Category: Cram Session
I made up the term public hell, but does anyone hold as strong conviction in either supporting or opposing blind schools as I do? So, would you rather go to a blind school or a public sighted school and why? Why do you oppose the other and how do you defend your choice?
I've never been to a "blind school". That said, I know a few people who have gone to different schools, and I feel so incredibly thankful that I never did. I think it's very important for the public to be educated about blindness, its causes and most of all how to incorporate it into the world from a young age. It's important for those with little or no sight to be included in the world. Sheltering them in a special facility, while it may have certain advantages also deprives them of associating with the rest of the world on a daily basis. Yes there are some blind people who are bullied, taunted and teased. I myself experienced a medium degree of that. But I also became comfortable with the sighted world and my place in it. Because of that I am not going to be completely lost and forlorn when put into a situation which isn't properly prepared. Of course, I am aware that not every blind person from either side of the debate will feel that same way. Perhaps I would have gotten certain special education that might have helped (such as proper mobility and daily living skills which the sighted world, while needing also to be taught, largely takes for granted. I am a huge advicate of the public school system, even though I'm sure there are countless examples of how such blind schools have benifitted those who attend them. Me personally, I've heard nothing but horror stories. Perhaps that colors my perception a bit.
I can't say much more than Guardian just did. I too was mainstreamed, and am eternally grateful to whoever the person was that told my parents not to send me to the Braille school, whatever they did. I am a strong advocate of mainstreaming a blind child into the public school system, whenever possible, or to what degree possible. My reasoning is exactly the same as Guardian already gave, so I won't repeat it. The only thing I will add is this.
Through no fault of their own, of course, most children in Braille schools today are multipply handicapped. They have other disabilities in addition to blindness, usually including mental delays. Therefore, the schools adjust to match this. From all I've seen and heard, the academics in Braille schools are nowhere near the standards in the public ones. I understand why, given that the majority of children in Braille schools are incapable of that level of learning. But it's an incredible disservice to the students with no mental delays. In addition to depriving them of their ability to adapt to a sighted world where many, (or most), things are not accesible, it also deprives them of the same education as their sighted peers. That causes them a huge disadvantage in reaching any higher education, gaining equal employment, and so forth.
Life as a blind child is never easy, no matter where one goes to school. God knows I've heard plenty of stories of bullying in the Braille schools just as much as in public ones.
I guess my thought is this. I'm in favor of mainstreaming, of the child learning Braile and mobility as they grow up. I was lucky and was taught these things. If the person feels later in life that they require more independent living training, there are countless centers, state-run and private, where they can get this. Heck, even many people I know who grew up in Braille schools seek such training.
heheh, unless you live in canada.:)
I am of the modern paleolithic persuasion, so:
Life in the general population = best chance at sharpening your wits. Sharpened wits is the only path to survival, I say.
Now, to take an accelerated summer program of some sort, where you learn things unique to being blind, especially now when there is so much required via computers / we all have to use screen readers and the like, there is a very good case for that.
But, to be institutionally boarded from the age of five? Nowhere near your local population? Well, as a former keeper of birds, we referred to said regulatory existence for wild birds as producing cage-security or cage fright. And, since being on this site, I have learned some remain institutionalized in these places until Age 25? I knew people who went to J.D.H. when we were all in Junior high, and they were let out at 18 because the state thought they should not remain institutionalized throughout the teenage years and remain so into adulthood, because they would not fit into society. So, the blind with no criminal record, or let's say for sake of argument the one in question has no record, to remain institutionalized after age 18? If the argument is said too be valid about J.D.H., then in principle it would be said to be valid about other institutionalized types. Like the blind, in this case.
As to the so-called education of the public, that is most likely an immeasurable, if not totally nonfalsifiable, claim. You are there to get some schoolin': they owe you nothing, you owe them nothing, beyond the requirements of actual school, so just do your thing in the public schools your parents pay for, and move on.
