[Nfb-or] Fwd: [oregon-l] Terrible News

[T. Joseph Carter]

The link is here:  http://is.gd/BeFZ

Text of a comment not written by me:

Posted by ej617 on 05/18/09 at 9:50PM
Yes Senator Carter, you are right. It is better for students at the 
Oregon School for the Blind to be in their home schools.

It is better that they sit in a closet with a glitter ball for the 
day.

It is better that they don't learn to read braille until they have 
lost all useable vision.

It is better for them not to participate in school sports or even 
physical education classes.

It is better for them to miss class time because there are not large 
print books and are told if they want large print materials to do it 
themselves.

It is better for them to be placed in a classroom of severely 
mentally disabled students all day because the school will not place 
them in a regular classroom.

It is better for them to be placed four times in drawing classes 
because the school can't figure out how to teach them science.

It is better for them to receive an hour and a half of mobility 
training a month than to receive mobility training every school day.

It is better for them to be isolated than to met and create 
friendships with other members of the blind community.

Give me a break. Students are at the School for the Blind because 
their local schools have failed them.

It saddens me that when the Democratic Party is now in control of my 
state government that they are destroying services for the most 
vulnerable of our children. I imagine the closure of the School for 
the Deaf is the next item on the agenda. Both schools provide a 
safety net for those students who have needs that are not and cannot 
be met by local school districts.



On Mon, May 18, 2009 at 07:22:18PM -0600, Bill wrote:
>---------- Forwarded message ----------
>From: Kae Seth <lady-potter at comcast.net>
>Date: Mon, May 18, 2009 at 7:57 PM
>Subject: [oregon-l] Terrible News
>To: oregon-l at acb.org
>
>
>Powerful senator says Oregon School for the Blind "definitely" will
>close
>
>by Betsy Hammond, The Oregonian
>Monday May 18, 2009, 4:42 PM
>
>Senate Budget Co-Chairwoman Margaret Carter said this afternoon that
>she is certain lawmakers will vote to close the Oregon School for the
>Blind in Salem.
>
>A bill to shutter the school and redirect its $3 million yearly
>operating costs to help blind and visually impaired students across the
>state was approved by the House Education Committee last month and is
>awaiting action by Carter's budget-writing committee.
>
>Asked Monday about the school for the blind in the context of the next
>two-year state budget, Carter said unequivocally, "We will definitely
>close the school."
>
> The school for the blind spends more than $125,000 a year to educate
>each of its 32 students.
>
> Some advocates for people with disabilities say it's far better to
>educate students in their local schools than in a segregated setting,
>where they must board for the week, returning home only on weekends.
>
> But many advocates for the blind say those students have specialized
>needs, such as learning to reach Braille, use the latest technology and
>navigate busy streets and bus systems. Many blind and visually impaired
>students in Oregon have been ill-served by their local schools, parents
>testified.
>
> Members of the House Education Committee who voted in favor of closing
>the school said they were convinced the $3 million would have the best
>results for the most blind and visually impaired students if spent
>improving services to them in their hometown schools, not running the
>Salem institution.
>
>- Betsy Hammond;
>betsyhammond at news.oregonian.com
>
>Begin forwarded message:
>
>> From: Google Alerts <
>googlealerts-noreply at google.com>
>
>> Date: May 18, 2009 4:55:12 PM PDT
>> To:
>linderschore at comcast.net
>>
>Subject: Google Alert - "Oregon school for the blind"
>>
>> Google News Alert for: "oregon school for the blind"
>>  Powerful senator says Oregon School for the Blind "definitely ...
>> Oregon.com - Portland,OR,USA
>>  Asked Monday about the school for the blind in the context of the
>> next two-year state budget, Carter said unequivocally, "We will
>> definitely close the ...
>>
>>  This as-it-happens Google Alert is brought to you by Google.
>>
>> Remove this alert.
>> Create another alert.
>> Manage your alerts.
>
>Internal Virus Database is out-of-date.
>Checked by AVG.
>Version: 7.5.557 / Virus Database: 270.12.11/2089 - Release Date: 4/30/2009
>5:53 PM
>_______________________________________________
>Nfb-or mailing list
>Nfb-or at nfbnet.org
>http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-or_nfbnet.org