[Nfbwv-talk] WV PUBLIC RADIO STORY ON SCHOOLS FOR DEAF & BLIND

Tue Jan 29 14:34:23 UTC 2013

Here's the thing about it.

Suppose they do move to a more urban area where they could reach more
students.  Assuming they can overcome the "mainstreaming" hurdle of Goals
2000 etc. and that actually did happen, there is still so much more those
kids would miss by not having the residential experience.  In many cases
where skills etc. aren't stressed at home, they would essentially "stop
being deaf/blind at 3:30 every day" in a sense.  They would miss out on
meeting others like themselves and not feeling like such a little fish in a
big pond.

And, if it really comes down to dollars and cents and this is something they
are just looking for a way to do it on the cheap, increased quality of
education is in question because how could adequate resources to do so be
relied upon?

_______________________________________________
Marcus E. Soulsby
msoulsby at suddenlink.net

Learn more about the National Federation of the Blind at:
http://www.nfb.org/
http://www.nfbwv.org/

-----Original Message-----
From: Nfbwv-talk [mailto:nfbwv-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Brad
Hodges
Sent: Monday, January 28, 2013 5:01 PM
To: NFB of West Virginia Discussion List
Subject: Re: [Nfbwv-talk] WV PUBLIC RADIO STORY ON SCHOOLS FOR DEAF & BLIND

Colleagues:

Thanks Ed for bringing this to our attention. I think we need to formulate a
response to the potential relocation of the school. Since my understanding
of the history of the current location is not as deep as many others on the
list, I will defer re those factors. I do believe that there are some
potential advantages to a relocation, and an enormous pitfall of combining
the schools and student populations in the name of saving money, perhaps a
great deal of money in the mind of the State School Board.

Other thoughts from list members?

Thanks,

Brad

On 1/28/2013 4:42 PM, Ed McDonald wrote:
> FYI: Below is the transcript of a story that aired earlier today on 
> West Virginia Public Radio regarding the issue of possibly moving the 
> Schools for the Deaf and Blind to another location.
>
> An audio version of the story can be found under the "West Virginia 
> News" heading on the WV Public Broadcasting web site:
>
> http://www.wvpubcast.org
>
>
>
>
> State school board asks about moving deaf, blind schools
>
>
>
> By Cecelia Mason
>
> This audio player requires Adobe Flash Download MP3 January 28, 2013 . 
> When the West Virginia Board of Education meets next month it will 
> explore whether it's more cost effective to renovate the West Virginia 
> Schools for the Deaf and Blind, or move them.
>
>
> During the January ninth meeting the Board discussed the Schools' 
> master plan with Dr. Lynn Boyer, Superintendent, and some members 
> questioned whether it makes sense to keep the schools in Romney where 
> they've been located since 1870.
>
>
>
> Boyer was surprised when state school board members brought up the 
> idea of moving the schools during a discussion about whether to 
> request $3.4 million from the legislature this year. The money would 
> be used to match $1million from the School Building Authority to 
> renovate one of the classroom buildings on the campus.
>
>
>
> "That has not been a topic of conversation previously," Boyer said, 
> "so I wasn't prepared that day to offer very many answers to their 
> questions but I did not find it to be an unreasonable question to ask."
>
>
>
> The architect who designed the schools' master plan, ZMM, Inc. of 
> Charleston, W.Va., is now collecting information on what it would cost 
> to build a new school in another location. Boyer said her next 
> presentation to the board will include a chart of costs as well as 
> information on where children who are deaf and blind live and how many 
> attend the schools.
>
>
>
> Boyer said moving to a central location could make attending a more 
> attractive option for some students, especially those living in 
> southern West Virginia. But there would be more to moving that just 
> buying property in the center of the state.
>
>
>
> "We couldn't just go look for the cheapest acres of land and just go 
> there," she said. "There would be no advantage to going if all we were 
> doing is moving someplace and the children have nothing but their 
> classrooms and their dorm rooms. That's not meeting the mission of the 
> schools."
>
>
>
> Boyer said the schools have to be in or near a town that's large 
> enough so students will have the opportunity to learn how to get 
> around outside the campus.
>
>
>
> "For the blind students they've got to learn how to navigate 
> themselves in a community which means it's got to have some means of 
> at least minimal public transportation, they've got to have some 
> sidewalks to learn to navigate, some buildings," she said.
>
>
>
> "Children who are deaf, or hard of hearing, have to have enough of a 
> community around them that they can begin to understand how they, as 
> deaf adults, eventually will manage," Boyer added. "How will they 
> bring their own interpreters into a situation for instance? How will 
> they communicate their needs to a restaurant, to a job opportunity?"
>
>
>
> So the architects are researching what it would cost to build a new 
> school in more populated areas like Marion and Harrison Counties and 
> near Charleston, for instance.
>
>
>
> "Clearly if we move somewhere then the items in our plan that call for 
> renovation and restoration of two historic buildings would not be part 
> of the costs," Boyer said. "But by the same token if we stay here we 
> don't have to buy land."
>
>
>
> The Schools for Deaf and Blind sit on nearly 80 acres next to downtown 
> Romney. Boyer estimates the schools would have to buy 20 to 30 acres 
> for a new campus.
>
>
>
> Currently about 120 students from 30 counties attend the schools. The 
> projected enrollment after renovations are made to the Romney campus 
> is about 175 but it's not known whether a more central location would 
> help improve enrollment.
>
>
>
> "It's a hard, hard question," Boyer said. "We're at a time when many 
> counties believe they can serve their children and do. We know that 
> there are counties that try very hard but because of their own 
> resources are not able to provide the kind of services that we can 
> provide."
>
>
>
> Boyer points out the schools are a long way from some parts of the 
> state where students live that might benefit from the services offered 
> there.
>
>
>
> "And we need to know whether our services would be accessed if we were 
> in another place," she said.
>
>
>
> By the time the next board meeting rolls around Boyer said she'll be 
> able to discuss whether it's more feasible to move the schools or stay 
> in Romney and that discussion will include what other states faced 
> with this issue decided to do.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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