Miss-Delectable
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2004
- Messages
- 17,160
- Reaction score
- 7
Study suggests changes for deaf and blind school
A state task force is making recommendations for some minor changes at Utah's School for the Deaf and Blind.
The task force's report suggests the school should relocate its offices from Ogden to Salt Lake City and give an advisory council a stronger role in guiding the school superintendent, the Deseret News of Salt Lake City reported ( Task force proposes changes for Utah schools for deaf, blind | Deseret News).
"It was the feeling of the task force that we needed to more closely pull USDB into the State Office of Education," said Deputy State Superintendent Martell Menlove, who presented the findings to the Utah State Board of Education at a meeting Friday.
The education board formed the task force earlier this year. The board took no action at its meeting Friday but said it would further study the recommendations.
The report also suggests expanding the eligibility requirements for serving on the advisory council. Council members are appointed by the state school board, which by law serves as the school's governing body.
Current rules require that two of the council's members must be deaf, two must be blind and two must either be deaf and blind or the parent of a deaf and blind student, Menlove said. The report suggests that experts in the field of sensory disabilities could also serve a constructive role even if they don't have the disabilities themselves.
Philippe Montalette, president of the Utah Association for the Deaf, said through an interpreter that the council needs to have the perspective of deaf people in order to be effective.
"We as members of the deaf community, we went through the system. We are these children grown up," he said.
State budget data shows the school annually assists about 2,000 Utah students through three programs, including a residential program, self-contained classrooms and a student consultant program. The school, which was formed in the 1880s, also provides instruction materials for the hearing and visually impaired to other agencies.
Montalette said he can't support the task force's recommendations because the group failed to get input from people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
"The task force was all hearing. They didn't represent the deaf community," he said. "It's based on a biased understanding of what deafness is."
A state task force is making recommendations for some minor changes at Utah's School for the Deaf and Blind.
The task force's report suggests the school should relocate its offices from Ogden to Salt Lake City and give an advisory council a stronger role in guiding the school superintendent, the Deseret News of Salt Lake City reported ( Task force proposes changes for Utah schools for deaf, blind | Deseret News).
"It was the feeling of the task force that we needed to more closely pull USDB into the State Office of Education," said Deputy State Superintendent Martell Menlove, who presented the findings to the Utah State Board of Education at a meeting Friday.
The education board formed the task force earlier this year. The board took no action at its meeting Friday but said it would further study the recommendations.
The report also suggests expanding the eligibility requirements for serving on the advisory council. Council members are appointed by the state school board, which by law serves as the school's governing body.
Current rules require that two of the council's members must be deaf, two must be blind and two must either be deaf and blind or the parent of a deaf and blind student, Menlove said. The report suggests that experts in the field of sensory disabilities could also serve a constructive role even if they don't have the disabilities themselves.
Philippe Montalette, president of the Utah Association for the Deaf, said through an interpreter that the council needs to have the perspective of deaf people in order to be effective.
"We as members of the deaf community, we went through the system. We are these children grown up," he said.
State budget data shows the school annually assists about 2,000 Utah students through three programs, including a residential program, self-contained classrooms and a student consultant program. The school, which was formed in the 1880s, also provides instruction materials for the hearing and visually impaired to other agencies.
Montalette said he can't support the task force's recommendations because the group failed to get input from people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
"The task force was all hearing. They didn't represent the deaf community," he said. "It's based on a biased understanding of what deafness is."