Before
the second half of the 20th century, schools for children with visual
impairment in the USA were havens of the elite blind. Children with no
additional disabilities were far in the majority, and academic programs
were offered that were at least as good, and often better, than
non-disabled students received in regular schools. Through most of the
second half of the 20th century, there was significant upheaval in schools
for the blind. As you know, and as we should have expected, most parents
of blind children with no additional disabilities strongly preferred regular
school enrolment for their child. This movement left many schools for
the blind with rapidly diminishing populations.
However1, as we became more sophisticated
at diagnosing visual impairment, and as we gradually began to recognize
our responsibility to visually impaired students with additional disabilities,
many of the spaces vacant in schools for the blind were soon filled by
a very complex, challenging population. I will not enter into a dialog
with you at this time as to whether this was a good move for schools for
the blind. I will state that, in my opinion, every child with a visual
impairment, regardless of additional disabilities, benefits from educational
services that address the visual impairment.
Beginning in the mid-1970s, it was my privilege
to discuss the emerging role of schools for the blind in England, Germany,
Australia, and Japan. Without exception my worst fears were confirmed.
In other countries with growing emphasis on integration there was tension
building between schools for the blind and advocates for regular school
placement. In all instances, my message to colleagues throughout the world
in schools for the blind was consistent. "Don't fight inclusion",
I stated. "It is inevitable. Rather, embrace inclusion, and find
positive ways in which you can encourage and support it. There is no reason
that the champions of inclusion cannot be leaders in schools for the blind".
I wish I knew how seriously this message was received, but to this day
I don't.
Perhaps there are three groups of us professionals.
First, there is a vocal, but diminishing group who believe that all blind
children should attend schools for the blind. Then there is an equally
vocal group, who find themselves on the side of political correctness,
who advocate for regular school placement for all visually impaired children.
Then there is a third group, one that sees values in all placement options,
and believes that services should match the needs of students. This third
group has no political agenda. It simply believes that, for every blind
and visually impaired child, there is an appropriate program, based on
the individual needs of each child. Needs may change through the years,
and often this means that placement should change
I should add that my "third group" has two
fundamental beliefs:
1. Regardless of placement, all visually
impaired children need a qualified teacher of the visually impaired who
can meet their special needs.
2. The expanded core curriculum needs of
visually impaired children must be considered when planning educational
services.
In order to accept my thesis regarding schools for the blind, you must
understand certain fundamental beliefs that I have:
1. Schools for the blind are centers for
the most experienced most expert professionals in education of the visually
impaired.
2. The school for the blind should be the
"hub" of educational services for blind and visually impaired
children, regardless of where they go to school.
It is the professional responsibility of
a school for the blind to share its expertise wherever it is needed. In
order to truly share, there must be a significant shift of resources.
In two of the United States, the schools have changed their names. The
Wisconsin School for the Visually Handicapped is now The Wisconsin Center
for the Education of the Visually Impaired. The same change has happened
in Nebraska. In that state, the school for the blind was mandated by their
legislature to take a significant role in the education of all visually
impaired students in Nebraska.
This constitutes a significant evolution.
While schools for the blind continue to serve children in a residential
school, they are discovering ways in which they can enrich the education
of all such children in regular schools. Let me tell you how one school
is evolvingóThe Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
(TSBVI).
First, TSBVI remains committed to an on-campus
educational program that offers either day or residential placement for
as long as the child needs. These are a few of the advantages of such
a program:
TSBVI currently has programs in place, with
highly skilled and experienced staff to provide educational experiences,
that include:
1. Individualized academic, applied, and practical curriculum
# Small classes with opportunities for tutorial
help
# Courses offered at a local high school
# Instruction in practical academics
# Educational experiences especially designed
for students at several levels (basic skills, early concepts, practical
academics, applied academics, academic)
2. Career education
# Community-based enclave work experience
# Paid work experience in basic jobs
# Career awareness
# Career investigation
# Career preparation
# Career specialization
# Transition
# Work experience, job training, supported employment
# Courses in introduction to work
3. Self-esteem
# Success in small classes with individualized
curriculum
# Opportunities to succeed in music, sports, art,
and drama
# Individual and small group counseling
# A staff trained in understanding the dynamics
of vision loss
4. Extra-curricular activities
# Sports, including track, wrestling, and swimming
# Music, vocal and instrumental
# Drama
# Arts and crafts
# Photography
# Cheer-leading
# Field trips throughout greater Austin
5. Education for challenging students
# Small classes
# Skills infused in daily curriculum
# Communication systems, language, behavior, and
experience-based instruction stressed
# Community-based instruction
# Community-based work experience
6. Summer Programs
# Social opportunities with other students with
visual impairment
# Enrichment activities
# Specific instruction in Braille, abacus, orientation
and mobility, career education, and technology
# Recreation activities
7. Short classes
# Provided during the regular school year
# Intensive instructional experience with only
a short time away from home
# Teach disability-specific skills that are pre-requisite
to success in the regular classroom
# Provide individualized instruction to meet specific
learning needs of academic students
# Provide temporary removal of multiple demands
experienced in local schools
# Address learning gaps caused by instructional
overload
# Provide opportunity for professional collaboration
regarding the individual needs of students
This list provides you with some idea
about what TSBVI continues to offer to students in their on-campus, residential
program. There are two movements of note in the evolution of this program.