It's you and your wits: neither the institutional / feel good types on the one side, nor the robotic behaviorists on the other, are worth even the least amount of your time and consideration. They are only there to justify their existence to the rest of us taxpayers.
i agree with post 3 completely. i've been mainstream schooled from day 1, once considered the blind schools and am very very glad i never did go to one of them.
never went to braille jail. hell no.
Yes, I have to completely agree.
I went to a school for the blind for my whole k-12 education. It came with its price, for sure, but I have a better education than any one of my family members. I'm not comfortable out in the world at large, but a lot of that is also because I have a severe hearing loss, so even when I'm on an elevator with someone, there's no garontee I will understand what they're saying. to me, it's a bit frightening or at least frustrating not to be able to see or hear well enough to interact. I don't think I would have quite the level of frustration if I could interact with people, but this is why I'm not a big fan of being around a lot of people. There's just not much point in it for me.
I did learn to cook and do other household tasks, which I wouldn't have learned in public school. I'm from a small town in west tennessee, and the people who came out to work with me at home on such things were of little help
Just my musings. In a way, I wish I'd gone to public school. I'd say I would have ended up being a bit more addaptible, but I have to admit that I sure enjoyed coming home for the weekend and knowing a hell of a lot more than my brother knew, and he was 2 grades ahead of me.
I think Braille schools used to have a lot higher educational standards than they do now. Not that they were perfect, but since they had more blind children with no other disability, or at least not a mental one, they could keep those standards higher. As mainstreaming has taken off, it's changed how the Braille schools work as their primary clients change.
I agree with Anthony, to the affect of having gotten a much better education at the school for the blind. for whatever reason, my first through third grade years of public school were absolute hell. the staff couldn't meet my needs, at all. so, off to the school for the blind I went.
that being said, I was fortunate enough to have the experience in middle/high school of attending public school, and didn't hesitate to advocate for taking as many classes there as possible. that wasn't well received, but what mattered most was what I got out of it in the end.
so, I can't relate to most people's attitudes of being against schools for the blind, cause the key, at least in my opinion, is learning to stand up for yourself/what you need (or don't need) at all times.
It probably depends on the state: some states, in particular some southern states, have better programs for the blind than others. Ironic that a set of so-called conservative states would have better public institutions, as their goal is generally more market-driven / private-institution-vouchered.
And, the so-called progressive states like Oregon are pretty skimpy, like the situation with the blind shcool that was recently dealt with out here.
I guess here is where I come down on the problem.
If the schools are publicly funded, they *must* be accredited. I know there are backwater parochial institutions who have so-called standards but for some unintelligible reason cannot find it in themselves to do what it takes to be accredited. They are private institutions and do not, or should not, be getting public money.
But a Blind school is a public institution, and the school is responsible to the taxpayers. The school, not the student, is receiving public funds, and thus should be accredited like every other publicly sponsored charter, magnet and other institution. My home state was disgraced with such an institution who was recently closed, and, no doubt to many parents' chagrin, had not been properly accredited since the 90s.
Now the land is private property and the taxpayers are not paying $40,000 per student for nothing anymore. Pass that excess around to all the blind students in the state. And, if they are coming off with this 'What are the small town ones going to do?' That is indeed a problem. One they obviously couldn't have been bothered to think about before, and remain accredited like every single other publicly-funded school in the state. It is too bad for the students, and I can't possibly claim to empathize or understand the plight of those institutionalized and then deinstutionalized like that, that seems very difficult. But there's no excuse for lack of accreditation if you are a school and taking money from public institutions, paid for by the taxpayers.
What compensation for the victims in this case, the students who were not granted a valid education? Nobody suspects a public institution of not being accrediteed. The lack of accreditation jenerally to the domain of backwater parochial institutions paid for by the pricate sector, be they fundamentalist or hippie froot loop, or once-froot-loop-now-fundamentalist types. They aren't sponsored by you and I, so falls they can have all the shrooms and religious propaganda and lack of accreditation they want. But you take public money for education, you gotta be accredited.
