Designing a school for Deaf and Blind, need advice

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I a design student working on my thesis project. I chose to design a school for the blind and deaf. I am not deaf/hard of hearing so I figured I'd ask for some help/opinions here. The task is to design a K-12 school with extended stay dormitories and the essentials.. library, cafeteria, outdoor fields, the works. I need any kind of advice on what would make the building more enjoyable/accessible/functional/livable to a student who is hard of hearing... emphasis being on functionality. This means more than just your standard alarms, communicating, etc. I'm aware of what needs to be done but I'd like to enhance experience with more than that. IE: I plan on incorporating unique textures in walls and flooring to aid in wayfinding and spatial recognition in the building for the blind... things like that. I've done research and site visits so I know the essentials of what goes into a school for the deaf, but I am looking to IMPROVE it every way possible.

Any ideas or input would be great as I am still in the research phase of the project. Thanks!
 
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First, "the blind" and "the deaf" is not really the language you want to be going for, here. "d/Deaf people" or "blind people" is a much less potentially offensive or problematic way to say it.

Second, many blind people (myself included) believe that schools for "the blind" are extremely damaging and limit student's independence and ability to learn within the community. Whereas a Deaf child has a specific reason to benefit from attending a Deaf school (everyone speaks their language), a child who is blind but not deafblind receives no particular benefit being taught in a non-inclusive school, and will typically face needless challenges such as lower educational standards, limitation on freedom of movement, lack of opportunity to socialize with sighted peers, etc.

All that aside, even where schools for blind students DO exist, structural modifications should never be made. In the real world a blind student will not encounter structural modifications suited to them, and as such these should not be included in this sheltered "preworld" of disabled-only schools.

Real-world colleges don't have "specially textured walls": you take your cane out and you travel like everyone else. At best, the only important feature to blind users in a building is braille numbering/lettering on signage, but that is not so much structural changes as what you fill that structure up with.

Everything else is frivolous material you are using to gain points with your teachers and is almost certain to be based on ableist assumptions and serving the function of further perpetuating myths about blindness and other disabilities.

/DeafBlindie on a rant
 
Well thanks for your input, and I sincerely apologize if the way I phrased my language was offensive. I appreciate you calling me out as the last thing I want is to be rude.

So from what I am understanding, adding these "way-finding textures" or structural modifications, whatever it may be, would actually be damaging rather than helpful as it doesn't reflect the "real world" at all. This makes sense to me. Maybe this could be something just utilized for younger children? or just not at all? Perhaps simply a typical and self-explanatory floor plan layout would be the best option to help blind children?

I understand your bias against schools for blind children. Maybe if the school was designed for Pre-K-5 rather than K-12. Kind of a stepping stone for younger blind kids if that makes sense? Or maybe if the school was actually for all children including those with sight and hearing, but architecturally was structured in a means that could help deaf and blind children?

Regardless, in terms of design I am still in need of ideas to make this place a unique and functional school if you have any suggestions.
 
Self explanatory layouts would certainly be most sensible not just for blind younger students, but all younger students. Perhaps you could include both adult-height and child-height braille/large print signage so as to make the braille accessible to younger children?

Unfortunately, I can't see very many ways that a an "integrated but accessible" school and a "dedicated blind/deaf" school and a "mainstream" school would be -structurally- different, especially for the purposes of deaf and blind students. Modifications like railings and accessible toilets and sink approaches and the like might help students with a mobility disability, but for most of us with a sensory disability, just any building is structurally accessible.

If you have any other ideas I can provide further input on them.
 
Well here were a few thoughts I had. Most are based on case studies of existing structures similar to this. Some are obvious I guess but its a start. Some apply more to blind students and some to deaf students.

-A "sensory wall" vs. typical institutional handrails - textured wall that implies location in building and height of braille signage. (idea from Alan Dunlop's Hazelwood School in Glasgow Scotland)
-Open spaces/wide hallways for visual access and easier signing for deaf children.
-Flooring and wall materials change based on room type for different auditory perception and emphasis on thresholds
-Contrasting material brightness of floor vs. wall vs. stairs vs. desk etc. for those with partial blindness
-Central, easy to find stairwell/elevators
-Outdoor play areas for younger kids (need ideas here)
-Accommodation for dogs
-Rounding corners where possible (I read this on a few sites but would it actually be helpful?)
-Ramps vs. stairs?
-Clear signage and consistent location/height for braille signage (accessible to kids and adults)
-Reduce possible barriers for signing (doors, walls) --> "visual access" theme
-Diffuse natural light and use indirect artificial light to reduce glare

