BTW, this article is about the Indiana School for the Blind, which is where I went to school. I just went back there for aan alumni convention last year, and, well, while much of the school was the same, a lot had changed too, most notably, the physical renovations made to the building. Ginny ----- Original Message ----- From: "BlindNews Mailing List" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Sunday, September 17, 2006 6:51 PM Subject: BlindNews: Seeing their future: School for Blind prepares studentsfor life > Indianapolis Star, Indiana USA > Sunday, September 17, 2006 > > Seeing their future: School for Blind prepares students for life > > By Y-Press (details below) > > By Perri McKinley, 16; Jordan Denari, 15; Ali Rader, 16 Y-Press > > True or false? > > 1. All blind people wear sunglasses. > 2. If you read Braille in the dark, you need a flashlight and your fingers > get tired. > 3. All blind people have Seeing Eye dogs. > > Answers: False. False. False. > > Yet students at Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired hear > these assumptions from people who have no idea what it means to be blind. > "There are a lot of misconceptions about blind people," said Kyle Lewis, > 16, who is from the Clay County town of Brazil. "A lot of people think > because we're blind we use sign language -- that's the deaf people." > Kyle is a student at the state school for the blind, which is on a wooded > Northside campus marked by historic brick buildings. The Indianapolis > school drew 168 students last year who ranged in age from 3 to 21. All are > from Indiana, although the school hosted a German exchange student last > year. About 20 percent of the student population is minority. > The school is free for Hoosier students, who are admitted through a > process that involves their families, employees at the blind school and > educators from their public school districts. Their disabilities range in > severity. > "There are people who are labeled as totally blind, but they have light > perception and they can see shadows," said Mika Baugh, 16. "And then > there's some that see only black -- there is no light, there is no > anything." > Mika was born with optic-nerve hypoplasia and has never been able to see > normally. She can see many images but has trouble picking out detail. > Still, Mika enjoys watching TV, something she says totally blind students > often listen to along with movies and concerts. > In all, more than 50 eye disorders are represented at the blind school. > Some students have other disabilities, including developmental disorders. > Students enjoy the individual attention they get in their classes, most of > which have fewer than 10 students. > Aside from traditional classes like math, reading and science, the school > also offers specialized classes that teach students how to get around, > exercise and live on their own. > "Things that other people might take for granted -- simple things like > cutting up meat, laying out your clothes, making your bed, things like > that -- I learned at a young age from the school," said R.J. Crace, 19, > who was last spring's valedictorian. > "They've taught me things that will stick with me for the rest of my > life." > Students can take classes elsewhere, too. R.J., a Westfield native, took > radio broadcasting and physics at North Central High School in > Indianapolis. > Kids at the blind school also are thankful for cutting-edge technology, > which goes beyond the traditional PC and magnifying glass. > Students have access to Braille typewriters and note takers, talking > computers and computerized book magnifiers, which modify the size or color > of letters on a TV screen. They also have computer screen readers. > "Without that," R.J. said, "it'd be awfully difficult for some of us to > use computers." > The special equipment makes these classrooms stand out over their > traditional school counterparts. What sounded like a classroom full of > students hammering in woodshop actually was a writing class. Kids pounded > out poems on Braille typewriters that resembled old-fashioned > typewriters -- only with fewer keys. > Like most young people, the blind-school students have interests outside > the classroom. > They have a homecoming dance and a prom. The school also offers band, > chorus, piano, scouting, creative dance and a speech team. Students > participate in wrestling, cheerleading, track and field and swimming; > competition in the latter two sports are against other blind students in > other states. > Because home is far away for some students, the blind school offers > housing during the week. Students usually go home on the weekends, > although some students stay on campus for sports or other events. > "Of course, the whole going to school is a totally different experience > because I basically live here," said Mika, who is from Greenwood. "You > know, I've gone here since I was 5, so it's kind of like that in itself is > a different thing." > R.J. said some of the kids, teachers and school employees are just like > family. They watched him grow from a toddler to a teenager. Their > affection shows up in little ways -- like the cafeteria lady who rushed > over to comb Kyle's hair before a photographer took his picture. > The key lesson kids have learned is that they are normal. > Teachers "help us realize that just because we're blind or visually > impaired doesn't mean that we're not like everybody else," said Jazmine > Jenkins, 17, who has grown up at the school. > R.J., now a Ball State University freshman, is grateful that the school is > basically a "normal school" that offers extras. > "Oh, it's been wonderful," he said. "The school has done everything that I > could've imagined and then some." > > CAPTION: Aid: A Braille Lite note-taker is a lightweight device with a > Braille typewriter and speech synthesizer. - Provided by Indiana School > for the Blind > > Want to be part of Y-Press? > > Y-Press is a nonprofit news organization in which young people ages 10 to > 18 research, write and report stories. Training sessions for potential new > members will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 30 and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. > 1 at Y-Press offices in The Star building, 307 N. Pennsylvania St. To > learn how to apply, call (317) 444-2010, or send e-mail to [log in to unmask] > > ASSISTANT EDITOR: Meera Patel, 14. REPORTERS: Eric Chen, 13; Alexis > Schaefer, 11; Joi Officer, 12 > > http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060917/LIVING/609170331/1007/LIVING > > -- > BlindNews mailing list > > Archived at: http://GeoffAndWen.com/blind/ > > Address message to list by sending mail to: [log in to unmask] > > Access your subscription info at: > http://blindprogramming.com/mailman/listinfo/blindnews_blindprogramming.com > > To unsubscribe via e-mail: send a message to > [log in to unmask] with the word unsubscribe in either > the subject or body of the message いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいい To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいい