[nfbwatlk] FW: Official Announcement - Dean

[Mary ellen]

The Washington School is a beacon of hope.  I've known of Canadian families
who have tried to immigrate to the United States just so their blind child
could attend the Washington school.  It didn't work out for the family, so
the child continued to receive less than an optimal education.  Western
Canada does not even have a school for the blind.  The only one in the
entire country is in Ontario.  There's a part time school in Nova Scotia
where children go for a few months at a time to work on skills, but scandals
related to the school in BC caused its closure.  Integration was the public
reason, and the blind community was so disgusted with some of the bad things
that were going on at the school that nobody fought for its continued
existence.  I believe part of the reason for closing the school had to do
with the cultural genocide practiced at residential schools for First
Nations.  Those residential schools were bad.  Therefore, all residential
schools were bad, even though a school for the blind does have some very
legitimate reasons to exist.  Closing it down allowed the province to save
money and to move responsibility to school districts.  The fact that some
kids need more or better than public schools can provide didn't enter into
the calculation.

We all wish Dean a joyful retirement and hope that his successor is equally
talented.

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbwatlk [mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Debby
Phillips via nfbwatlk
Sent: Saturday, June 27, 2015 6:23 PM
To: NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List
Cc: Debby Phillips; k7uij at panix.com
Subject: Re: [nfbwatlk] FW: Official Announcement - Dean

What I am hoping is that they don't just hire any person who will then let
all of the good things that Dean has done for the school go, and the school
will eventually go downhill.  That would be a very bad thing for kids in the
Pacific Northwest who need the 
type of education a school for the blind can offer them.     
Debby

_______________________________________________
nfbwatlk mailing list
nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbwatlk_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
nfbwatlk:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbwatlk_nfbnet.org/gabias%40telus.net