Sharon,
I didn't attend the Indiana school, but I visited there when we were
competing against them in track.  I attended the Michigan School for
the Blind and it was really awesome.  We had almost 40 acres and
everything was wide open.  The sidewalks were wide and the edge was
ruffled.  Those who needed them, were encouraged to use canes.  The
only thing that was not allowed was leader dogs.  Hey, that could
have been really cool though, I guess.  Anyway, it was really a top
notch school and now the state of Michigan is selling it off.  It's
really sad, but it was a very positive experience in my life.  I'm
sorry that you can't say the same.
Kathy


At 07:34 PM 12/29/2005, you wrote:
>Kathy,
>
>you mean when you had to walk from one building to another, all you had to
>do was follow the tunnels?  I wish it had been that way at my school.  I
>attended the Idaho State School for the Blind in a town called Gooding.  It
>was about 53 miles from my farm home.  I wasn't always happy there, because
>they did not have good mobility instruction, and there were a couple of
>routes where I was afraid I would get lost and never see my parents again.
>They didn't even let us use canes, although the instructor did show me the
>basic of using it a couple of times in a building, at my parents' request I
>think.  The worst route was from the dorm to an old school building.  At
>first, you walked down a sidewalk which had a crack that you could follow
>with your feet.  Then you got onto the blacktop, and there was nothing to
>follow, at least, nothing that I knew about.  Most of the time I managed to
>get someone to take me.  Apparently because of this fear, I threw up many
>times.  They would either put me in the infirmory, or my mom would come and
>take me home.  I remember her taking me to the doctor and having to drink
>dye or something so they could X-ray my tummy or something.  The principal
>talked with me about it, but I was afraid to tell him the whole truth.  I
>remember being there for only one Christmas season.
>
>My mom noticed that I was degressing in my education and not moving forward
>as much as the school promised, and that I was not looked after completely
>physically, so she, along with some other parents who were dissatisfied,
>eventually rescued me.  I started public school when I was 10, and went into
>the third grade, where things were much better.  I'm glad that's over.
>
>Sharon