After reading what you had to say earlier, my thoughts at this point are to have the younger kids' classrooms on lower levels and upper grades on upper levels. I'm thinking maybe incorporating more of the textural elements and wayfinding assistance on lower levels for the young kids then gradually detracting these elements on the upper floors for the older kids to make it more of a "real world" experience. Do you think that would be appropriate or still harmful and unnecessary? And when I say texture/wayfinding elements, this can easily be done without creating a building that seems odd or any different from a "mainstream" school if you will. Maybe just using a stone or cork wall rather than typical CMU blocks. Anyways.. just thoughts, let me know what you think.

Thanks for the help!
 
-Rounding corners where possible (I read this on a few sites but would it actually be helpful?)
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My temples, shoulders, and hips all say , "yes this would be helpful".
 
My coworker is Deaf-blind and this is what she said:


Christine, I suggest that person get on the following listserv and post his/her question there:

PSDBC@TR.WOU.EDU

If that person has trouble, he/she may contact pauld@dbsm.org one of the moderators of this listserv of an extensive network of deaf-blind professionals and professionals working with deaf-blind consumers. Paul Deeming can also help that person get the word out to a larger network. The work that researcher is doing is not only helpful for that deaf-blind school but also for all professionals working with deaf-blind consumers.
 
Architect, your list has some good suggestions.

Basic universal design of the buildings would be good because some of the children are multi-handicapped. In addition to being deaf, blind, or deaf-blind, some will have mobility problems, learning disabilities, fine motor skills deficits, and sensory issues, among other things.

Some other considerations:

The materials used for flooring--wheelchair and walker friendly.

Low or no VOC furnishing and construction materials.

Lots of places to plug in battery chargers for personal electronics.

WiFi access.

Electronic message signs in addition to loudspeakers for emergency announcements.



I really like the facilities for service dogs in your plan. :)

I understand the viewpoint that special architecture at the school might not reflect a real world environment but we are talking about school-age children. Schools should be as safe for the kids, and as non-restrictive to the educational process as possible.
 
Thanks warpedpink for the suggestion, I'll send out an email to that listserv soon and let you know what responses I get.

Reba, all great points that will definitely be considered in my design. Now when you say lots of places to charge personal electronics, do you mean things like laptops? or things like hearing devices? (pardon me for sounding ignorant, just want to clarify and get more info here) And would you say you support the idea of having more of the "special architecture" for younger children (1st and 2nd floors) and lessening it for the upper grades (3rd and 4th floors)?

I will be doing some site visits in the next few days/weeks so I may not be quick to re-post but be sure to check back in the next few days as I will be hopefully reporting new findings/ideas. Thanks again for everyones help!
 
For some reason my last post didn't send.. weird.

Thanks warpedpink, I will send a message to that listserv soon and let you know what type of responses I get.

Reba, all great ideas that will definitely be considered in my design. Now, when you say places to charge electronic devices do you mean things like laptops? or things like hearing devices? (pardon me for sounding ignorant, I just want to clarify and get a little more info here) And would you say you are supportive of the plan to have more of the "special architecture" in effect for the lower grades (1st and 2nd floor... K-5) and less/none in the upper grades (3rd and 4th floor... 6-12)?

I will be doing some site visits in the next few days/weeks so I may not be able to re-post right away. Be sure to keep checking back for any updates on more research and ideas. And thanks again for your help!!
 
Draft will not be ready for a few weeks... I am still researching. I will hopefully have a floor plan/schematic design by mid-april.
 
I'm doing the same project

Architect: I am doing some of the same architectural studies for a current design project, I am also a student in sign language interpretation. Granted I am am not hard of hearing, deaf, or visually impaired but I do have a few suggestions that I am incorporating and questioning in my design...

Light access and quality: I am assuming that teachers in my structure will be signing to the deaf students or using captioning systems for the students that do not know asl. There are a few things to consider when using captioning and while trying to watch someone sign

1: when light access is from behind the signer, the contrast is to great and the signing appears as a silhouette. The problem here is the student can not see clearly the hand shapes, movements and facial expressions they need to understand the conversation.