The real travesty is they weren't shut down earlier.
I havenot read al posts on this board, just posting quickly.
I have a somewhat different view on this, after working both in mainstream and special education (as an employee).
I got the perfect blend, I think, mainstream school, but with special school for 2 hours a day in the afternoon.
Why do I think this is good?
In my work/fight for math accessibility, I have realized that when students are mainstreamed, it is nearly impossible to reach them all, to spread new technology or a new way of thinking/doing things. They are limited by their one connection to technology and blindness, their TVIs. Whereas many of them are intelligent and hard working, I have noticed that, just like many other professions, they shun away from math, nver explore technology and math, and leave the student fully dependnet on them for all transcription and material. Once the student goes to college, after this very protective K-12 system, they are let lose in college and quickly give up and/or switch to other majors, because they do not know what technology is available to them and how they can do things/handle things to get through science, and without science education their chances of getting good jobs later on are much worse, the salary is worse and this may help keeping them on social wellfare and such. I am not meaning in any way to look down on other subjects, teaching/history/music etc, they are great, but I think to succeed in them, you have to be good and passionate, not to take them just because you can't do math/economics or any of that, you're too afraid and you'renot sure how to address those things. Everone should be able tp pursue a field they are passionate about, and not be so hinderred by technology or other external factors.
All this eing said, I believe there needs to be a consistent, will-informed and nationwise program supporting those who need support for specific subjects, A.T. etc, that is involved with students individually.
May be a TVI support team that provides epert knowledge on A.T. and how to do the science/subject the student wants.
Now this differe by states, but I have heard an endless amount of stories from people who were told to simply avoid math, take the easy path, and now they do n't have a job, are trying to start university again at age 30 or older, and feel discouraged.
I don't like that side either.
I also don't like 8 or 9 year old kids, that have to study and organize how to obtain accessible material, and how their parents are getting more and more involved with that type of work.
That is not rright either.
Nope, you're right Wildebrew, and I were one of those. Of course, the 1980s was another era altogether, but you're right there has got to be a blend somehow, provide the tools without the fools! Ah, my first ever venture into the realm of slogantry - I dare someone to run for office on that one.
As someone who was both mainstreamed and attended a school for the blind, I've seen the good and bad points of both sides.
First, I want to address the points that Sister Dawn made about how academically shortchanged you are if you've attended a school for the blind, at least in recent years. It is certainly true that most of the population in these schools are now afflicted with more than one disability, and everyone suffers for it. Your academic growth isn't the only thing that's stunted; socially, you're at a serious disadvantage as well. Being around other blind people, especially those who aren't intellectually on the same level, is frustratingly isolating. There's also a suffocating level of coddling and overprotectiveness that I wouldn't wish on anyone, not to mention that even the amount of daily living and mobility skills you receive are substandard. While the kids who truly can't take care of themselves need this high level of attentiveness, every case should be treated individually, and to be treated like you have a mental disability even if you do not is frankly insulting.
With all that said, there were a couple of oppurtunities I didn't have in public school that I appreciated having at the school for the blind. I was allowed to play sports, and our tournaments and meets were usually in other states, so the oppurtunity to do that was pretty cool. The few friends I did have were, and still are, great as well because I really hadn't known any other blind people before I went there. I started attending the school for the blind in tenth grade, after the public school I was at basically kicked me out. Long story, but suffice it to say it was after I did something that was the result of years of bullying and torment at the hands of both teachers and students. Knowing I wasn't alone, though it was a small comfort at the time, was the only reason I made it through my years at the school for the blind. I basically was shuttled from one bad environment to another, and it probably left me worse off than if I had just stuck it out in public school.
