[blindkid] Schools for the Blind vs. Education in PublicSchoolSystems
Mike Freeman
k7uij at panix.com
Wed Jun 17 02:51:37 UTC 2009
Actualy, I don't think it's an "either or" thing: schools for the blind
and public schools each have advantages and disadvantages. In the end,
it depends upon how good the program for each type of school in a given
area is.
When I went to a school for the blind fifty years ago, I learned braille
(including nemeth and music codes) and some blindness skills (though not
O&M back then) and could not have succeeded in public schools without
them. But the RLF/ROP wave was in full swing and many children with
additional disabilities beyond blindness were starting to swamp the
school for the blind and so I went to public school. Contrary to the
note below, I was more socially active and appropriate in public schools
and, given that I had the foundation in reading/writing/typing, I
excelled academically and did better than I would have at the school for
the blind.
However, that was then and that was a long time ago. Now, as the note
below indicates, many public school programs aren't up to snuff and many
blind kids are isolated and sometimes don't achieve up to their
potential whereas at a school for the blind, they might well be more
socially integrated and sometimes do better academically. AS I say, one
cannot generalize but must look at each particular situation and child.
My personal opinion is that a child should attend a school for the blind
and get his/her blindness skills to a superior level and then go on to
public schools. But this assumes that there is adequate support in
public schools -- often not the case these days.
WE of the NFB of Washington strongly support our school for the blind
(although it makes mistakes, too); it is one of the best in the country.
But what we want is blind children to get the best education possible
wherever that may be and that's up to the IEP process to determine.
Mike Freeman
----- Original Message -----
From: "trising" <trising at sbcglobal.net>
To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)"
<blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 16, 2009 6:36 PM
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Schools for the Blind vs. Education in
PublicSchoolSystems
My name is Terri Griffon. I will be attending my first convention in ten
days. I was educated in a public school system, but I wanted to go to a
school for the blind as a teenager. I got academics at the public
school,
but I was the only blind student, and I was a target for a lot of
nastiness
by other students. They might say hi, but they would not talk to me if
their
friends were around. One girl ate part of my food and placed it back on
my
tray. When I inadvertently ate it, the whole table laughed.Other things
happened, and by my sophomore year of high school I was considering
suicide.
I was very strong academically, so my parents and the district did not
want
to send me away to the school for the blind. This was in the mid to late
eighties. Since the emphasis was on academics I did not get the mobility
and
daily living skills I would have gotten at the school for the blind.
These
would have been far more useful than some of the advanced academics.
This is
just one woman's opinion and experience. I know many will disagree with
me.
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