[blindkid] Schools for the Blind vs. Education in PublicSchoolSystems

Fri Jun 19 01:13:08 UTC 2009

Hi, I also live in Texas. My family moved here in 1992 from California when 
I was 11 entering the sixth grade. I was here for the last six weeks of 
fifth grade and it was quickly discovered I was very behind. After many 
tests I still remember it was determined I would attend the school for the 
blind. Then the academic population was much larger. They still have a 
program for academic kids although it is smaller. When I entered the sixth 
grade I was doing most things on a second and third grade level. They worked 
with me and my family to determine our goals for me. It was agreed I had the 
potential to go to college. They caught me up to grade level in a little 
over 2 years. I then tried returning to my home school. It was a nightmare 
of low expectations. My family didn't know the NFB then, so I called my own 
ard at age 14 and asked to return to the school. I finished my education at 
the blind school. I attended classes at the local public school, and at the 
blind school. I participated in activities at both schools including 
theater, band, swim team, cheerleading, student council, track and field, 
girl scouts and much more. Yes I was busy. I think I had more opportunities 
than I would have had at my home school. I was where people believed in me 
and pushed me to be my best. I had both sighted and blind friends. I had 
great training in blindness skills and academics. While I know the blind 
school isn't the best for every child it is something to be looked at if a 
child isn't getting the education they deserve to achieve their goals. It 
must have worked as I just graduated from the University of Texas with a 
degree in elementary education with minors in Special Education, and reading 
difficulties.

My advice is to look at the whole child. Their strengths weakness, goals, 
and interests. Compare the programs and see what will serve your child and 
family the best. Hope this helps. Bran

"We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they're called memories. 
Some take us forward, they're called dreams."
Jeremy Irons

Brandy Wojcik
Discovery Toys Group Manager and Educational Consultant

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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com>
To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)" 
<blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, June 17, 2009 9:20 PM
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Schools for the Blind vs. Education in 
PublicSchoolSystems

> Kim:
>
> Bravo for your daughter!
>
> It depends upon which state one lives in whether one can initialy choose
> to send one's blind child to a school for the blind. Here in Washington,
> parents have the right to choose WSSB as their initial placement (unlike
> many other states). Different strokes for different folks!
>
> Mike
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Kim Cunningham" <kim at gulfimagesphoto.com>
> To: " (for parents of blind children)NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List"
> <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, June 17, 2009 3:29 AM
> Subject: Re: [blindkid] Schools for the Blind vs. Education in Public
> SchoolSystems
>
>
> I live in Texas and I know that it must be an ARD committee decision for
> your child to attend the School for the Blind. I can remember being fed
> up with the school district at one point and we really considered
> selling our home and moving to Austin so my daughter could attend TSBVI.
> I thought that we could move to Austin, walk into the school for the
> blind, and register my daughter to attend. I soon found out that it is
> not my choice, but the ARD committee. The school district must prove
> they are UNABLE to provide an education for your child. Our school for
> the blind pushes for the kids to stay in their home district. Also, I
> think that the largest population in TSBVI is children who have multiple
> impairments, so there isn't a large population of academic kids at the
> school. I'm not sure if this is a trend for all state schools or not. At
> the end of the day, my daughter decided to stay in the public school
> system. Now that she is entering her senior
> year in high school, I can see that we made the right decision to stay
> in the public school system even though our daughter is playing catch-up
> on her blindness skills. By staying in public school she has learned to
> advocate for her needs, learned to socialize with her sighted friends,
> and has taken part in numerous extracurricular activities that she
> wouldn't have had at the school for the blind.
> Kim Cunningham
>
>
> --- On Tue, 6/16/09, dlambert at aristotle.net <dlambert at aristotle.net>
> wrote:
>
>
> From: dlambert at aristotle.net <dlambert at aristotle.net>
> Subject: [blindkid] Schools for the Blind vs. Education in Public School
> Systems
> To: blindkid at nfbnet.org
> Date: Tuesday, June 16, 2009, 2:39 PM
>
>
> Hi everyone:
>
> Almost 10 days until convention. I'm very much excited about coming,
> especially since I haven't
> been in two years.
>
> But I wanted to pose a question that could possibly lead to some
> research later on.
>
> In determine what type of education you would receive, were you given an
> opportunity to provide
> input as to whether a school for the blind was a good option vs. an
> education in a public school
> system. What were your experience in which ever educational setting you
> ended up in? Looking
> back, what would you have changed or wanted to have happen?
>
> Any input would be great. I'll provide my input publicly later on, but
> just wanted to get a feel
> for the range of experiences people may have.
>
> Thanks
>
> Denna Lambert
>
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