Schools for the Blind

Teaching Students with Visual Impairments

SCHOOLS FOR THE BLIND

By: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com
updated April 27, 2019

The following is a list of schools for the blind throughout the United States. Most of the schools provide both residential and day programs as well as outreach programs. A number also provide excellent resources on blindness and visual impairments.

Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind

Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind is a residential school that also provides statewide services. In addition to information about the school, AIDB provides wonderful resources on their "Reference Desk" page.

Arkansas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired

Arkansas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired offers statewide educational programs and resources to students who are blind or visually impaired, birth through twenty-one, enabling them to become productive, self-sufficient citizens through the involvement of all students, staff, parents and the community.

Arizona State School for the Deaf and the Blind

Arizona State School for the Deaf and the Blind is a residential school that also provides statewide services.

The Los Angeles Blind Children's Center

The Los Angeles Blind Children's Center is an organization which serves children birth through second grade who are blind or visually impaired and their families in an inclusive setting.

Braille Institute

The Braille Institute is a nonprofit organization offers a variety of free programs, classes and services and outreach locations throughout Southern California.

California School for the Blind

California School for the Blind provides intensive, disability specific educational services for students enrolled in the school as well as statewide resources.

Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind

Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind provides comprehensive direct educational services for children, birth to age 21 as well as outreach programs for students, staff, and families in communities throughout Colorado.

Concordia Learning Center at St. Joseph's School for the Blind

The Concordia Learning Center at St. Joseph's School for the Blind provides comprehensive services to students with visual impairments and/or multiple disabilities from birth to age 21 years of age in New Jersey.

Florida School for the Deaf & the Blind

Florida School for the Deaf & the Blind In addition to information on their residential program and outreach program, the FSDB site provides resources specific to visual impairments.

Georgia Academy for the Blind

Georgia Academy for the Blind provides educational services to students and families throughout Georgia including day and residential programs on campus and outreach services.

The Governor Morehead School for the Blind

The Governor Morehead School for the Blind educates, advocates for, and provides resources for all North Carolina students with visual impairment, their families, and professionals who serve them.

Hadley School for the Blind

Hadley School for the Blind promotes independent living through lifelong, distance education programs for people who are blind or visually impaired, their families and blindness service providers. Offers over 100 distance education courses in four program areas: Adult Continuing Education, High School, Family Education and Professional Studies. Tuition-free for students who are blind or visually impaired and their family members. Modest tuition for professionals. Also provides free webinars on a variety of subjects of interest to people with vision loss and the professionals who work with them.

Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind

The Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind provides a full continuum of services for children who are Blind and Visually Impaired including a residential campus, education centers and clinical services for children age 3 to age 21.

Indiana School for the Blind & Visually Impaired

The Indiana School for the Blind & Visually Impaired provides residential as well as outreach services to children and young adults throughout the state who are blind or have low vision.

Illinois School for the Visually Impaired

Illinois School for the Visually Impaired provides statewide educational resources as well as a comprehensive educational program.

Iowa Educational Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired

The Iowa Educational Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired provides residential and outreach programs and resources to students who are blind or visually impaired.

Kansas State School for the Blind

The Kansas State School for the Blind is a special purpose school for students aged 3-21 years of age who are visually impaired. KSSB also provides statewide outreach services.

Kentucky School for the Blind

The Kentucky School for the Blind offers a residential and day program as well as outreach services throughout the state of Kentucky.

Wayfinder Family Services (formerly Junior Blind of America)

Junior Blind of America, located in California, offers educational programs as well as recreation and rehabilitation services.

Lavelle School for the Blind

The Lavelle School for the Blind, located in the Bronx in New York, integrates students who are blind and have multiple disabilities using a combination of developmental and functional strategies.

Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired

The Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired offers residential and day programs as well as outreach services throughout the state of Louisiana.

The Maryland School for the Blind (MSB)

The Maryland School for the Blind (MSB) is a private, statewide resource center providing outreach, school and residential programs to children and youth from infancy to age 21 who are blind or visually impaired.

Michigan Department of Education, Low Incidence Outreach

The Michigan Department of Education, Low Incidence Outreach provides technical assistance and resources to local service providers.

Mississippi School for the Blind

The Mississippi School for the Blind is designed to focus on the unique learning needs of children and youth with visual impairments or blindness, including those with additional disabilities. They offer residential and day programs as well as outreach services throughout the state of Mississippi.

Minnesota State Academy for the Blind

The Minnesota State Academy for the Blind provides educational services to blind and visually impaired students who range in age from birth to 21. It offers residential and day programs.

