Today, alongside Israeli educators visiting the United States, Executive Director, Lindsay Harvey, and Toddler Teacher, Abigail Bartalini, toured the Perkins School of the Blind located in Watertown, MA.
The experience, in one word, was amazing.
The tour began with a history on the original founders of the school - dating back to the 1800s!
We learned how deaf and/or blind students were first taught to read and write; we were able to see and touch the original tools Perkins' students used to practice writing in straight lines. We were informed the first thing students are taught to write is their signature... With our eyes closed, we practiced reading letters using our sense of touch, which was incredibly difficult!
...It is amazing just how much the blind must depend on trust to function successfully in society. For example, a blind person making a purchase must trust the cashier is returning the correct - and honest - amount of change. Although the blind have a system for organizing their money by worth, there is no way to know if indeed a five dollar bill is in fact a five dollar bill... The texture of all bills feel consistent to the blind; and American dollars are not yet marked with Braille... Simply fascinating; something we had never considered.
We also learned Perkins was the first school to open a kindergarten for young children who are blind!
More importantly, we learned about Perkins' first deaf-blind students - trailblazers - such as Laura Bridgman: the first successfully educated deaf-blind child. At one point in history, Laura - next to the Queen of England - was the second most famous woman in the world... Noteworthy persons in history, such as Charles Dickens, traveled to America just to see Laura. Today, she is forgotten by most... But it is interesting to note that without Laura, Hellen Keller - a student after Laura's time - may have never learned how to communicate... It was Laura - not Hellen - who proved that the deaf and the blind are able to learn.
Following Perkins' history, those touring paired up in groups of two... And with blindfolds, we were able to experience firsthand just what it is like not only to be blind, but have to trust a guide beside you to keep you safe. Those acting as the guides were challenged and had to safely guide those blindfolded into another room - then attempt to describe the never-before-seen room to the blindfolded! It was comical when our tour guide pointed out there was no need to describe the colors of the room - the blind have no concept of colors! Again, an eye-opening experience.
To those who have not yet toured the Perkins School of the Blind, we strongly suggest you do. The experience was not only educational, but inspiring.
One of our guest Israeli educators, who previously toured the Orchard House (home of Louisa May Alcott), the Concord Public Library, the Discovery Museum in Acton as well as a variety of other early education centers in the Greater Boston Area, believed the tour of the Perkins School of the Blind was the most interesting, educational and inspiring considering she works with special needs students... The facilities and level of care offered at Perkins is just so incredible it needs to be experienced first hand, such as their interactive classrooms where deaf and/or blind students learn by touch.
For more information about Perkins School of the Blind and their history, visit http://www.perkins.org/about-us/history/.
Please take a moment to view our photos from our tour of the Perkins School of the Blind.
No comments:
Post a Comment