Hi from CO!

[deafdyke]

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I actually started learning sign at 5 yr old for my grandma who went deaf suddenly at age 60. She didn't keep up with it, but I did. I was mainstreamed until 6th grade, but hated the violence in my school and decided to switch to CSDB.

I was significantly hoh by the time I started taking math and science at the deaf school. There were some hoh student there with a ton of hearing. That kind of suprised me!

Thank you everyone for the tips on finding Deaf events!

Oh wow....that's really cool...AND unusual. Were there other just blind kids there too? I know that most schools for the blind now tend to have a smattering of blind kids. Most of their population tends to be blind plus, if I recall correctly. Do you think that schools for the blind are underutilzed? Did you finally get to learn Braille? (I know they've started pushing Braille literacy in the past ten years for blind/low vision kids) Do you think that if kids knew about blind schools, they would attend? Do you see corralations between the deaf school debate and the blind school debate? I remember one of our old deaf-blind posters saying that there was also a bit of debate over mainstreaming for blind/low vision kids as well. Do you think states need to create specialized academic programs for blind/.low vision students? I know that most blind kids are REALLY mainstreamed, and tend not to even get the benifit of programs like the sight saving classrooms of old (sight saving classrooms were the blind/low vision specialized classrooms that were popular in the old days, like when our parents were in school) As a result, they don't really get stuff like training in Braille literacy, or O&M and stuff like that.
And yes........I think it's SO awesome that there are HOH kids at Deaf Schools now.

 

[KittenEyez05]

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We had about 100 blind only students from preschool through age 21. we also had a family of deaf blind students in the deaf school. I definitely think blind schools are under utilized. The programs in mainstream schools here are awful anymore.

I did learn braille and still use it a lot for leisure reading to avoid eye strain headaches. I think a lot of school programs try to force students to use computer technology in lieu of braille, which is unfortunate. I feel that they should compliment each other.

Most blind kids know about blind schools. There are a myriad of reasons why they do not attend blind schools but I think mostly it is the misconception that someone with normal intelligence will not thrive there.

 

[deafdyke]

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We had about 100 blind only students from preschool through age 21. we also had a family of deaf blind students in the deaf school. I definitely think blind schools are under utilized. The programs in mainstream schools here are awful anymore.

I did learn braille and still use it a lot for leisure reading to avoid eye strain headaches. I think a lot of school programs try to force students to use computer technology in lieu of braille, which is unfortunate. I feel that they should compliment each other.

Most blind kids know about blind schools. There are a myriad of reasons why they do not attend blind schools but I think mostly it is the misconception that someone with normal intelligence will not thrive there.

That's a neat perspective from a blind school kid. I would love to reform the system so that blind school was a viable placement for just blind kids. Like it's awesome that little kids don't have to go off to boarding school, like they did in the old days to get an education. Like when our parents were in school, pretty much ALL blind kids, had to attend blind schools. (that means a lot of LITTLE kids had to go off to live at school!) But at the same time, I think that a lot of blind/low vision kids REALLY miss out on the specialized teaching that blind/low vision education can provide. You're so right...the mainstream sucks....It really is too bad that a lot of states have forgotten about the old sight saving classrooms. I would love to see something like .... blind/low vision preschoolers and kindergarteners who are within 50-60 miles of the blind school, being required to go there for early intervention, and then going to regular school. I also would love to see stuff like.....a hybrid education. Like kids would be able to attend their home school, but every few years they would attend Blind School for a year for training. They could attend in elementary, middle and high school. I think too that blind schools should have special middle/high school programs for kids who are having issues in middle/high school. I think a lot of school admins forget how awful middle and high school can be. It doesn't surprise me that there's a debate over blind ed. If only we could make blind ed viable again, so that kids would be able to take advantage of the education. Did you know they were pushing Braille literacy in the early 00's? I so agree with you. I think they need to do what they do with Deaf ed......meaning offer books on tape and large print, but also offer Braille, so a kid has a full toolbox.

 

[KittenEyez05]

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I really wish more blind kids went to blind school. With public schools, it send that students are spending more of their time fighting for what they need instead of learning anything. Blind schools are already equipped properly so that a kid can just go to school and learn.

 

[posts from hell]

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I really wish more blind kids went to blind school. With public schools, it send that students are spending more of their time fighting for what they need instead of learning anything. Blind schools are already equipped properly so that a kid can just go to school and learn.

Yup.

 

[Bebonang]

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I really wish more blind kids went to blind school. With public schools, it send that students are spending more of their time fighting for what they need instead of learning anything. Blind schools are already equipped properly so that a kid can just go to school and learn.

That is exactly what I had complained about this misunderstanding that we were suppose to understand what the hearing teachers and the hearing students said at the hearing mainstream school. They were wrong. They have no idea that deaf and hard of hearing students need to be in a Deaf school and the blind students need to be in the Blind school. So are some of the other disability students who need to go special school like the slow learners (Down Syndrome).

That is what pissed me off when the hearing principals including the teachers do that. They are soooo blind that I could not believed they do not understood or heard us when we asked them for accommodations like ASL interpreters. You have hit the nail on the head right there.

 

[KittenEyez05]

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It irritates me to no end that the public education system is more worried about making kids seem "normal" rather that worrying about them being functional and successful. I would rather have a Deaf kid with beautiful ASL skills and be on or beyond grade level than for then to have all the speech and lip reading skills in the world but have no clue what the hell they are talking about because the child had no real language to back up the speech. For a blind kid, listening to books on tape is not literacy! They need braille.

 

[deafdyke]

Kitteneyes I hear you! Kitteneyes, do you think that they should bring back those "sight saving classrooms" that were popular back in the old days? They were the dedicated blind/low vision resource rooms . There are still a handful scattered around the country, but yeah.....I can imagine that blind/low vision kids lose out on a lot in the mainstream. And they are even more mainstreamed then we are. My friend said that something like 96% of blind kids are mainstreamed. Like I don't think that we need to go back to K-12 exclusive blind ed......but imagine if we had a program where b/lv kids could attned blind school for a year or so to get the training.....or say a specialized program at blind school for "just blind" middle and high school kids who are having issues.
And Bebonag, I hear you about offering specialized schools for kids who are mentally disabled. Low incidence sped in general could really learn from Deaf ed, and learn that they need to offer a continuim of placements and options. Inclusion is crap, and was thought up by Hortense Fothergill of the Highway 68 State Teacher's college, b/c she had a distant cousin who was mainstreamed and did real well...:roll:

 

[dogmom]

welcome, Kitten!

DD, i did not know that about a Hortense Fothergill, now I'm curious, will look her up-