Missouri School for the Blind

The Missouri School for the Blind offers educational and outreach services for legally blind Missouri children from birth through age 21 and their families.

Montana School for the Deaf & Blind

The Montana School for the Deaf & Blind provides comprehensive educational opportunities for Montana's deaf, hard of hearing, blind, and visually impaired children. They offer a residential or day students on the Great Falls campus as well as outreach services.

Nebraska Center for the Education of Children who are Blind or Visually Impaired

The Nebraska Center for the Education of Children who are Blind or Visually Impaired provides services to children from birth to age 21. NCECBVI provides center-based and residential services along with an outreach program.

New Mexico School for the Blind & Visually Impaired

The New Mexico School for the Blind & Visually Impaired offers a continuum of services for children throughout New Mexico. It offers a residential program, family-Infant-toddler program, and outreach program.

New York Institute for special Education

The New York Institute for special Education is a private, nonprofit educational facility which provides programs for children who are blind or visually impaired.

New York State School for the Blind

The New York State School for the Blind provides specialized instruction and a full range of related, clinical and support services that are tailored to meet each student.

North Dakota Vision Services/ School for the Blind

North Dakota Vision Services/ School for the Blind provides center based programming and regionalized outreach services.

Ohio State School for the Blind

The Ohio State School for the Blind provides services to children from birth to age 21 throughout Ohio. They offer a residential or day program as well as an outreach program.

Oklahoma School for the Blind

The Oklahoma School for the Blind provides instruction to Oklahoma students in the residential and day program as well as outreach services.

Overbrook School for the Blind

The Overbrook School for the Blind offers a variety of programs for children of different ages and abilities including residential and day programs.

The Perkins School for the Blind

Perkins School for the Blind is a world-renowned school serving students who are blind, visually impaired and deafblind, from ages 3-22. Founded in 1829 as the first school for the blind in the U.S., Perkins is a progressive and multifaceted educational community committed to preparing children and young adults with the education, confidence and skills they need to realize their full potential. Perkins staff are experts in the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC), a disability-specific curriculum, specifically designed for children with visual impairment that helps them access core academics and address the social and independent living skills their sighted peers learn incidentally. Perkins also offers a continuum of education and services, including diagnostic evaluations, transition programs, Perkins’ elearning program for teachers and TVIs, and resources on Cortical Vision Impairment (CVI).

South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind

The South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind is a specialized school for students who are deaf or blind. The main campus is located in Spartanburg, but the school serves students throughout the state through its campus and outreach programs.

South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired

The South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired has been designated to provide a variety of services to meet the individual needs of students in South Dakota who are visually impaired, blind, or deaf-blind.

Tennessee School for the Blind

The Tennessee School for the Blind provides a residential program as well as an outreach program for students within the state of Tennessee.

Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired

The Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired provides a continuum of statewide placements for students who are blind or visually impaired ages 6 through 21. It also provides statewide resource to parents and professionals through transition from school. TSBVI publishes a number of resources a wide range of topics. They have a comprehensive web site with many resources for children with visual impairments, their families, their families, and the professionals who collaborate with them. Provides curriculum/publications and the See/Hear Newsletter.

Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind

The Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind provides a variety of educational services and options to meet the needs of students throughout Utah including residential and day programs and outreach services.

Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind

The Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind provides an array of specialized services including residential and day options as well as outreach services.

Washington State School for the Blind

The Washington State School for the Blind provides specialized educational services to visually impaired and blind youth ages birth to 21 within the state of Washington.

Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children

The Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children provides residential services to students who are blind or visually impaired as well as outreach services and programs to babies, toddlers and school-age students with visual impairments attending thier local schools.

West Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind

The West Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind provides students with specialized programs including residential programs and outreach programs.

Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired

The Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired is a residential school and also provides outreach services to students throughout Wisconsin.

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TVI's Guide Complete Set Bundle + BONUS Resources

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TVI’s Guide to Teaching the ECC: An Activities Based Curriculum for Teaching Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired
The TVI’s Guide to Teaching the ECC is a digital pdf available for download. It is designed specifically for fellow itinerant Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI’s), and consists of over 400 activities and topic areas of discussion for instructing students in the Expanded Core Curriculum. The activities are age-neutral and multi-sensory and therefore can meet the needs of the broad range of students served on an itinerant caseload serving. The activities can be individualized to the students various learning modalities and scaffold in order to challenge students but ensure success. Select those activities that align with the student’s learning objects based on the student’s unique visual needs and academic and developmental level. In addition to the core activity areas, each of the 32 Thematic Units incorporates additional unique ECC concepts and skills providing you with a years’ worth of activities. These units are cyclical and can be used repeatedly to help students build on prior knowledge and develop a deeper understanding of concepts. Each unit includes suggestions for activity adaptation associated with the unit. These include lists of objects, possible community-based experiences, environmental print, poems, children & young reader books, children's songs, pop culture songs, movies, and websites.