So which is better? Sadly, there's no straight answer. I believe each individual case is different. But I will say this much: this is one reason I never want to have children, because if I have a blind child, based on my own experiences, I wouldn't feel comfortable going either route, and we all know how emotionally damaging homeschooling is to a child, so that option is out too. I could never live with myself if my kid had to go through what I've been through and I could do nothing to stop it, or if they ended up growing up to be like me because of the experiences they had in school. It's not just blind children who experience cruelty at the hands of their peers and teachers either, it's everyone. Bullying is all over the news; teens driven so far by peer pressure and torture that they kill themselves, young kids feigning illness to escape school (or dealing with such severe anxiety that they do in fact experience legitimate physical symptoms.) This in turn is sweeping the nation with a mass movement to "diagnose" the nation: get all the kids on antidepressants/mood stabilizers/stimulants/what have you, try to fix all or social unrest with a pill, but more importantly and disquieting, to keep the youth quiet. These are powerful, mind-altering drugs, many of them are not even approved for use in children, and yet the schools have no qualms about causing mass hysteria by getting psychiatrists to prescribe these drugs on a large scale. It's more money in their pockets anyhow, I remember reading somewhere that for every known mentally ill child a school has, they receive some form of compensation. Then of course the psychiatrists' wallets are getting fat, so they're not going to complain, and that goes all the way up to the drug companies themselves, who are really not going to complain.
Anyway, I've gotten way off topic, so I'll stop now.
F&R, you did make a good point in favor of Braile schools that I had not thought of. That is the athletics. I was on swim team for awhile when I was in middle school and enjoyed it. My coach was willing to adapt anything that we needed to. I quit not because of any problem with the team or the coach, but because it ended up just being too draining on me. But, most blind children who are mainstreamed never do get the opportunity to play sports and such things, whereas the ones who are capable do in the Braille schools. Still, I'm glad my education went the way it did.
And, though also a bit off topic, it's good to see someone else who recognizes how damaging home-schooling is. I wouldn't do that to a child either, blind or sighted.
I can't really add too much to what has already been said here.
I was, thankfully, public schooled for the entirety of my k-12 career. I visited the blind school here in NC for small programs as a middle schooler. Based on those visits to the school, I am eternally greatful that, despite the fact I was ignored, teased, and generally stared at all throughout my schooling, that I had the opportunity to be mainstreamed into the real world.
I feel that being in a public school allowed me to see what the world is like, and what people in general are like. It allowed me to see how my peers socialized with one another, and showed me the correct way to behave among the wider world. Based on what I've seen, it seems like you don't get that type of learning in a closed environment like a blind school. If you're going to live in the world, you need to grow up in the world and get a first-hand experience of what it's really like, not the sugar-coated idealized version the blind school instructors feed you.
Would I have been more comfortable with my blindess as a student in a blind school? Probably, yes. I would have not had to go through years of mobility anxiety. I would have started cooking and doing laundry at an earlier age. But I feel like fighting my way through school has taught me how to adapt to a world of sighted people, not to make them adapt to me.
I generally agree with those here who like a blend between the two; public and a school for the blind. I have to say, my experience in public school was, for the most part, more than satisfactory. I graduated with honours, completed and submitted assignments with very little difficulty, and if circumstances called for it, I was given an alternate assignment. Now, of course, I did have to do some self-advicating, particularly in high school where everything was so fast paced, but I got through it and finished with a diploma, just like everybody else. I got my independent living training on the side, away from school. However, I think I, too, would've appreciated being able to participate in more athletic activities that schools for the blind have to offer. My physical education program was pretty much individualized, and although I enjoyed it and got the physical activity I needed, that came mostly through working out at the gym. It would have been nice to get that through sports and fun athletics instead.
Public school all the way, and summer camps or other special outings within the blind community. Nobody lives on an island away from the larger population and I think pushing children into such an environment can lead to a lot of insulated social norms that aren't acceptable in the "real world" once they graduate. In the same way, the majority of the world isn't blind and spending some extracurricular time with people who "get" some of your issues is always a confidence-booster.
