[nabs-l] Schools for the Blind vs. Public School Education

[sarah.jevnikar at utoronto.ca]

Hi,
Just for reference, please don't use the term retardation or any of  
its derivatives. It was a term of the past, but is now considered  
offensive.
More to the point though, I have always attended public schools. I  
used to be really against schools for the blind, but have come to  
realized as I have matured more that they do have a place and purpose  
in society for those students who need them, even though I don't  
consider myself such a student. I have observed that students in  
public schools had better social skills and greater expectations for  
themselves than those students who attended schools for the blind. I  
do know that in terms of athletics and job placement opportunities,  
students at schools for the blind had the upper hand, as teachers  
there were better used to working with the blind than teachers at  
public schools. Smaller class sizes at schools for the blind allow for  
more individualized attention in class, but I have heard that academic  
standards at schools for the blind are lower than at public schools.


Quoting Nathan Clark <troubleclark at gmail.com>:

> I am in a public school and I am glad I did not go to a school for the
> blind. Some of the kids at school for the blinds may have more than
> blindness as a disability we are talking mental retardation or other
> problems. I love it in public school due to the fact that when I get
> out in the job market I will probably will not see other blind people
> at the job. By vgoing to public school I am being forced to be
> prepared to what I will face when I get out into the real world.
>
> On 6/16/09, Mary Donahue <braille at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>> Hello Denna and listers,
>>
>>     When I started school in the late 1950s, there wasn't much choice. If my
>> family and I had stayed in the Chicago area, I would have been able to go to
>> public school. However, in early 1958, we moved to Eau Claire, Wisconsin. My
>> mother would have liked me to go to public school, but the school district
>> would not budge in its thinking. If I went, then there would be no way of
>> getting my material, and I was the only blind child at the time in that
>> district. Therefore, it meant driving 220 miles to the State School for the
>> Visually Handicapped in Janesville, which was quite traumatic for me.
>> Looking back, though, I have no regrets. My first-grade teacher taught me
>> Braille, I eventually learned cane travel, which I probably wouldn't have
>> received in public school. The same goes for daily living skills and social
>> skills.
>>
>>     At any rate, those are my thoughts. Hope this helps.
>>
>> Mary Donahue
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: <dlambert at aristotle.net>
>> To: <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Tuesday, June 16, 2009 12:11 PM
>> Subject: [nabs-l] Schools for the Blind vs. Public School Education
>>
>>
>>> 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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>>
>>
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>
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