[nfbwatlk] Fw: BlindNews: Campers preview new school forblindchildren

Fri Jul 14 10:30:17 CDT 2006

Yes.
The lady from that school came to speak to our Fall convention last year.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bob Sellers" <robertsellers500 at comcast.net>
To: "NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List" <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, July 14, 2006 4:36 AM
Subject: Re: [nfbwatlk] Fw: BlindNews: Campers preview new school 
forblindchildren


>
> Maybe I've been living in a cave, but have others heard about this school?
> If so, any particular reason we haven't heard them speak at a State
> convention?  It may be a chance to work with them in estabishing a
> philosophy for the kids.
>
> Bob Sellers
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com>
> To: "NFB of Washington Talk" <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2006 8:31 PM
> Subject: [nfbwatlk] Fw: BlindNews: Campers preview new school for
> blindchildren
>
>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: Robert Jaquiss
>> To: Mike Freeman
>> Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2006 7:54 PM
>> Subject: Fw: BlindNews: Campers preview new school for blind children
>>
>>
>> Hello MIke:
>>
>>      I thought you would find this of interest.
>>
>> REgards,
>>
>> Robert
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "BlindNews Mailing List" <BlindNews at GeoffAndWen.com>
>> To: <BlindNews at BlindProgramming.com>
>> Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2006 8:32 PM
>> Subject: BlindNews: Campers preview new school for blind children
>>
>>
>> > Seattle Post Intelligencer
>> > Thursday, July 13, 2006
>> >
>> > Campers preview new school for blind children
>> >
>> > By BLYTHE LAWRENCE, P-I REPORTER
>> >
>> > CAPTION: Carolyn Meyer, director of the Louis Braille School in 
>> > Edmonds,
>> > introduces Tristan Freckleton, 5, to a stuffed bobcat. The school
> provides
>> > a summer camp for blind youngsters, teaching them life skills and how 
>> > to
>> > deal with their impairments. The new K-8 school will welcome students
> for
>> > the first time in September.   Grant M. Haller / P-I
>> >
>> > EDMONDS -- At first glance, the youngsters sitting in a circle singing 
>> > a
>> > good-morning song are like any others at summer camp.
>> >
>> > Hands clap. Feet stomp. Children giggle.
>> >
>> > "Where's James? Where, where?" everyone sings as a little boy wiggles
> with
>> > excitement at hearing his name. "Is he up on the mountain? No, no. Is 
>> > he
>> > down by the fountain? No, no."
>> >
>> > But take a closer look, and you'll see what they can't: the room, the
>> > teachers and one another.
>> >
>> > Being part of the two-week summer camp for 5- to 14-year-olds at
> Edmonds'
>> > Louis Braille School is a first for many children, some of whom have
>> > traveled from as far away as Granite Falls and West Seattle to attend.
>> >
>> > The singing over, campers scatter to different parts of the little
>> > schoolhouse.
>> >
>> > Even without a sense of sight, it doesn't take them long to zero in on
> the
>> > school's treasures: a library of picture books translated into Braille,
> a
>> > menagerie of taxidermic animals and a roomful of musical instruments,
>> > including a trombone and a didgeridoo.
>> >
>> > It's a preview of the new K-8 school, which will welcome students for
> the
>> > first time in September. The school is still taking applications for 
>> > the
>> > fall.
>> >
>> > "In public schools, (blind students) don't always get the attention 
>> > they
>> > need," said Christina Ivanna, the school's outreach and support
>> > administrator. "It's not because teachers are bad, it's just -- how do
> you
>> > do that?"
>> >
>> > During the summer camp, it's done by allowing students to socialize and
>> > learn from one another while exploring the school and its learning
>> > materials, many of which have been crafted especially for the blind.
>> >
>> > The goal is to instill what Ivanna calls a "Oh, I can do something"
>> > feeling.
>> >
>> > Once students have that, "they thrive, they bloom, they feel good about
>> > themselves," she said.
>> >
>> > Opening a school for the blind has been "a dream" for many years, said
>> > director Carolyn Meyer. For years, the Louis Braille Center operated 
>> > out
>> > of an office building in downtown Edmonds.
>> >
>> > The center housed a successful Saturday program that Meyer and Ivanna
>> > wanted to expand. But there were complaints that the kids were too 
>> > loud,
>> > and space was limited.
>> >
>> > So they began searching for a location where kids could roam from room
> to
>> > room. What they found was a one-story rambler near a bowling alley.
>> >
>> > The building once housed a furnishings and interiors business. Meyer 
>> > set
>> > out to transform it into a schoolhouse.
>> >
>> > The building was remodeled to bring it up to code. Doors were widened
> and
>> > a ramp was installed so wheelchairs could fit through. A local nursery
>> > donated plants for the outside garden, and community members chipped in
> to
>> > help cover costs.
>> >
>> > Pending a final inspection from the Snohomish County Health Department,
>> > the dream has become a reality.
>> >
>> > Community members have donated many of the school's learning
> materials --
>> > from the trombone to a well-loved rocking chair.
>> >
>> > Meyer is hoping someone will donate a train set, because there are
> tracks
>> > in Edmonds and having a train would help to teach children how to
>> > recognize when one is coming and get out of the way if necessary.
>> >
>> > Administrative assistant Hy Cohen, whose guide dog Greta is one of the
>> > school's most popular "students," said there's no single solution that
>> > works for everyone.
>> >
>> > Cohen's experiences in public schools were both positive and negative.
>> >
>> > "Children who are blind are often told they're limited," he said.
>> >
>> > He tells them, "You may do something differently, but you still can do
>> > it."
>> >
>> > TO LEARN MORE, Visit
>> >
>> > www.louisbrailleschool.org
>> >
>> >
>> > http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/277394_blindcamp13.html
>> >
>> > --
>> > BlindNews mailing list
>> >
>> > Archived at: http://GeoffAndWen.com/blind/
>> >
>> > Address message to list by sending mail to:
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>> >
>> > Access your subscription info at:
>> >
>>
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>> >
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>> >
>>
>>
>
>
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