2: you are considering providing bright colors and textures for younger children, i think this may be a disadvantage to the deaf students requiring asl. Similar to the issue with lighting from behind the signing subject, a distracting background is just as harmful to the environment as improper lighting. Rule one as an interpreter is to wear solid, non distracting clothing to create a neutral background for the viewer

3: Some older students require captioning systems where a certified profession types their class notes live while sitting next to the student. The student an then view and ask questions as the conversation is being recorded. Glare caused by lighting design can become an issue here.

My project is located on a site that is 20 x 180 and 12+ levels. I am also considering the collaboration of a deaf blind school, however I have to ask after reading some of the posts, is it appropriate to mix the dead with the blind? Some deaf do not verbalise for themselves. Will the blind student be able to appropriately interact and socialize with the deaf student, it almost seams as though the two require what the other doesn't have (ie the deaf requires sight and the blind require sound) I know that last statement is not true in all situations, but something to consider.

I had to ask myself, what spaces could be shard by the two, and is it efficient and healthy to mix them, or will it be one school that becomes orchestrated with a level of precision timing causing the blind not to interact with the deaf out of a bare bottom need of efficiency? I dont know what the right answer is?

I'm sure you may have considered this but I am in need of some information, what sets of equipments do each set of students require to be successful students? Do they need separate libraries? What equipment is specialized in the class room for the blind and for the deaf? Is there such equipment?

I am interested to see what your project looks like at the end! Keep posting.

Ty S
 
I plan on incorporating unique textures in walls and flooring to aid in wayfinding and spatial recognition in the building for the blind... things like that
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Alser you bring up a good point. And actually the demographics of blindness has changed a lot. Almost all blind/low vision kids attend mainstream schools. So the population of blind schools is mostly multihandicapped kids...and I also recall that EI programs serving blind kids, say 50% of their kids are now cortical vision impaired (eyes work, but their brain can't process what they see) I do think that blind schools need to develop some sort of program for just blind kids.
 
Thanks for the input NDSU. These 2 sites have some good ideas for equipment in the schools, maybe with some input from people on this forum we can figure out which may prove to be more valuable and useful in the school. Some are also quite expensive so some input here would be great rather than dropping money on things that aren't that beneficial to students.

www.DeafEquipment.co.uk - connevans.co.uk
Technical Devices and Special Equipment for the Blind

That NFB site has a lot of good information on it as well and I'd suggest browsing it a bit for ideas/research.

As for mixing deaf and blind children.. I personally see no problem. The idea of timing/structuring the school so they are more or less separated is an interesting idea but I don't see it to be very beneficial, especially after reading earlier posts. From what I am gathering, treating these kids like they are "special" is a wrong choice so separating them just seems to encourage it. (pardon me if that sounded rude, not sure how else to say it) Obviously language and communication barriers will create segregation so maybe just having areas of the building dedicated to certain senses. Maybe an open hang out for signing or some unique lounge for blind kids. Just thinking out loud.. The thought actually crossed my mind to maybe have blind and deaf kids in the same dormitory to encourage alternate methods of communication.

As for libraries, there will be 2 in my building.. one for grades K-5 and one for 6-12. Each with sections for braille books and different types of specialty equipment/computers. Again.. I am not under the impression that segregating the kids is necessary at all so I see no reason to separate the libraries. Clear signage being crucial here.

Light access.. I am opening the entire north wall for indirect, low-glare light. Smaller openings on south wall to direct light where necessary. East and west lighting considered with tinting on windows and/or blinds where necessary.

Visual access.. Glass walls, frosted glass walls, tinted glass walls. Use where appropriate for varying levels of natural lighting without glare and providing visual access to all spaces for deaf children. Easier signing.

Circle/Sphere theme.. Deaf children tend to gather in circles when signing in groups. Must face eachother when signing. Things to consider when designing spaces. Also consider signing while walking.. stairs/doors etc. may interfere.

I'm using a water feature for ambient noise near central stairwell.

I am hoping to have some floor plans finished by next week so will update you then. Also check out Alan Dunlops Hazelwood school if you haven't already. It's a great case study for this type of project
 
service dogs in your plan
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Actually, did you know that only a very small percentage of blind people use service dogs?In 1994-95, 1.3 million people in the US reported being legally blind. In 1993, just over 7,000 Americans used guide dogs. Others use canes or rely on their residual vision to get around....At a Blind School kids would be trained to use canes. They would not have guide dogs. I actually think that guide dogs are an old person thing the way hearing ear dogs are.
 
So maybe a small area to accommodate for dogs for visitors would be more appropriate, if anything at all. Thanks
 


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