I think when you're in a school for the blind, you have a false sense of security. Even if you have experienced the world as I did beforehand, social skills, like anything else, can get rusty. I have always been a very reserved person anyway, and being in that type of environment, where I was expected to flourish socially (and treated like dog crap on the bottom of their shoes when I didn't, and more importantly, didn't play their games of back stabbing bullshit and my life wasn't totally consumed by drama as theirs were) didn't help at all.
Then there's the academic side of it. You get handed a paper in Braille. You sit at a computer equipped with Jaws, Zoom Text and a Braille display. It does make you forget how hard it was to struggle for every hint of respect you got. For example, in public school, when I was in 8th grade, I had this really horrible English teacher who was very ncomfortable with my blindness. Whenever I would write papers for her class, if I used words like look or see, she would tell me that I wasn't allowed to say such things because I couldn't possibly understand them. On the opposite side of the spectrum, when I was in ninth grade I had an environmental science teacher who was absolutely terrified of me. She would give me an A no matter if I did the class work or not, and 9 times out of 10 she would forget to send the assignments to my vision teacher to be put into Braille. Then she would just give me an A for the assignment anyway. Most of my teachers fell somewhere in the middle of these 2 extremes, but most were reluctant to adapt things, especially in math. From a young age, I always struggled with it, and learned early on that if I was going to pass I would have to cheat my way through. When I was in grade school we weren't allowed to use calculators. We had to do long division and all taht crap. Anyone who's done that stuff in Braille knows how much of a bitch it is. Add to that the fact I really didn't get it, and it was a recipe for disaster. All my teachers were completely lost on how to help me. So I started taking the work home and using a calculator anyway, making sure to put down one or two wrong answers so no one would suspect. And yes I thought of that all on my own when I was 8 or 9.
Anyway, in ninth grade, I had to do stuff like geometry which you can't really use a calculator for, so I was failing. They put me in a class with a bunch of delinquents and hopeless cases, because everyone had given up on me. It wasn't a nice feeling.
Hmm. Well, I know its been quite a while since I've been here, bu mannny things are starting to happen at good ol' ASB, Alabama school for the blind. We got new math books, published in 2012 it said, but most likely a 2011 version. anyways, its new, hearder yes, but new, and that's all that matters We ave new, 64-bit Windows 7 computers in the library, and I've heard we have a mac now too. About the academic classes being of substandard quality, I think our school has dne most things right. I don't agree with ome of the rules, like no hugging and stuff, but I do think that over time, if the right people are put in place, those rules can be disposed of. We have a new computer eacher. He is quite good, he's taught us, well the kids that don't know how, how to use GMail and all that, and has even showed the class how to install NVDA. We also have new computers, of the same type as earlier, in the assistive tech lab. So I think things are improving, slowly but surely. Yes, there is drama, yes, there are loud, stupid ape-like beasts, um I mean kids that roam the halls of the schools, but I think that things are getting better.
Every case is different, so I won't rain on your parade. But it's going on 3 years since I've graduated from the school for the blind I went to, and from what I hear, things are getting worse there, not better. I had almost forgotten about the ridiculous stuff about how as a blind teen, relationships were discouraged. Even having opposite sex friendships was really frowned upon. That just proves a point I made recently in another topic on here. As a blind person, you're not supposed to want to have sex, or worse yet, reproduce. Never mind that not every relationship you have as a teenager leads to sex, it *could*, so just forbid all of it. It's a really sad and disgusting mindset to have, and also leads to problems with relationships and even sexual hang-ups as an adult. Whenever I'm in that situation, I honestly have to stop myself from thinking it's wrong to have sex because of how I was treated in regards to that. Then again, my parents weren't any better, so...
It's nice to hear schools for the blind are starting to improve.
I went to the school for the blind.
i got great computer skills and got pretty good mobility skills out of the deal.
so i'm not complanning.
i liked all the sports i got to do. like goal ball. and swimming and a all.
