Brief Historical Overview

 

The following is a brief overview of some of the historical significance that WSSB played in providing and improving services to blind and visually impaired children since establishment in 1886.  Some of early terminology may be offensive, but this was accepted terms used in the 19th century.

 

·        1861 - Governor Turney asked the territorial legislature to enact a measure which would provide for the care of the physically and mentally disabled youth.

  • February 3, 1886 – legislation passed which established the Washington School for Defective Youth (for the education of deaf, blind and feeble-mined children).

o       Section 1:    established the name of the school

o       Section 2:    free to the residents of Washington Territory

o       Section 3:    located in Vancouver, in Clarke County

o       Section 5:    under management of a 5 member board of trustees,

              nominated by the Governor and confirmed by the Council

o       Section 7:    the board of trustees shall have completed control over

    the school

o       Section 13:  make up of the 5 member board must include at least one

    educator, one physician and one lawyer

o       Section 22:  financial and official year of the school shall begin first day

   of July and end on the June 30th

o       Section 25:  Director must be a competent educator of defective youth,

    not under 30 or over 70 and would be required to live on  

    campus

o       Section 26:  Director responsible for the daily operation of the School

    and report to the board of trustees

o       Section 27:  Directors beginning salary established at $900 per year

o       Section 28:  Board of trustees can remove the director with a 2/3rds

    vote of the board

o       Section 30:  Board has the power to expel youth for good cause

o       Section 32:  The board has the power to except students from outside

                                  the Washington Territory

o       Section 33:  School calendar school begin the second Wednesday in

    August of each year and end the last Wednesday in May

    of each year.

  • 1886 - 1st Rev. McFarland hired to help establish the school – moved

Rev. McFarland and a class of deaf students from Tacoma to    Vancouver

  • 1887   Superintendent James Watson hired
    • Property for the school was donated by citizens in Vancouver with an estimated value of $5,000 (current location of the School f/t Deaf)

 

  • 1887 – First blind student (Harry Applegate – Tacoma)
  • 1889 – Washington becomes a state
  • March 3, 1890 – Washington legislature under the suggestion of Superintendent Watson, established a compulsory education law for defective youth.     
  • 1891 – Land purchased for the establishment of a separate school

                   for the feeble minded (current location of WSSB)

o       1905 – Mentally disabled program moved to Medical Lake, Washington

o       1906 – Thomas Clarke hired as Superintendent in charge of School for   

  the Deaf and Blind

·        School governed by the Board of Controls

·        School for the Blind moved onto current campus

·        1906 – First blind pupil to graduate from the Washington School

 for Defective Youth received his B.A. from the University

 of Washington (1906), M.A. at Harvard (1907) – Robert Irwin 

 became first President of the American Foundation for the Blind in

1923

·        1908 – Question asked as to whether the Schools for the Deaf and Blind

  should be under the Dept. of Education.  A decision was made

  that the Dept. of Education does not operate school and therefore    

  the school should stay under the direction of the Board  of

  Controls

·        1913 – Law creating a separate School for the Blind

·        1913 -  W.B. Hall hired as the first superintendent for the School for the

       Blind. (previous supt. at the Kansas School f/t Blind)     

·        1915 – First adult summer school program provided a WSSB

§         1915 – Supt. Hall dies,

·        1915 -  Sadie Hall becomes superintendent

·        1920 -  Herbert Chapman is hired as superintendent

o       stronger emphasis on academics along with manual training programs

o       establishment of kindergarten program

·        1924 – First High School graduating class at the School for the

       Blind.

·        1926 -  Herbert Chapman dies

·        1926 -  Jeanne Chapman is hired as superintendent.

o       Active integration program with Vancouver School District

·        1934 – Study conducted on outcomes of first 10 years of the high school

  program. (Don Donaldson – masters thesis – 1938, University of

  Washington)   51 diplomas awarded (24 women, 27 men)

·        24 - pursued higher education

·        remaining students employed in various occupations including home-making

·        1946- Ms. Marian Grew – hired as superintendent

o       Elimination of many of the manual skills training programs

§         Began development of a cottage concept

·        1955 – Mr. Byron Berhow – hired as superintendent. 

o       Developed cottage concept

o       Building expansion – Cottages, Irwin Education and

Kennedy building

§         Expanded on campus programs, including programs for the multiply disabled

§         Hired first trained O&M specialist - 1972

·        Dept. of Health (later - Dept. of Health and Social Services provide oversite)

·        1973 – Dr. Roy Brothers hired as superintendent

o       Low Vision Clinic Program

o       Larger emphasis placed on independent living

o       Increased numbers of severe/profound disabled children on campus as part of Dept. of Social and Health Services de-institutionalization.

o       Increased emphasis on Career Development and work experience

o       1981 – Consolidated services formed

o       1981 – Weekend transportation for most children

·        1986 – WSSB becomes a separate state agency, Trustees appointed by    

      the Governor, confirmed by the Senate.  School reports directly to

      the Governor’s Office

o       1987 – Development of 24 hour IEP

o       Partnership with outside organizations like YMCA begins

o       1989 – WSSB becomes accredited by Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges (NWASC)

·        1990 – Dr. Dean O. Stenehjem hired as superintendent

o       Expansion of outreach services (growth from 1990 – 2002, - 540% increase in the number of students served)

o       Expansion of outside partnerships

o       1990 - Major strategic and future direction planning occurs

§         Development of effective partnerships

§         Increased emphasis on parental involvement

§         Emphasis on WSSB as a hub of service delivery for the state

§         Strengthen 24 hour programs, increased emphasis on independent living

§         Emphasis on high expectation for students (intensive short-term placement)

§         Vision loss needs to be a primary disability (does not preclude the full range of students)

§         Increased effort on the development of partnerships with a wide variety of organizations and agencies throughout the state and country

§         Development of creative solution for program improvement through on-campus and outreach services with involvement of all stakeholders

o       Campus-wide future plan implemented with major remodeling of most buildings on campus and the addition of new facilities.

·        1993 – Braille Access Center Developed as partners with State Department of Printing

o       1st state to have Braille on demand for blind consumers

o       Over 8 million pages of Braille produced by 2003

·        1993 – Technology Resource Center for the Blind established on WSSB Campus.

o       Training and equipment loan to districts

·        1995 – Instructional Resource Center moved to the WSSB campus

o       Expansion of services for LEA blind/visually impaired children

·        1996 – Prison Braille Transcription Program developed

·        1997 – Braille Bill passes legislature

·        1998 – Low Vision Task Force (statewide partnership) funding from Lions

    and various other partners begins

·        2003 – Distance Learning (Digital Learning Program)