A plan by Ohio state officials to combine the campuses of the schools for the blind and the deaf has come under fire by alumni, reported The Columbus Dispatch. The Ohio State School for the Blind and the Ohio School for the Deaf are located next to one another in Columbus, separated by a ravine, and officials have proposed a five-year, $40 million project to consolidate the two campuses on the deaf school’s 130-acre property to save on operating costs. Forcing blind and deaf students to share the same facilities such as gym and cafeteria could lead to teasing and bullying, said Richard Huebner, president of its alumni association, and will destroy the deaf school’s culture. “We’ll fight this to the bitter end to keep them separate,” he said. source
PLAN TO COMBINE DEAF, BLIND SCHOOL CAMPUSES OPPOSED
March 21, 2007 by tomwillard
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This topic is already being debated on the DS-HUM listserv. It’s been very enlightening to see different POVs about this situation.
Having read the news article I am surprised to read so much negativity; the “deaf side” saying deaf students’ inability to communicate could lead to teasing and bullying by blind students and the “blind side” saying deaf students might beat up blind students because they can’t see their abuser.
I find it interesting Ohio state officials can find $40,000,000 to build a new school but not spend that money on collaborative education where all students are educated together regardless of their ability. That $40 million would go a long way to ensure the deaf culture and language remains strong in Ohio schools (i.e., hiring deaf teachers, paying for enough certified ASL interpreters, making ASL a required language course) along with providing the necessary building modifications, assistants, and alternative instructional materials for blind students.
Collaborative education makes for a collaborative society, not a separate one where people worry deaf students would be teased and bullied by blind students or blind students would be beat up by deaf students.
Having said this, if the deaf community is so against collaborative education and want to keep the schools separate, perhaps they should open their pocketbook wider, do some aggressive fundraising, and consider privatizing schools for the deaf.
Take a look at The School for the Deaf and Blind in St. Ausutine, Florida they have been doing this many years and they do it quite well. There wasn’t any teasing we all respected each other.
why dont you check out with the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind, Arizona State School for the Deaf and the Blind, and other Several Deaf and Blind School to ask their information how they get along each other??? I prefer Blind Students and Deaf Students separate in school, dorms, cafeteria. may share auditorum, two gyms, pools and recreational hall ??