I have the same opinion as The Blind Guardian. I'm starting High School in September, and I hope it will be a bit better from a social aspect. I haven't made many friends in Middle School and the other students didn't seem to be making any either, unless you count those they knew from elementary school. I've had some teachers who have never worked with blind students, and they were fantastic. It's the attitude that counts. I had an aide who treated me like a three-year old and humiliated me. I've also gotten a small-to-medium degree of bullying (oddly enough it was by an individual who had low vision, which of course granted him the advantage of punching and not missing). I've taken some classes at a nearby school for the blind and there were print papers hanging on the walls with no braille to accompany them. I took trumpet lessons, and the only advice from my instructor was, "Play Beautifully and Smoothly."
I'm not trying to convince anyone that one is better than the other, just stating my experiences.
Matthew
I agree with FandR about the athletic aspects of Braille Schools (my O and M instructor taught in a blind school for a while) Though I have not studied in a blind school I think the education is worse, that's why I didn't go in the first the first place. In Elementary school I had an aide who would do the Physical activities with me. It felt great to feel somewhat included in the proceedings. in middle school however, I never got a gym aide, so I used the periods as study halls. I hope that i can both participate in Gym and keep my academics in check.
In middle school, I my equipment was put in a room where classes were led for children with learning disabilities. Nothing severe, just some severe Adhd cases. It was so irritating when I was pu in the mainstream math class when I couldn't keep up with the Accellerated class. For some reason, things that should be simple in math, like systems of equasions, are hell for me, and only when yelled at or given that jult or hint that gets me moving, can I solve the problems correctly. I've been told that I'l be in the honors math in High school, now I need to survive the 45-page packet they gave out.
What have your experiences been with math?
Oddly enough the only time i was bullied was in a camp for the blind. It wasn't anything major, but it was pretty irritating. I'm glad it happened, since it hardened me up and gave me a taste of some of the challenges of the sighted world.
There's so much junk in health class about how to stop bullying. I don't mean to go on tangents, but the only people who can stop the bullying are the bullies themselves. Yes it is wise to make us aware, but you can't force it, it just doesn't work.
This is a pretty interesting topic, I just keep posting.
This isn't gonna be popular and I haven't read any of the new words and turds on bullying, but in my opinion one way to lower your chances of getting bullied is when punched, punch back and twice or thrice as hard, or at least do some form of cold and calculated retaliation. The reason is that the bully is not the strongest, or the smartest: Often they are surprisingly weak on many levels. They are bottom feeders, opportunistic, so if you retaliate swiftly they will move on to easier prey. To a bully, easier is better: they're not up for the challenge.
How you will navigate that one in a modern context with all the political fluff that seems to serve as friction I don't know, but humans are remarkably adaptable creatures.
Bullies grow up to be beaters of chicks, and even then they move on to an easier target if she hits back when he first strikes. Get to know their tactics and don't ever let the bully see you either afraid or otherwise emotional.
If, when they strike, you respond and then turn and go about your business as though nothing had happened, your lack of emotional response will be graver injury to them than your physical reaction to their onslaught. As I said, I know this stuff isn't popular: I'm just telling you how I made it happen coming up during the 80s. Bullies are not the hardest to manage: the tough ones are the uppity, prude, goody, angel-look-alikes who know how to brown-nose well and stab you in the back. For those, distance is your best friend.
But I doubt very much any of this really has to do with being blind: sure that's the thing they may use sometimes. But some will use your being a musician, some pick on the theater people, the gays, hell even the jocks though that can be quite a show to observe. Just remember though that bullies are bottom feeders.
Leo, I think that school of thought is on its way back, and thank God for it. We've pretty much told our son that we don't want him ever to start a fight but if someone starts one with him then he'd better damn well finish it. If he gets suspended for defending himself, we'll just go out for ice cream. lol
Nice!
