continuing education issues related to supporting older adults who require assistance.
For some colleagues, it was their first time attending an annual conference; they appreciated the sense of community among their peers and found the collaboration to be encouraging.
We can look forward to seeing how this topic develops. And perhaps personal questions about one’s calling and one’s own understanding of old age have been – and can continue to be – reflected upon and fruitfully incorporated into the ongoing discussion.
A big thank you to Yulia and Zina – Turmalin Community, Moscow; Svetlana and Tamara – ANTHROPOS Continuing Education; and Irina and Olga from St. Petersburg – Continuing Education and Consulting, with the latter two also serving as translators.
