Ohio has been a leader in educating the blind since 1837 when it established the first public school for the blind. Today, it is called The Ohio State School for the Blind, and there are other specialized schools around the state preparing the visually impaired for productive lives.
Class Discussion Questions:
1) Using the braille alphabet, write your first and last name.
2) Gabe stated that the Ohio School for the the Blind and the Ohio School for the Deaf are examples of how the Ohio state government cares for citizens with special needs. What other examples can you identify?
Read the Script:
Have you ever noticed signs in the hallways at school that have tiny bumps on them? These spots are not by accident. That's called braille, a raised alphabet of dots that blind people use to read with their fingers.
Being able to read signs and even whole books is an important aspect of school and education. And it just so happens that Ohio has been a leader in educating blind students since the early 1800s.
See, in the United States in the 1800s, there were a few private schools for blind students but Ohio State Government established the first public school for the blind in 1837. This meant that any blind child who lived in Ohio could go there. The school was located in Columbus which is also where Ohio's first school for the deaf opened last than 10 years before. These two schools are an example of how Ohio's government cared for citizens with special needs.
By the early 1900s, The Ohio Institute for the Education of the Blind became The Ohio State School for the Blind, which is still its name today. Yep, it's still around. And nowadays people often refer to it simply as OSSB.
Back in 1908, the superintendent of OSSB was named Edward Van Cleve. He wanted people to know that the school prepares students to be productive citizens capable of leading meaningful lives after they graduate. In a Sandusky speech, he talked about an eight year old students named Harry.
[Voiceover] "He knows how to read with his fingers. "He will later be taught how to re-seat chairs with cane, "to make fancy or useful baskets. "Perhaps Harry will have musical taste and talent "and will begin the study of piano. "Our school has sought to train him, "not to forget that he is blind, "but to refuse to believe that the being blind "should prevent him from accomplishment of worthy work."
[Gabriel] The belief that blind people should have the same opportunity as everyone fueled the work of other organizations in Ohio too.
Near Cincinnati, the Trader sisters, Georgia and Florence opened the Clovernook Home for The Blind in 1903. The sisters wanted to provide a place for blind adults to be able to make a living by doing work like weaving, broom making, and printing braille books. While no one lives at Clovernook anymore, the center has expanded a lot since 1903. And it continues to support the blind and visually impaired. In fact, it's one of the largest producers of braille in the world today.
Not to be outdone by Cincinnati or Columbus, the Cleveland Society for The Blind was established in 1906. This organization helped provide braille instruction for students in Cleveland public schools so they could be educated in their own community. The Society also helped blind people find jobs, and it advocated for laws to help the blind. Today, it is known as the Cleveland Sight Center. And it too continues to provide many important programs and services to Ohio's blind and visually impaired population.
So the next time you notice braille, you can remember, how important it is to the blind population and how important those folks are to us.