New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Encyclopedia
The New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired is a state special education
school with a residential campus
in Alamogordo, New Mexico
and a preschool in Albuquerque, New Mexico
. It operates outreach programs throughout the state.
The school has operated under several names: New Mexico Institute for the Blind (1903–1925), New Mexico School for the Blind (1925–1954), New Mexico School for the Visually Handicapped (1954–2004), and New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (2004–present).
).
The school had difficulty attracting blind students, and William Ashton Hawkins, a member of the territorial legislature from Alamogordo
, introduced and succeeding in 1903 in securing passage of a bill to create the New Mexico Institute for the Blind, to be located in Alamogordo. The city of Alamogordo and the county of Otero
donated 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) of land for the school, and the land was cleared and construction begun. The Institute first opened its doors in September 1906 with a class of 21 students.
A preschool program was started in 1975, initially in Santa Fe
and Albuquerque
, but the Santa Fe program was soon discontinued and the Albuquerque program continues today.
The school was renamed the New Mexico School for the Blind in 1925, the New Mexico School for the Visually Handicapped in 1954, and the New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired in 2004.
Elizabeth Garrett, composer of New Mexico's state song O Fair New Mexico
and daughter of Sheriff Pat Garrett
, was blind and was a teacher at the school from 1907 to 1915.
She composed the school song. She was Vice-President of the school's Board of Regents
in 1931 and 1932. The girls' dormitory, built in 1963, is named after her.
As of 2009 the NMSBVI Superintendent is Linda Lyle.
The school is a land grant institution, with nearly 90% of its operating costs paid by income from lands held in trust for it by the New Mexico State Land Office.
The land was granted to New Mexico
by the Federal Government
through the New Mexico Organic Act
of 1850, the Ferguson Act of 1898, and the 1912 Enabling Act
.
The State of New Mexico pays the tuition and most living and educational expenses of students who are New Mexico residents.
.
Most of the old buildings on the main campus have been razed since World War II
. The oldest surviving building is the original Teachers' Cottage, built in 1918, and renamed the Paul and Lois Tapia Building in 2006.
Four of the campus buildings are listed in the National Register of Historical Places: the Administration Building (now the Paul and Lois Tapia Building), the Auditorium and Recreation Building (Harry Ditzler Auditorium), the Central Receiving Building, and the Infirmary Building.
. The campus had been located at 230 Truman NE for many years, and groundbreaking for this new campus occurred on December 17, 2007.
The ribbon-cutting for the new campus was held January 15, 2009.
, with students whose home is outside Otero County
living on-campus. Those who live in the County are day students
, and the school provides transportation to and from their homes each school day. Residential students go home each weekend in a bus or airplane provided by the school.
NMSBVI is accredited by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement.
With the passage of the mainstreaming law (P.L. 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act
of 1975), the school sent some students to public school classes as well as their classes at NMSBVI, and started making equipment, materials, and staff available to all New Mexico schools. Today students in the academic track attend most classes in the local school system (Alamogordo Public Schools
).
In addition to the academic curriculum, students take an "expanded core curriculum" that includes additional skills needed by the visually impaired, such as social interaction skills, career education, technology, independent living, and independent travel.
NMSBVI has been a leader in using assistive technology
. It was one of the first public schools of any type to make widespread use of the Internet
, and by 1996 it had a campus network of more than 100 microcomputer
s..
The school sport teams, the Golden Bears, compete in the South Central Association of Schools for the Blind,
and NMSBVI is a member school of the New Mexico Activities Association
.
Special education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...
school with a residential campus
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
in Alamogordo, New Mexico
Alamogordo, New Mexico
Alamogordo is the county seat of Otero County and a city in south-central New Mexico, United States. A desert community lying in the Tularosa Basin, it is bordered on the east by the Sacramento Mountains. It is the nearest city to Holloman Air Force Base. The population was 35,582 as of the 2000...
and a preschool in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
. It operates outreach programs throughout the state.
The school has operated under several names: New Mexico Institute for the Blind (1903–1925), New Mexico School for the Blind (1925–1954), New Mexico School for the Visually Handicapped (1954–2004), and New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (2004–present).
History
Education for the blind started in New Mexico in the 1893–1894 school year at the state Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb (the present-day New Mexico School for the DeafNew Mexico School for the Deaf
The New Mexico School for the Deaf is a state-run school in Santa Fe, New Mexico, providing education for deaf and hard-of-hearing students from preschool through grade 12...
).
The school had difficulty attracting blind students, and William Ashton Hawkins, a member of the territorial legislature from Alamogordo
Alamogordo, New Mexico
Alamogordo is the county seat of Otero County and a city in south-central New Mexico, United States. A desert community lying in the Tularosa Basin, it is bordered on the east by the Sacramento Mountains. It is the nearest city to Holloman Air Force Base. The population was 35,582 as of the 2000...
, introduced and succeeding in 1903 in securing passage of a bill to create the New Mexico Institute for the Blind, to be located in Alamogordo. The city of Alamogordo and the county of Otero
Otero County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*72.7% White*3.5% Black*6.7% Native American*1.2% Asian*0.2% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*4.2% Two or more races*11.2% Other races*34.5% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
donated 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) of land for the school, and the land was cleared and construction begun. The Institute first opened its doors in September 1906 with a class of 21 students.
A preschool program was started in 1975, initially in Santa Fe
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
and Albuquerque
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
, but the Santa Fe program was soon discontinued and the Albuquerque program continues today.
The school was renamed the New Mexico School for the Blind in 1925, the New Mexico School for the Visually Handicapped in 1954, and the New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired in 2004.
Elizabeth Garrett, composer of New Mexico's state song O Fair New Mexico
O Fair New Mexico
"O Fair New Mexico", the state song of the U.S. state of New Mexico was officially selected in 1917. It was adopted as the state song by an act of the New Mexico legislature, approved on March 14, 1917, as signed by Governor Washington E. Lindsey. The author, Elizabeth Garrett, was the daughter of...
and daughter of Sheriff Pat Garrett
Pat Garrett
Patrick Floyd "Pat" Garrett was an American Old West lawman, bartender, and customs agent who was best known for killing Billy the Kid...
, was blind and was a teacher at the school from 1907 to 1915.
She composed the school song. She was Vice-President of the school's Board of Regents
Board of Regents
In the United States, a board often governs public institutions of higher education, which include both state universities and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual colleges and universities, or both. In general they operate as...
in 1931 and 1932. The girls' dormitory, built in 1963, is named after her.
Organization
Organizationally the state's "special schools", including NMSBVI, are placed within the New Mexico Higher Education Department.As of 2009 the NMSBVI Superintendent is Linda Lyle.
The school is a land grant institution, with nearly 90% of its operating costs paid by income from lands held in trust for it by the New Mexico State Land Office.
The land was granted to New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
by the Federal Government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
through the New Mexico Organic Act
Organic Act
An Organic Act, in United States law, is an Act of the United States Congress that establishes a territory of the United States or an agency to manage certain federal lands. The first such act was the Northwest Ordinance, enacted by the Congress of the Confederation in 1787 in order to create the...
of 1850, the Ferguson Act of 1898, and the 1912 Enabling Act
Enabling Act
The Enabling Act was passed by Germany's Reichstag and signed by President Paul von Hindenburg on 23 March 1933. It was the second major step, after the Reichstag Fire Decree, through which Chancellor Adolf Hitler legally obtained plenary powers and established his dictatorship...
.
The State of New Mexico pays the tuition and most living and educational expenses of students who are New Mexico residents.
Campuses
The school serves about 800 students throughout New Mexico, through the Alamogordo campus, the pre-school, and the outreach programs.Alamogordo campus
The main campus is located at 1900 North White Sands Boulevard in Alamogordo, New MexicoAlamogordo, New Mexico
Alamogordo is the county seat of Otero County and a city in south-central New Mexico, United States. A desert community lying in the Tularosa Basin, it is bordered on the east by the Sacramento Mountains. It is the nearest city to Holloman Air Force Base. The population was 35,582 as of the 2000...
.
Most of the old buildings on the main campus have been razed since World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The oldest surviving building is the original Teachers' Cottage, built in 1918, and renamed the Paul and Lois Tapia Building in 2006.
Four of the campus buildings are listed in the National Register of Historical Places: the Administration Building (now the Paul and Lois Tapia Building), the Auditorium and Recreation Building (Harry Ditzler Auditorium), the Central Receiving Building, and the Infirmary Building.
Albuquerque campus
A satellite campus that houses the Early Childhood Program and the outreach programs is at 801 Stephen Moody Street SE in Albuquerque, New MexicoAlbuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
. The campus had been located at 230 Truman NE for many years, and groundbreaking for this new campus occurred on December 17, 2007.
The ribbon-cutting for the new campus was held January 15, 2009.
Curriculum
The Alamogordo campus serves grades K-12. It is a residential campusBoarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
, with students whose home is outside Otero County
Otero County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*72.7% White*3.5% Black*6.7% Native American*1.2% Asian*0.2% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*4.2% Two or more races*11.2% Other races*34.5% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
living on-campus. Those who live in the County are day students
Day school
A day school—as opposed to a boarding school—is an institution where children are given educational instruction during the day and after which children/teens return to their homes...
, and the school provides transportation to and from their homes each school day. Residential students go home each weekend in a bus or airplane provided by the school.
NMSBVI is accredited by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement.
With the passage of the mainstreaming law (P.L. 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act
Education for All Handicapped Children Act
The Education for All Handicapped Children Act was enacted by the United States Congress in 1975. This act required all public schools accepting federal funds to provide equal access to education and one free meal a day for children with physical and mental disabilities...
of 1975), the school sent some students to public school classes as well as their classes at NMSBVI, and started making equipment, materials, and staff available to all New Mexico schools. Today students in the academic track attend most classes in the local school system (Alamogordo Public Schools
Alamogordo Public Schools
Alamogordo Public School District is a school district that serves the communities of Alamogordo, High Rolls, Holloman Air Force Base, Mountain Park, and La Luz and portions of unincorporated Otero County in the state of New Mexico.-Elementary schools:...
).
In addition to the academic curriculum, students take an "expanded core curriculum" that includes additional skills needed by the visually impaired, such as social interaction skills, career education, technology, independent living, and independent travel.
NMSBVI has been a leader in using assistive technology
Assistive technology
Assistive technology or adaptive technology is an umbrella term that includes assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities and also includes the process used in selecting, locating, and using them...
. It was one of the first public schools of any type to make widespread use of the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, and by 1996 it had a campus network of more than 100 microcomputer
Microcomputer
A microcomputer is a computer with a microprocessor as its central processing unit. They are physically small compared to mainframe and minicomputers...
s..
The school sport teams, the Golden Bears, compete in the South Central Association of Schools for the Blind,
and NMSBVI is a member school of the New Mexico Activities Association
New Mexico Activities Association
The New Mexico Activities Association is a nonprofit organization that regulates interscholastic programs for junior and senior high schools in New Mexico. It hosts the statewide sports championship games each year...
.