Ohio State School for the Blind
Encyclopedia
Ohio State School for the Blind is a school located in Columbus, Ohio
, United States
. It is run by the Ohio Department of Education for blind
and visually impaired students across Ohio. It was established in 1837, making it the nation's first public school for the visually impaired.
The Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind was originally constructed in 1837 in downtown Columbus on Parsons Ave, it once was the headquarters for the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Now the original location is home to the Columbus Public Health offices. In the early 1900s, the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind became known as the Ohio State School for the Blind. In the mid 1950's the school moved to its current location at 5220 N. High St on the ground of a defaulted golf course
. Over its history, the school has seen a vast change in its population and demographics, originally housing a majority of single disability student to now handling almost 75% multi-handicapped people.
In the basement
of the school sits a vast collection of model
s that were constructed and purchased over time, these models are of various monument
s around the United States that blind students may not be able to see with their eyes but instead could examine with their hand
s. While the majority of the models were constructed of quality material, there are some that have been neglected and damaged over the years.
In recent years, a discussion has gained popularity about combining the school with the Ohio School for the Deaf
, creating a single state funded school for both blind and deaf students. Camps from both sides have argued both for and against this idea. Opponents say it will destroy each others way of life. After several months of research, the state of Ohio decided to keep the Ohio State School for the Blind and the Ohio State School for the Deaf each on their own campus. They will each move into new school buildings on the existing grounds in 2011.
The Ohio State School for the Blind marching band
was formed in 2005 to provide music and half-time
shows for the Ohio School for the Deaf football
program and is the only blind marching band in the country. The Ohio State School for the Blind will make history on January 1, 2010 when they will march in the 2010 Tournament of Roses Parade
in California
. The group will be the first blind marching band in the event's 121-year history. The marching band was awarded with the National Citation of Excellence from national music fraternity, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is run by the Ohio Department of Education for blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
and visually impaired students across Ohio. It was established in 1837, making it the nation's first public school for the visually impaired.
The Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind was originally constructed in 1837 in downtown Columbus on Parsons Ave, it once was the headquarters for the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Now the original location is home to the Columbus Public Health offices. In the early 1900s, the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind became known as the Ohio State School for the Blind. In the mid 1950's the school moved to its current location at 5220 N. High St on the ground of a defaulted golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
. Over its history, the school has seen a vast change in its population and demographics, originally housing a majority of single disability student to now handling almost 75% multi-handicapped people.
In the basement
Basement
__FORCETOC__A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. Basements are typically used as a utility space for a building where such items as the furnace, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, car park, and air-conditioning system...
of the school sits a vast collection of model
Model (physical)
A physical model is a smaller or larger physical copy of an object...
s that were constructed and purchased over time, these models are of various monument
Monument
A monument is a type of structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, or simply as an example of historic architecture...
s around the United States that blind students may not be able to see with their eyes but instead could examine with their hand
Hand
A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered extremity located at the end of an arm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs...
s. While the majority of the models were constructed of quality material, there are some that have been neglected and damaged over the years.
In recent years, a discussion has gained popularity about combining the school with the Ohio School for the Deaf
Ohio School for the Deaf
Ohio School for the Deaf is a school located in Columbus, Ohio. It is run by the Ohio Department of Education for deaf and hard-of-hearing students across Ohio. It was established on October 16, 1829, making it the fifth oldest residential school in the country...
, creating a single state funded school for both blind and deaf students. Camps from both sides have argued both for and against this idea. Opponents say it will destroy each others way of life. After several months of research, the state of Ohio decided to keep the Ohio State School for the Blind and the Ohio State School for the Deaf each on their own campus. They will each move into new school buildings on the existing grounds in 2011.
The Ohio State School for the Blind marching band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
was formed in 2005 to provide music and half-time
Half-time
In some team sports such as association football and rugby, matches are played in two halves. Half-time is the name given to the interval between the two halves of the match...
shows for the Ohio School for the Deaf football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
program and is the only blind marching band in the country. The Ohio State School for the Blind will make history on January 1, 2010 when they will march in the 2010 Tournament of Roses Parade
Tournament of Roses Parade
The Tournament of Roses Parade, better known as the Rose Parade, is "America's New Year Celebration", a festival of flower-covered floats, marching bands, equestrians and a college football game on New Year's Day , produced by the non-profit Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association.The annual...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The group will be the first blind marching band in the event's 121-year history. The marching band was awarded with the National Citation of Excellence from national music fraternity, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia is an American collegiate social fraternity for men with a special interest in music...