At the Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind, a new playground and disc golf course aren’t just new recreational options for students.
They’re a reminder to the community that the Gooding-based programs are still running.
“We celebrate it as an icon of the continued existence of the campus school and the statewide services we provide,” Administrator Brian Darcy said.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the playground and disc golf course was held Wednesday at the Gooding campus.
Getting to the finish line for the project wasn’t easy.
State funding was authorized in 2006 for the project. But it didn’t move forward because “we never knew whether we’d exist as a school and in what form,” Darcy said.
A debate over the future of state services for deaf and blind students intensified in 2006. After a few years, reorganization was completed.
State legislators passed a bill in 2010 that established an independent governing board to oversee ISDB and its statewide outreach services.
Then, the project to construct a new playground and disc golf course finally moved forward. After a design process, construction started in fall 2011 and wrapped up this spring.
The disc golf course, Darcy said, helps expose students to an activity with a growing number of clubs for those who are deaf or hard of hearing.
“It gives us another opportunity to keep our kids into what’s trending,” he said.
The challenges
Monday marked the beginning of a new school year at the Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind.
About 85 students are enrolled at the Gooding campus. And nearly 1,400 children up to age 21 are receiving educational services statewide.
Darcy said state funding for services has declined more than $1 million since 2006, but there are nearly twice as many children being served.
And it isn’t always easy to find qualified employees.
“The need for teachers for blind and visually impaired students is still up there,” Darcy said.
There aren’t any university programs in Idaho to train teachers to work with those students.
But there are area schools — such as Idaho State University and Utah State University — with programs to produce teachers certified to work with deaf or hard of hearing students.
Darcy said school administrators are looking to create partnerships with other universities.
Some ISU and Utah State alumni have been hired at the Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind.
But there are still a couple of job openings this year, including a part-time position in Lewiston working with deaf and hard of hearing students.
“We’re hoping to go to the Legislature to turn that into a full-time position,” Darcy said, since there’s a growing population of students in need of services in the Lewiston area.
A new school year
On the first day of school Monday, about 40 parents tagged along with their child to the campus in Gooding.
“They got to experience the first day with them and meet their teachers,” Darcy said.
Parents also got to meet employees at on-campus cottages where out-of-area students live during the week.
For students, one change they can expect this school year is more iPads in classrooms.
Darcy said there are many applications available that provide visual ways of learning that are helpful for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.
The school’s special needs classroom also has a new sensory room, paid for through grant funding.
For children who have balance or sensory challenges, the room has equipment that can “help them develop gross and fine motor skills,” Darcy said.
