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Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children | |
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Address | |
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201 North Bellefield Avenue , , , 15213 United States | |
Coordinates | 40°26′59″N79°57′11″W / 40.449806°N 79.953088°W |
Information | |
Established | 1887 |
Website | wpsbc |
Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children (WPSBC) is a private chartered school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania committed to nurturing the unique abilities of individuals with blindness and visual impairment. This multifaceted educational experience serves nearly 500 individuals ages 3 to 59 from 33 counties through on-campus school programs, A Child’s VIEW inclusive childcare, LAVI adult program, residential program and outreach services.
WPSBC is one of four chartered schools in Pennsylvania– along with the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf, the Overbrook School for the Blind and the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf.
The Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children (WPSBC) was chartered in 1887 by people who saw the need for children who are blind to receive specialized education and vocational opportunities. In 1894, the group built a permanent home for their school in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh. At first, the School offered three distinct curricula: academic, commercial and industrial.
As theories about educating individuals with visual impairments changed, the School stayed in the forefront of new practices. For example, when orientation and mobility instruction was introduced, the School quickly began to teach travel with a cane. Technological advances — from the Optacon print reading device and Kurzweil reading machine to recently developed computer learning tools and assistive technologies — have always been welcomed and integrated into the curriculum.
In 1984, after intense study and discussion, the School began to reorient the educational programs to serve the unique abilities of many individuals throughout western Pennsylvania with individualized and compassionate programming, filling a need that was not adequately served elsewhere. Now, the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children offers a model program with integrated education and therapy to provide students with unique opportunities for growth and development. In 2003, the School opened its Early Childhood Center, which was uniquely designed for working with young people of all abilities.
Outreach efforts — which began in 1981 with early intervention programming for infants and toddlers — were expanded exponentially in 2008 to include programs for school-aged students with visual impairment that attend their local school.
The beginning of the 2011–12 school year saw the establishment of continued services for adults ages 21 and over with a program called Learning Adventures for the Visually Impaired (LAVI). This program is unique among schools for young adults with visual impairments and fulfills a vital community need, while continuing to serve WPSBC graduates.
In 2012, the School embarked on an initiative to serve infants and toddlers through an inclusive childcare program. A Child's VIEW: Vision In Extraordinary Ways offers comprehensive childcare opportunities, for both children who are and are not visually impaired, from the ages of six weeks to five years.
The 2017–18 school year was marked by the addition of the campus Sky Bridge, which crosses over busy North Bellefield Avenue. This new campus connection created a safer, time-saving route between buildings for students, staff and visitors, providing complete accessibility to all parts of the campus.
Perkins School for the Blind, in Watertown, Massachusetts, was founded in 1829 and is the oldest school for the blind in the United States. It has also been known as the Perkins Institution for the Blind.
The Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind (FSDB) is a state-supported boarding school for deaf and blind children established in 1885, in St. Augustine, Florida, United States.
Beverly School for the Deaf is a school, established in 1876, for students from birth to age twenty-two who are Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing and/or have cochlear implants by providing language that is visually accessible via American Sign Language, written English, speech, and AAC/Assistive Technology. The school also serves students who have language issues caused by conditions such as autism spectrum disorder, pervasive developmental disorders, and cerebral palsy.
Oklahoma School for the Deaf (OSD) is a public residential school for the deaf and hard of hearing students ages 2 through 18. The school teaches K-12 students in Sulphur, Oklahoma, United States.
The Maryland School for the Blind (MSB) is a school in Baltimore for children and youth who are blind or Low-vision, including those with multiple disabilities.
The Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) is a Texas special public school, in the continum of statewide placements for students who have a visual impairment. It is considered a statewide resource to parents of these children and professionals who serve them. Students, ages 6 through 21, who are blind, deafblind, or visually impaired, including those with additional disabilities, are eligible for consideration for services at TSBVI.
The Tennessee Schools for the Deaf (TSD) is a state-operated residential and day school for deaf and hard-of-hearing students who reside in the state of Tennessee ranging from pre-kindergarten to grade 12 and also includes a Comprehensive Adult Program. The main campus is located in Knoxville, Tennessee within the historic Island Home Park neighborhood. There are two additional campuses serving elementary students in Nashville and Jackson.
