Your education

Hi
Taught at a special school for the blind, or school public? What are your impressions related to education? Whether the choice of school was good? Let also what country you are, because there may be differences.

I was always integrated, meaning that I studied with sighted people. It had its' own advantages and disadvantages too, because I think even if I learned everything properly, I'm not sure if I could do everything on my own, which they learn at special blindy schools. And I feel a bit out of the blind community since most of them here in Hungary studied in special schools, moreover, in the same school, so they know eachother much better. I live in a small town really far from Budapest, so that's a disadvantage as well. I'm planning to open a bit and go to study in Budapest at university, but because of that I didn't learn everything, my parents don't want to allow me to open for the world. I'm not sure about how it'll go, though, but as much as people bash integration, it has its' good and bad sides.

I've been going to schools for sighted people all my life in the UK. Once this year is done though I'll be going to a school for the blind. Every school I've gone to has been able to provide what I need so no complaints here.

well, the experience I had in Germany was that there are special Schools for the blind and visually impaired. The groups of students usually consisted of a maximum of 10 people. I was at "Grundschule" first, which could be translated as elementary school or primary school in English I believe. Then, I went to "Gymnasium". I happen to know you have this word in Polish as well in a school sense, from a video of Marta from the "marticore" channel (Highly recommend!)but I don't really get the hang of what it means in Polish. In Germany, basically it's the highest level of secondary education you can get. When I went to Gymnasium, the Blista in Marburg, which is the only one for all blind and visually impaired people living in the German speaking area, which doesn't include just Germany, but also Austria and the german-speaking parts in Switzerland, I also had to get used to living in a boarding school, because two hours by car back and forth every day? No thanks! But yes, the situation is very similar to that in primary school as far as the grouping is concerned. I just love being here, because the people are all really lovely here, which wasn't always the case in primary / elementary school.
There are 13 school years, and I'm in year 11 now. If there were loads of people which were in the same school year, you'd devide the groups, so you get like 7a, 7b etc. From year 1 to 7, I used paper and the eurotype braille writer to do my work, but now, I'm only using a computer, and believe me, that's soooooooo much better! You don't have to carry as much stuff, because it's just data on your hard drive!
So yeah, that's my experience.

I went to a school for the blind in south africa. There hasn't been any kind of integration, at least not that I know of. I don't no nowadays

Hello dears! my name is den, I'm from Russia. I'm 28 years old, I graduated from a boarding school for the blind, and quite happy.

Well seens 6th year old I was in blind school here in my country, and now I"m in thearth year of university with sighted people. in first place I was a bit skeptic and wasn't thinging about that studdying and hanging out with sighted people over my age is that fun, but here it is so. I love it.

i BRIEFLY WENT TO A SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND, BUT MY MOHER DIDN'T LIKE THAT FOR ME. sO, IN FIRST YEAR, WHICH IS THEFIRST FORM OF PRIMARY SCHOOL HERE, i STARTED TO GO TO A MAINSTREAM SCHOOL. fROM TH TO NOW, i'M IN MIXD SCHOL. i'M THE ONLY VISUALLY IMPAIRED PERSON IN MY CLASS ATM. sO, i HAVE AN AIDE WHO WRITES MY NOTES FOR ME, BECAUSE i CANT SEE ON THE BOARD. tHE GOVERNMENT PROVIDES THEM FREE OF CHARGE. i ALSO TAE NOTES ON MY COMPUTER SO i CAN DO MY OWN REVIION. i'M IN FORM 2 RIGHT NOW, AND IN ABOUT A YEAR, i'M GOING TO DO THE REGIONAL EXAM, ie, THE EXAM IS CARIBBEAN WIDE. i'M FROM TRINIDAD BTW

I have always received education together with sighted students, and never regretted that
I reside in Kocaeli, a major city right next to İstanbul where such opportunities are much more adequate and common.
My opinion is that one may have not only physical but also psychological difficulties adapting to the real world after spending years in isolation in an environment designed specifically for them.

I think some schools for the blind are better than others, better teachers and so on. Although the same could be argued for sighted schools, which is why you get the public and private schools.

Right, but what I actually mean is, based also on my own observations, those studying at blind schools may become arrogant or selfish. They often study at those schools because their families just hate them and wish them to be far from themselves. And if one always stays with the blind, they may also be unable to communicate effectively with the sighted, guess how they would react to certain things, and act appropriately and respectfully.

in my country it's the opposite. children who study in special schools for blind are more independent, and better react to everything that happens, and communicate with others somehow calmer. because children who study in sighted schools can hardly do anything themselves, even for example in the eighth grade. Inclusion is probably not very well realized in my country

So may I ask where you are from?
--Cytat (mariya):
in my country it's the opposite. children who study in special schools for blind are more independent, and better react to everything that happens, and communicate with others somehow calmer. because children who study in sighted schools can hardly do anything themselves, even for example in the eighth grade. Inclusion is probably not very well realized in my country

--Koniec cytatu

yes, it's ukrain

I see...

Exactly, that's happening in Hungary too.

-- (Enes):
Right, but what I actually mean is, based also on my own observations, those studying at blind schools may become arrogant or selfish. They often study at those schools because their families just hate them and wish them to be far from themselves. And if one always stays with the blind, they may also be unable to communicate effectively with the sighted, guess how they would react to certain things, and act appropriately and respectfully.

--

How unfortunate!
Well, I think this one could be a nice research topic for anyone studying psychology or anything similar.

I can't say I noticed any arrogance at least with the school I went too. Although I guess that is something a person can find all over.

I live in Istanbul and I went to a mainstream school all my life. In Turkey, our generation (who are born in the year 1999 or above) become very aarrigant in the blind school, though those people who are born in the 1980's or below, they know everything about life, despite having been to blind schhol. I say this because, for example, in the team talk servers, it is this way. And those who go to the blind school know each other and their teachers very well.

I don't have much experience with TeamTalk, but my observations also support yours. Still, another factor to be taken into consideration is generation. People in general were actually more humble, sincere, caring and helpful back then. And in Turkey, many people, and of course the disabled in particular, lacked many opportunities even until roughly a decade ago. But now the excessive comfort and prosperity makes the blind unaware of the past and all the hardships that the elderly had been going through.
--Cytat (fatih):
I live in Istanbul and I went to a mainstream school all my life. In Turkey, our generation (who are born in the year 1999 or above) become very aarrigant in the blind school, though those people who are born in the 1980's or below, they know everything about life, despite having been to blind schhol. I say this because, for example, in the team talk servers, it is this way. And those who go to the blind school know each other and their teachers very well.

--Koniec cytatu