From: Don Steelman 
Subject: Re: Parents Fight Closing of Janesville School (fwd)
I am of two minds on this one.  On the one hand, I am not certain that
public school programs can offer the kind of primary training that blind
children need.  My own experience has been that training in Braille is
variable at best.  However, I certainly believe that there is a lot to be
said for the socialization these kids can only get when they go to school
with their friends and neighbors and when they live at honme.  I wonder
about this "freedom to be blind" that the article quoted one parent as
calling for.  Is that equivolent to the freedom to act blind which I
noticed so much in my nine years at the Texas School for the blind.  Is it
the freedom never to be able to relate to the world as your school friends
do in high school--the freedom to not only be different but to act
differently as well?  I hope not.
If we could get the best of both worlds out of this, I for one would be a
lot happier.  
I spent my last three high school years in public school and frankly
benefitted greatly from that experience.  How are we ever going to
integrate ourselves into the rest of society when we insist on
separateness?  I don't think we can.
Therefore, on balance, I think that the closure will be a long term benefit
to blind children in Wisconsin. Don Steelman
IF EVERYONE LIT JUST ONE LITTLE CANDLE, 
WHAT A BRIGHT WORLD IT WOULD BE.
	
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