[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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