Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!yale!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!89.0!David.Andrews
From: David.Andrews@p0.f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org (David Andrews)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Re: books in public schools
Message-ID: <14600@bunker.UUCP>
Date: 2 Oct 90 13:16:05 GMT
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Index Number: 10768

[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

->> SB> I am convinced that all blind students need to experience public 
->> SB> education some time in their lives. However, before doing so, they 
->> SB> need to have survival skills and high expectations academically 
->> SB> which, in my opinion, can only begin in a good school for the blind. 
->> SB> However, sadly today, most blind schools have been desimatedby 
->> SB> pl-94-142. O well, such is the price of change, but I can't help 
->> SB> wondering how many more generations of welfare blind must we educate 
->> SB> before we wise up. 
      
 GP> Stew, 
 GP>      I'm afraid that wising up will have to come from the  
 GP>      parents, because it sure won't come from the mainstream  
 GP>  education establishment.
 

We have raised a generation of virtually illiterate blind people
because they were forced to use large-print, tape, enlarging
devices, etc., methods which often do not work as well as braille.
Gary, the thing that will change this is these people themselves
realizing what has happened to them and setting out to change the
system.  The parents can help, but the affected people will be able
to do the most.  Some time ago, you and I had a conversation or two
about what good do the groups for the blind, NFB, etc., do.  This
is a big part of it.  For example, the NFB has been talking about
the braille literacy thing for a long time.  Now, it is becoming a
part of the mainstream.  AFB has adopted it as there issue.  There
was a meeting in Baltimore last spring, at the NFB National Center,
including NFB, NLS, AERBVI and others.  They met to talk about the
certification of braile teachers as well as about making all
teachers of the blind know braille and be certified.  We are still
some time away from a program, but the first steps have been
taken.  I have met many very very bright kids in the NFB who have
mae it through college, and graduate school in many cases, solely
by using tape and their memories.  How much better could they have
done if they knew braille and could put all their energies into
learning, not getting by and coping.  David Andrews

... Your Sound Alternative

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