[nfbwatlk] Advocates concerned as Oregon School for the Blind nears end, OregonLive.com, August 25 2009

[Mike Freeman]

Agreed. However, a caveat is in order: I have it on fairly good 
authority that a fair number of these kids had multiple disabilities and 
weren't on an academic track; that OSB wasn't doing all that well by 
them and that, at least in some instances, local school districts could 
do about as well in teaching them as OSB was. That's not to say that you 
aren't correct that in all-too-many instances, government officials 
aren't more concerned about divvying up the financial pot among greedy 
local districts -- funds that should have gone to OSB.

But, frankly, OSB didn't do its political homework as WSSB did and 
didn't try to become a resource center for blind/vi kids in Oregon as 
WSSB is for WA kids. So it was harder to make a compelling case to keep 
it open. WE had no choice but to do so but we probably should have 
started back twenty years ago (various entities have been after that 
local OSB land since at least the early 1980's).

Mike

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jedi" <loneblindjedi at samobile.net>
To: <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, August 28, 2009 1:07 PM
Subject: Re: [nfbwatlk] Advocates concerned as Oregon School for the 
Blind nears end, OregonLive.com, August 25 2009


Let's just hope that these 28 children won't become part of the
statistics: 70% unemployment rate, 10% literacy rate, etc. Sadly, it
wouldn't surprise me based on the fact that there doesn't seem to be a
stable support system for these guys when the school's closed.

Respectfully,
Jedi


Original message:
> Hello: you all in Oregon I can ill the same for your blind students 
> there in
> your state withou a school for the blind. Because Ifill this will set 
> back
> the accoplishes we come in the last seventy years for the improvement 
> of
> bind students , and adults these I mean without the right trining 
> inbraille
> for readinng and writting, and molbilty how can these sudents make it 
> in
> society when there are not enoth braille teachers and orintation and
> molibilty instructers.
> Vincent
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Nightingale, Noel" <Noel.Nightingale at ed.gov>
> To: <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, August 27, 2009 9:51 AM
> Subject: [nfbwatlk] Advocates concerned as Oregon School for the Blind 
> nears
> end, OregonLive.com, August 25 2009



>> Link:
>> http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/08/advocates_concerned_as_oregon.html

>> Text:
>> Advocates concerned as Oregon School for the Blind nears end
>> by The Associated Press
>> Tuesday August 25, 2009, 12:03 PM

>> SALEM -- The Oregon School for the Blind will close its doors in less 
>> than
>> a week.

>> The decision to shut the school means 28 students are trying to 
>> adjust to
>> life elsewhere.

>> Advocates for the students are worried the services they receive at 
>> other
>> schools won't compare to what School for the Blind offered.

>> The process for disbursing a $3 million trust to help provide those
>> services hasn't been established yet. And some district staffers say 
>> the
>> transition has been rushed.

>> Salem-Keizer's special-education department, however, is ready for 
>> the six
>> blind students headed there.

>> The district already has physical and occupational therapists and 
>> Braille
>> specialists on staff, and the students will be added to their 
>> caseloads.

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