The Nebraska Center for the Education of Children Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired (NCECBVI) is located in Nebraska City, Nebraska, United States. It was founded in 1875 and serves children from infancy to adults age 21. NCECBVI's program offers the expertise and specialized skills of the center's staff to blind, visually impaired, and other disabled students in residential, day, and outreach settings. Services are provided to local school districts, students, families, teachers, and other support staff, upon request. It was previously the Nebraska School for the Visually Handicapped (NSVH).
The Vermont Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, a non-profit organization, was the primary educational and support services resource for Deaf and Hard of Hearing residents in Vermont and surrounding areas. The Vermont Center, headquartered at Brattleboro’s Austin’s School For The Deaf, was launched by the Austine School in 1998 and operated until 2014. The Austine School was one of four independent schools and twelve outreach programs through which the Vermont Center assisted thousands of Deaf Vermonters.
Orientation and Mobility, or O&M, is a profession which focuses on instructing individuals who are blind or visually impaired with safe and effective travel through their environment. Individual O&M specialists can work for schools, government agencies or work as private contractors. The Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals (ACVREP) offers certification for vision rehabilitation professionals in the United States.
Wayfinder Family Services (WFS), Founded in 1953 as the Foundation for the Junior Blind and previously known as Junior Blind, is a United States-based nonprofit organization for services for the blind. The organization's mission is to help children and adults who are blind, visually impaired, or multi-disabled achieve independence. Located in Los Angeles, WFS offers individualized methods of early intervention, education, recreation, and rehabilitation to nearly 10,000 children and family members throughout California.
The New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired is a state special education school with a residential campus in Alamogordo, New Mexico and a preschool in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It operates outreach programs throughout the state.
The Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) is an agency of the government of Oklahoma responsible for providing people with physical, mental and visual disabilities with the opportunity to obtain employment and independent living through counseling, job training and other individualized services. DRS helps bridge barriers to success in the workplace, school and at home. DRS has five program divisions, Vocational Rehabilitation, Visual Services, Disability Determination, Oklahoma School for the Blind and Oklahoma School for the Deaf. These divisions operate dozens of specialized programs that help Oklahomans lead more independent and productive lives.
The Barber National Institute is a nonprofit, multi-faceted organization that provides services to more than 6,300 children, adults, and families who are faced with autism, intellectual disabilities, and behavioral health challenges. The institute's central facility was founded in 1952 and is located in Erie, Pennsylvania. The Barber National Institute now employs more than 3,000 staff members throughout the state.
The Vanguard School is an approved private school in Malvern, Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States, approximately twenty-two miles northwest of Philadelphia on the campus of Valley Forge Educational Services.
The Lighthouse of Houston is a private, non-profit education and service center dedicated to assisting blind and visually impaired people in the Houston, Texas metropolitan area to live independently. The Lighthouse serves approximately 9,000 people each year and is a member agency of the United Way of Greater Houston.
The Cleveland Sight Center (CSC) is a non-profit organization that provides services to individuals who are blind or visually impaired. Founded in 1906, it is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) and serves around 10,000 clients annually in Northeast Ohio. The organization also has radio-reading and community outreach programs that benefit a larger number of individuals.
The Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind (AIDB) is the world’s most comprehensive education, rehabilitation and service program serving individuals of all ages who are deaf, blind, deafblind and multidisabled. It is operated by the U.S. state of Alabama in the city of Talladega. The current institution includes the Alabama School for the Deaf, the Alabama School for the Blind, and the Helen Keller School of Alabama, named for Alabamian Helen Keller, which serves children who are both deaf and blind. E. H. Gentry Facility provides vocational training for adult students, and the institution offers employment through its Alabama Industries for the Blind facilities in Talladega and Birmingham. AIDB has regional centers in Birmingham, Decatur, Dothan, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, Opelika, Shoals, Talladega, and Tuscaloosa. AIDB currently serves over 36,000 residents from all 67 counties of the state.
The Council of Schools and Services for the Blind (COSB) is a consortium of specialized schools in Canada and the United States whose major goal is improving the quality of services to children who are blind and visually impaired.
Around 35,000 people in Belize have a disability. There are efforts to raise awareness about people with disabilities in Belize and counter social stigma. Several non-governmental organizations, including Special Olympics, help increase awareness and the government sponsors an annual Disability Week. Services for people with disabilities is limited and most areas of the country have limited accessibility.