blindschoolnow

An EMAIL of SUPPORT from Phil Hatlen - Educational Leader

Sat, Nov 1, 2008 From Phil Hatlen, ex-Superintendent, Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
To Alan Lachman
Dear Alan,
I've been in Melbourne several times and visited the school on at least three occasions. At one time it had a highly rated staff and an equally highly rated curriculum.

On my last visit I found it to be a very small school, catering to preschool children, all of whom were day students.
Now it sounds like they are closing it completely. As a firm believer in alternatives in the education of children who are blind or visually impaired, I find this very, very sad. If I were living in Victoria, I might be very angry!!
I don't know how to help you, except to tell you that I want very much for Victoria to have a school for the blind.
Then parents like you would have an alternative to an itinerant teacher. If I could, I would come to Melbourne and tell the officials why they should keep the school open. Let me know if I can be of further assistance.

By Phil HAtlen - The Evolution of Schools for the Blind in the 21ST Century

By Phil Hatlen, Superintendent, Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired

In this country, inclusion had its serious beginnings in the 1950s. By the end of the 1970s, it was firmly established as the most popular, most desirable educational placement for many blind and visually impaired children. This did not happen easily, and many serious conflicts caused what should have been an exciting, wonderful era in our history to be less than joyful. Most significant among these conflicts was that schools for the blind were left out of the movement toward inclusion; in fact, they were often thought to be inhibitors of inclusion. The result was years of suspicion, hostility, turf wars, and less than adequate attention paid to the individual needs of children. Even today, there are children who are receiving inadequate services, not because the services are not available, but because they are the victims of misguided philosophic differences. This applies equally to blind and visually impaired students in schools for the blind and in local schools. "Evolution" implies a gradual, steady movement. This is what has happened to schools for the blind in the U.S. Before the second half of the 20th century, these schools 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 we should have expected, most parents of blind children with no additional disabilities strongly preferred regular school enrollment for their child. This movement left many schools for the blind with rapidly diminishing populations. However, 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. This is not the place to discuss whether this was a good move for schools for the blind. In my opinion, every child with a visual impairment, regardless of additional disabilities, benefits from educational services that address the visual impairment. Unfortunately, we work in a profession that, when the pendulum swings, it doesn't stop in the middle, it goes to the polar side. First, the popular thing to do was to place your child in a school for the blind. Then the pendulum swung, and the place for most, if not all, blind and visually impaired children was in regular schools. Many of us viewed it as our professional responsibility to try to move that pendulum toward the middle. And, my friends, it is happening. This is why there is a serious evolution of schools for the blind in the U.S. at this time. 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 true. In other countries with growing emphasis on inclusion, 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." Perhaps there are three groups of 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. 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: I believe that schools for the blind are centers for the most experienced, most expert professionals in education of the visually impaired. 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.

A parent's letter to CEO of VISION AUSTRALIA

20 October 2008
Mr Gerard Menses
CEO Vision Australia
454 Glenferrie Road
KOOYONG  VIC   3144
Dear Mr Menses,

I am the parent of Maddison, a vibrant and independent six year old who currently attends Vision Australia Education Centre in Burwood. The Vision Australia Board announced last week that at the end of 2009, the school will be closing its doors to the 18 full-time and 40+ part-time children who attend this school. 
The Board says that every child should have the right to attend school in a mainstream setting, and will be assisting the children integrate into a mainstream school. I wholeheartedly agree that every child should have the right to attend a mainstream school.  However, not every child has the capability of attending a mainstream school. Maddison is a twin who was born 9 week premature and suffered a brain haemorrhage at 3 days of age.  This haemorrhage caused cerebral palsy, a vision impairement, epilepsy, and hydracephlous (there is also some discussion over whether she has an intellectual disability). Maddie attended early intervention programs at numerous establishments, and during her Yooralla kindergarten year, it was discovered that she had, what we now know is, a condition called cortical vision impairment.

For Maddie, this means that she is unable to process 2-D images, eg. Books, TV, photographs etc.  She has some other vision conditions, but she is not legally blind. Prior to her enrolling into school, she had an assessment at the Eye and Ear Hospital to assess whether Maddie would be eligible for a visiting teacher who specialises in vision impairment, to attend any mainstream school that she would be enrolled in. 
However, because Maddie is not legally blind, she was ineligible for this service. We were then put onto the Vision Australia Education Centre in Burwood, who accepted her enrolment because of her vision impairment.  During this Prep year, we dual enrolled Maddison into a local primary school with her twin sister, so we could gauge her progression in a mainstream setting.  She attended this local school two days per week, whilst attending Vision Australia the remaining three days per week.  At Vision Australia, Maddie received physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, hydratherapy, art & music therapy, in addition to her being taught the mainstream educational curriculum by experienced teachers dedicated to teaching children with a visual impairment. 