I was public schooled all through my k12 career as well. There were times, in middle school, that I wished to attend blind school (Mainly, because of my boyfriend at the time, and because I wasn't seeing my blind friends as much as I'd like to.) My mother, however, and another teacher there, told me not to attend it full time, and I'm graateful that Mom denied my requests. Especially when I was dating another guy there, and teachers got envolved and called my father and informed him I was with said guy. We had done nothing wrong, and we were forbidden to hang out together in public for that week I was down there. After that, I was done with blind school camps completely. Lol. I got mobility and living skills training after school from a teacher, as well as technology training. I, however, did miss out on the atheletic oportunities at the school for the blind. Although I went the music route and wasn't all that into playing sports, I would have liked to play goalball more often.
I went to the school for the blind during Spring breaks in middle school to learn about various technology and daily living skills, but, in my naive 13-year-old opinion, I was really going to see the friends and guys I was dating more than for the learning. Lol.
can I chime in here with a slightly more european perspective. I don't believe that any of those posting have come at it from that context, so let's have a country by country look, based on my experiences in them.
In England, academic standards in VI schools are dropping, but much more slowly than in America. That said, the education system generally in England is better than the US one until university at least anyway, so this may be indicative. But it is happening. The school I went to until 2007, for 3 years only though, not my entire life, tought the same qualifications as public schools and I did well there, but I do know that the quality of student is dropping, al I'm saying is that it is not always a given that VI school = worse education. As for the environment, yes, there was a lot of coddling and pandering to those too mentally backward or too lazy to do for self. There were a few other schools who were more geared towards the less mentally capable, such as RNC.
In France, I have been to what is called l'INJA or l'instutut National des Jeunes Aveugles, in Paris. That place was a fucking pison! Dorms and classrooms were in the same building, so you didn't even have to leave the building to go outside if this wasn't desired. That said, INJA did mainstream some of its students who could handle it, but the place was very, very restrictive, with strict bed time curfews, alarms to wake up in the morning, rules about making ones bed and when one could or could not be in the dorms, ETC. I should also add that INJA did not teach cooking as it was expected that students learn this at home from parents. Needless to say, this did not always happen, I would indeed venture to say that it did not in the majority of cases, and students were disadvantaged for it. IJA also required that all students begin in primary school using a fucking brailler and slate and styless! I detested that school intensely, as did many of the less-institutionalised students.
In Germany, I have been to the Blindenstudienanstalt near Frankfurt, which was far better in my experience than any of the other two. Students lived off campus, in small Wohngruppen (houses with a houseparent containing maybe 6 students or so). There they learned everything, had to learn to walk to school in the morning, manage their own independence and were much more disciplinned and willing to cooperate than in either Worcester or INJA. The only drag I noted was saturday-morning classes! Saying that, one of the students commented to me once that, "you could be a big fish in the Blindenstudienanstalt, only to go into the real world, pumped up from your previous popularity and have your confidence destroyed by what you found.
Lastly, I worked in Spain for a year, teaching English at a public, sighted school there. In Spain, there aare almost no blind schools at all! Those very few that do exist, cater almost exclusively to those with multiple disabilities.
I worked at the ONCE, which is the national blind organisation in Spain. Basically, they take all the blind students in a given locality, ou of school once every two weeks, to learn braille, mobility ETC. Al the students I met were normal, well-adjusted, tok the metro and knew the city well at 17 or so just like their sighted counterparts. I was very, very impressed with Spain. Hell, the ONCE even gave me a mobility instructor within 3 days of my arrival! And I wasn't even Spanish! So these things can vary widely, but it has often been said that the best place in Europe to be blind is Barcelona. Having lived there, i have to agree.
Hope this was instructive,
MJ
Well, a little update on my school. Yes its still pretty restricted, but I have been told that we will be getting wi-fi and our own school email addresses, and iPads and things like that. Just an update.
Well, whatever helps you hang on I guess.