[stylist] Blind and segragation

Mon Dec 29 20:24:06 UTC 2008

Donna, would you like to also write an article for my "Training kids" page
on my web site? In fact anyone with experience or knowledge of this area is
welcome to write something. I'd like to present both sides, maybe as a point
counter-point, but I haven't been inspired as to how to do it yet. 
Thanks
Angela

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Donna Hill
Sent: Monday, December 29, 2008 9:29 AM
To: NFBnet Writer's Division Mailing List
Subject: Re: [stylist] Blind and segragation

When I was pursuing my career as a singer/songwriter in the Philadelphia
area, I used to do school assemblies, singing original songs to motivate
kids to reach out for their dreams and showing them my guide dog, Braille
and so on.  I had never been to a school for the blind, but had friends who
told horror stories about them.  I offered to give an assembly at the
Overbrook School for the Blind and spent a memorable afternoon there.
Despite the fact that the school had invited a reasonably successful, blind
college grad with two albums at that time, they insisted upon having all of
the students at the assembly.  Many were profoundly disabled children in
wheelchairs with no capacity to benefit from my program -- other than
perhaps enjoying the music, which I was willing to do for them separately.
They made lots of uncontrollable noises to the point that my interaction
with the blind kids of normal intelligence was significantly hampered. 

My experience with St. Lucy's School for Blind Children, which was at the
time a school within a school in the catholic school system, was quite
different.  The blind students had their own area where they learned
Braille, computer, etc and they went to classes in the main school based on
individual needs and abilities.  It was a wonderful place.

The main reason that Braille is not taught in public schools is two-fold.
It's expensive so blind kids' priorities are subservient to the need to keep
costs down.  Also, the general population has lost so much in the way of
literacy, that they don't even know what that word means.  No one would call
a sighted child literate just because they listen to someone read to them.
Also, many children are still being encouraged to use the remaining vision
they possess for reading, though it is hard, even hurtful to them physically
to read.  Braille has such a stigma that they don't want to learn it.  Then,
when they're out of school and their vision drops to a point where they
can't read, no matter how hard they strain, they have to go out of their way
to learn Braille.  I say teach it to all low vision kids.  It's a skill; if
you wish to abandon it in later life like you abandon algebra or Spanish,
fine, but learn it.
Donna

--
For my bio & to hear clips from The Last Straw:
http://cdbaby.com/cd/donnahill

Apple I-Tunes

phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=259244374

Performing Arts Division of the National Federation of the Blind
www.padnfb.org

Alan Wheeler wrote:
> I never went to any school for the blind, but I know someone who has.  I
think the only problem is that nowadays, the schools for the blind also
serve multi-handicapped students as well, taking a lot of the focus off os
someone strictly blind.  This makes for lower standards and less support for
integrating the people who are blind, and blind alone, into regular schools
at some point.
>
>
> +-+-+-
>
>    But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet 
> sinners,  Christ died for us.
> Romans 5:8
> ~~~
>
> Alan D Wheeler
> awheeler at neb.rr.com
> IM me at: outlaw-cowboy at live.com
> Skype: redwheel1
> Check me out on the Q, Fridays from 10 AM to 1 PM eastern time at 
> www.theqonline.net
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "The Crowd" <the_crowd at cox.net>
> To: "NFBnet Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Sunday, December 28, 2008 09:43
> Subject: [stylist] Blind and segragation
>
>
>   
>> Here is a big ol can of worms!
>>
>> I have the opinion that blind children, at least for several years in 
>> their schooling should go to schools with other blind children. There 
>> they can learn their blind skills.
>>
>> Braille literacy would go back up, there would be confidence in 
>> mobility from the very beginning, home economics, typing, research, 
>> it would be a whole balanced thing, rather then trying to learn blind 
>> skills in a school for sighted people.
>>
>> yeah, yeah, I know, main stream makes them like everyone else, which 
>> is a load full, if you ask me. I've been in the public schools and I 
>> went to a school for the blind and it gave me the chance to do things 
>> I wouldn't do in public  schools. I was on the track team, cheer 
>> leading, swimming, bowling teams. I learned how to cook, cut wood, 
>> shop, read Braille, type, we did plays, competed against other blind 
>> schools and sighted schools in pros and chorus. Instead they teach 
>> you a few fundimental things in public school, so you don't 
>> accidently kill yourself out in the parking lot, so you can do school 
>> work, but the skills that kids learned in those schools for the blind are
lost.
>>
>> I find it sad that there are no more track teams, little five, 
>> wrestling and cheer leading multi school competitions.
>>
>> Blind children are not sighted children. They need to  be with their 
>> peers, learn from one another, experience things among themselves. 
>> Then after they have those things in place, go check out the public 
>> schools. That is my opinion.
>>
>> I know many people think that blindness is just a nucience, but it is 
>> a lot more then that when you don't have the skills in place or the 
>> comarodery you need to understand it. I went many years being ashamed 
>> of being blind and it hurts people.
>>
>> Atty
>>
>> Life is short ...forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh 
>> uncontrollably...
>> and never regret anything that made you smile
>>
>> "Qui docet, discit."
>> "He who teaches, learns"
>>
>> I have learned that people will forget what you said, people will 
>> forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them 
>> feel.
>> Maya Angelou
>>
>>
>>
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>
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