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

Hope Paulos hope.paulos at maine.edu
Wed Jun 17 17:09:37 UTC 2009 

I also attended public school all of my life.  I was "included" 
(the older term for this was  "mainstreamed").  I think each 
school setting  has its benefits.  First, I didn't getting best 
of education in public school.  I was the first and  only blind 
student in my elementary and high school.  Although academic 
standards may be lowed at  schools for the blind, I feel teachers 
are better able to meet the academic needs of their blind 
students.  That said, students who attend schools for the blind 
for a long period of time attend classes with individuals who may 
have additional disabilities.  This can lead to the acquisition 
of inappropriate  repetitive behaviors.  This happens not only in  
schools for the blind but in any institutional setting.
Public schools, however, allow blind students to interact with 
their sighted peers and requires them to act appropriately around 
sighted people.  All in all, each school setting has its 
benefits.  Just my opinion!
Hope and Beignet

> ----- Original Message -----
>From: sarah.jevnikar at utoronto.ca
>To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>Date sent: Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:54:24 -0400
>Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Schools for the Blind vs.  Public School 
Education

>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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