In addition to the book, the following two supplements are included:
·      TVI’s Guide to the ECC Concept Checklist
·      TVI’s Guide to the ECC Activities Checklist

For complete product details and additional images, visit the TVI's Guide product page.

TVI's Guide to the ECC Product details
·      Digital pdf download: 346 pages (11 pt font)
·      Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
·      Author: Carmen Willings
·      Language: English

Visual Efficiency & Near Magnifier Fluency Worksheets: TVI's Guide to the ECC Grab and Go Supplements
The Near Magnifier Fluency Worksheets is a Grab and Go supplement to the TVI's Guide to Teaching the ECC. This workbook is a pdf download that can be printed on demand for use with students. It contains five different types of worksheets for developing visual motor skills and near magnifier fluency skills particularly with the use of a video magnifier. As a companion to the TVI’s Guide to the ECC, the worksheets correspond to each of the 32 ECC Thematic units. The worksheets, along with a list of environmental print for each thematic unit, are designed to help students refine their visual motor skills while reinforcing ECC concepts presented in the thematic units.

For complete product details and additional images, visit the Visual Efficiency & Near Magnifier Product Page.

Visual Efficiency & Near Magnifier Fluency Worksheet Details:
·      Digital pdf download: 210 pages
·      Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
·      Author: Carmen Willings
·      Language: English

Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency and Maintenance Worksheets: A TVI’s Guide to Teaching the ECC Grab & go Supplement
The Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency and Maintenance Grab and Go ECC worksheet packet is a print on demand workbook that contains worksheets in print and simulated braille to use for data collection. Present the student with a hard braille copy and use the worksheets to document accuracy and fluency in reading braille. As a companion to the TVI’s Guide to the ECC, the worksheets correspond to the ECC Thematic activities presented in the curriculum guide. These word lists and sentences will help the student refine their keyboarding or braille reading skills while bridging ECC concepts presented in the thematic units. Although the lists and passages can be produced using a manual braillewriter, you may also copy and paste the passages into any braille translation software for quick production on an embosser. They may also be entered into a typing program such as APH’s Talking Typer to build keyboarding fluency.

For complete product details and additional images, visit the Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency & Maintenance Product Page

Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency Worksheet Details:
·      Digital pdf download: 338-page print and simulated braille worksheets
·      Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
·      Author: Carmen Willings
·      Language: English

Thematic Vocabulary Cards and Checklists: Grab & Go ECC Supplement
The Thematic Vocabulary Cards and Checklists Grab and Go ECC supplement is a 446 page pdf downloadable print on demand workbook that includes 2940 vocabulary card on 3 1/2" x 2" templates divided by each of the 32 Thematic Units along with a checklist of each unit words in print and simulated braille. As a companion to the TVI's Guide to the ECC, the vocabulary cards correspond to the ECC Thematic activities presented in the curriculum guide.

Additional Use:
Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments can have a extremely varied caseloads. It is possible to go several years without having a student on your caseload who requires braille instruction. Like other skills, if you do not practice your braille regularly, it is easy to lose those skills. Use these checklists and cards to maintain your braille skills. Fold the checklist along the line dividing the print from the braille. Choose to either read the print and produce the word in braille using a braillewriter or read the simulated braille and decode it. Finally, these vocabulary cards and checklists may be used with family members or peers who are interested in learning and practicing the braille code.

For complete product details and additional images, visit the Thematic Vocabulary Cards & Checklists Product Page

Thematic Vocabulary Cards and Checklists Details:
·      Digital pdf download: 446-page print on demand resource
·      Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
·      Author: Carmen Willings
·      Language: English

BONUS!
Lotto Cards
The LOTTO Cards Grab and Go Supplement includes 37 theme related unit cards along with activity suggestions that support activities within the TVI's Guide to Teaching the ECC.

On My Way File Folder Cards
Print and use these cards to represent locations the student may visit that are related to the current thematic unit. Use these with the On My Way File Folder Game outlined in the TVI's Guide to Teaching the ECC p. 27.

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The Council of Schools and Services for the Blind (COSB) is a consortium of specialized schools and agencies in Canada and the United States whose major goal is improving the quality of services to children who are blind and visually impaired. Each year they hold their leadership institute that coincides with the APH Annual Conference.