First, it is rare for a student to stay at TSBVI for more than three years.
When a student is admitted to TSBVI, the local school district is informed
that we will provide specific services based on needs that they have identified.
When those needs are met, it is our intention to transition the student
back to her local school. Second, please note that there is little reference
to academic subjects in the list of services above. This is because local
schools have become quite good at adapting and offering appropriate academic
subjects. Reasons for referral to TSBVI are almost always for educational
needs that are not related to academic courses.
However, over time it has become clear
to many professionals that there are some academic subjects that are particularly
difficult for braille-reading students. These are science, mathematics,
and geography. Much of the learning material for these subjects are in
spatial format, and braille is most efficient when read in a linear manner.
TSBVI is beginning to offer algebra, geometry, biology, general science,
and geography for students from local schools who cannot get these classes
in an accessible manner in their local school district.
Now, what about the ways in which
TSBVI is a statewide resource? Remember, I believe that, because of the
expertise of staff at a school for the blind, these educational institutions
should be the center, or "hub" of services to all students in
their geographic area. For TSBVI, this means the entire state of Texas.
While normal school-year enrollment at TSBVI is about 150 students, there
are another 6,500 visually impaired students in the state. TSBVI believes,
and the state legislature agrees, that it has some degree of responsibility
for all of the blind and visually impaired students in Texas.
The following chart illustrates new
programs at TSBVI. They do not detract from the fundamental role of the
school, that of a residential school for the blind. Rather, they add to
the vital and effective role of the school in sharing expertise with all
regular schools in the state:
I will provide just a few sentences
now for each box that help explain why TSBVI has become a vital state-wide
resource for all blind and visually impaired students in Texas.
Post-Secondary
Beginning in September, 2002,
TSBVI began offering a collaborative program with our state rehabilitation
agency for high school graduates. Young people who have spent their entire
school lives in regular schools will have first priority, because it is
often very difficult for local schools to offer instruction in non-academic
areas, such as living skills, social skills, career education, assistive
technology, etc. This may not be a new idea in Europe, but it is in the
U.S.
Summer School
Each year TSBVI offers enrichment
classes for students who spend the academic year in their local schools.
Usually about 300 students are served. Statewide Systems and Standards
for VI Students With the assistance of an outside consultant, TSBVI has
developed "Quality Programs for the Visually Impaired" (QPVI),
a system that local schools use to determine the effectiveness of their
programs for blind and visually impaired students.
Curriculum Development
TSBVIís Curriculum Department
works with the entire school to determine the need for new curriculum
guides. These are developed first for the teachers at TSBVI, secondarily
for teachers throughout Texas, and finally for the entire world.
Research and Development
TSBVI welcomes external researchers
who have worthwhile projects and need students and/or staff as subjects.
Internal research and development is continual through the Curriculum
Department.
Statewide Student Registration
Ten years ago the Texas Education
Agency asked TSBVI to take responsibility for the identification and registration
for all blind and visually impaired students in the state.
Website
The TSBVI website began as a project
to share information and resources statewide. Now www.tsbvi.edu has become
a world-wide resource.
Instructional Materials Center
In its efforts to act as a statewide
resource, TSBVI is now the distributor of instructional materials for
all educational services in Texas.
Statewide Public Awareness
TSBVI recognizes and accepts its role
in sharing with all citizens of Texas the accomplishments and the capability
of blind and visually impaired persons.
Statewide Staff Development
TSBVI provides professional development
for all teachers in the state, including those in local schools, as well
as those at the school.
Outreach
The Outreach Department at TSBVI is
well-known throughout the U.S. as a model in providing technical assistance
to students, teachers, parents, and administrators. There are two teams
in the Outreach Department. One specializes in visual impairment, and
the other in services for deafblind students.
Facilitation of Teacher Preparation
Texas, like all states in the U.S.,
has suffered from a chronic shortage of teachers for visually impaired
students, and orientation and mobility instructors. In response to this
problem, the Texas State Legislature designated TSBVI as the lead agency
in facilitating efforts to minimize the shortage of teachers. TSBVI contracts
with universities in the state in order to accomplish this. Also, TSBVI
has developed a mentor program for new teachers.
Short-Term Classes
TSBVI did not originate the idea of
providing short-term classes during the school year, but we have improved
and expanded the concept. Students enrolled in local schools have the
opportunity to come to the TSBVI campus for a short time (two days to
one week) and receive intensive instruction in a particular area. By providing
some tutorial help during the studentís time at TSBVI, we can assure
local school districts that the student will not fall behind in classes
taken in the regular school.
I would like to emphasize to you that
none of these outside boxes existed 15 years ago. TSBVI did not assume
these responsibilities in order to survive. Rather, TSBVI carefully analyzed
the current status of education for blind and visually impaired students,
attempted to project into the future, and developed programs designed
to provide every child in Texas an equal opportunity to education. If
TSBVI does not accept this challenge, who will?