We then set about obtaining funding for an integration aide for the mainstream school, and the Government granted funding for a part-time aide.  The mainstream school we enrolled Maddie in gave her a full-time aide for the two days she attended, because the school decided that due to her physical needs, she needed a full-time aide.  During this year at the mainstream school, Maddie was unable to participate in mainstream sports, or the academic work, as she was unable to see what was written.  The school tried its best to adapt to her needs, but the Government funding was inadequate to provide either training for the teacher and aide, or specialised equipment for her. We decided that for Maddison’s Grade 1 year in 2008, we would keep her full-time at Vision Australia because a mainstream setting did not work for her needs. As Maddie is mobile and verbal, a special development school like Dandenong Valley or Nepean, is inappropriate, as the majority of these children are in wheelchairs and non-verbal.

So, now we are losing the one school that has the capability of ensuring that Maddie reaches her full potential.  I am pleading with the Board of Vision Australia to reconsider its decision to close the doors on our children.  Surely another decision can be made to relocate its education services to another dedicated site, or alternatively on the grounds of a mainsteam setting.

Yours sincerely,
Leanne Woodman

An "open letter" to Vision Australia

An open letter TO VISION AUSTRALIA
October 27 2008 
My name is Graeme McGowan.

Congratulations! You and your wonderful organization have finally destroyed the last link with the ROYAL VICTORIAN INSTITUTE for the BLIND, a much loved and well known Victorian icon for over 140 years.

Just to tell you a bit about myself: I attended the RVIB nursery and school from 1953 to 1966 and then went to the Training Centre at St Kilda Road, where I learned piano tuning and repairing for two years.  In 1970, I secured full-time employment with Allans Music.  In 1981, I did further training in America at the School of Piano Technology for the blind in Vancouver, Washington State.  Since October, 1982, I have successfully run my own small business, sub contracting to a number of prestigious music companies, including Allans Music, Billy Hyde Music and Bernies Music Land, and currently have a large, thriving, private clientele part of which, I'm proud to say has been RVIB. 

Now that your organization has succeeded in "breaking" what the Institute did and stood for, it's obvious to me and many others that you no longer have any regard for those of us who have been totally blind all our lives.  Your main focus seems to be in aged care.  You now appear to have no interest whatsoever in the real needs of blind children and adults.  When I grew up, we had three totally blind teachers who became role models and mentors for all of us, and to this day we value and respect their hard work, huge commitment and their unstinting support.  The man who taught me piano tuning, Dick Sutcliff, was also blind.  He was a brilliant musician, a highly regarded piano tuner and for many years he directed the blind orchestra.  It's a very sad time for blind people and your organization has blatantly destroyed everything to do with blind children's welfare.

I recall last year your advertising for Carols by Candlelight specifically promoting the fact that funds raised from the event would benefit services for blind children. 
What has happened? 

With regard to the closure of our school, how do you honestly expect families to adapt and cope alone in the mainstream system without adequate educational and peer support? As I understand it, there will no longer be regular contact between blind children and their specialist teachers who have provided valuable information and feedback to families for over 40 years. 
How will blind children maintain contact with each other as in the Skills Program? All that good work has gone down the drain.  Many of these families have children with multiple disabilities. I can only imagine how the parents of these children must be feeling right now: ABANDONED, DISTRESSED, FRUSTRATED? People were given to understand the school would be relocated which now apparently will not be happening.  What right do you and your board of management have making these decisions without any consultation with the parents of these children, not to mention the general run of the mill blind people.  You have sold and closed St Kilda Road, and are in the process of closing 201 High Street, and the Burwood Special Education Centre.  What has happened to the funds from these property sales? I know many other blind people who are very distressed with the way your organization has gone about its destruction of the blind community throughout Victoria by closing down such wonderful facilities which have played an integral part in many of our lives for over a century.  In the long term, these radical changes will undoubtedly have a lasting and detrimental effect on education and recreational activities such as blind cricket, skiing and other social programs.  What happened to the saying: "From the cradle to the grave." Did you know that was one of RVIB's most famous statements? They actually tried to look after ALL blind people.  Are we living in the past?  No.  I don't think so.  At one time, there was the factory where any blind person could basically walk in and start work until something more satisfactory could be found.  As you would no doubt be aware, employment is becoming more and more challenging and difficult for blind people today.  In closing, I would suggest you and your board of management take a long, hard look at what you are planning because if you don't, I fear there will be a tremendous backlash from the general public, and I, for one, hope there is. 

I intend raising public awareness with regard to your destructive decision-making policies by widely circulating this letter.  You must take notice of what people are saying because if you don't, your organization will not, and cannot  last in its present state.  Graeme McGowan.