The New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (
Braille
Braille (Pronounced: ) is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired, including people who are blind, deafblind or who have low vision. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille disp ...
: ⠝⠍⠎⠃⠧⠊) is a state
special education
Special education (known as special-needs education, aided education, exceptional education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, or SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates th ...
school with a
residential campus in
Alamogordo, New Mexico and a
preschool
A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary sch ...
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).
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 Deaf).
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The school had difficulty attracting blind students, and William Ashton Hawkins, a member of the territorial legislature from
Alamogordo
Alamogordo () is the seat of Otero County, New Mexico, United States. A city in the Tularosa Basin of the Chihuahuan Desert, it is bordered on the east by the Sacramento Mountains and to the west by Holloman Air Force Base. The population was ...
, 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 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.
In 1949 the
New Mexico Legislature
The New Mexico Legislature ( es, Legislatura de Nuevo México) is the legislative branch of the state government of New Mexico. It is a bicameral body made up of the New Mexico House of Representatives and the New Mexico Senate.
History
The N ...
passed a bill for a $300,000 bond to build a residence for the superintendent and an administration building.
A
preschool
A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary sch ...
program was started in 1975, initially in
Santa Fe and
Albuquerque
Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...
, 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 the United States, a board often governs institutions of higher education, including private universities, state universities, and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual c ...
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.
The school is a
land grant institution
A land-grant university (also called land-grant college or land-grant institution) is an institution of higher education in the United States designated by a state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890.
Signed by Abraha ...
, with nearly 90% of its operating costs paid by income from lands held in trust for it by the
New Mexico State Land Office
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...
.
The land was granted to
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...
by the
Federal Government through the New Mexico
Organic Act
In United States law, an organic act is an act of the United States Congress that establishes a territory of the United States and specifies how it is to be governed, or an agency to manage certain federal lands. In the absence of an organ ...
of 1850, the Ferguson Act of 1898, and the 1912
Enabling Act
An enabling act is a piece of legislation by which a legislative body grants an entity which depends on it (for authorization or legitimacy) the power to take certain actions. For example, enabling acts often establish government agencies to carr ...
.
The State of New Mexico pays the tuition and most living and educational expenses of students who are New Mexico residents.
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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 Mexico.
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]
Most of the old buildings on the main campus have been razed since
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. 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 Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
: 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 Mexico.
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 campus, 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
The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (sometimes referred to using the acronyms EAHCA or EHA, or Public Law (PL) 94-142 was enacted by the United States Congress in 1975. This act required all public schools accepting federal funds to p ...
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
The Alamagordo Municipal School District No. 1, also the Alamogordo Public School District or Alamogordo Public Schools (APS), is a school district that serves the communities of Alamogordo, High Rolls, Holloman Air Force Base, Mountain Park, and ...
).
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
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
, and by 1996 it had a campus network of more than 100
microcomputers.
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
The New Mexico Activities Association (NMAA) 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.
History
NMAA was or ...
.
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Notes
External links
New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
{{authority control
Schools for the blind in the United States
School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico
Educational institutions established in 1903
Schools in Otero County, New Mexico
Schools in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Public elementary schools in New Mexico
Public middle schools in New Mexico
Public high schools in New Mexico
Public K-12 schools in the United States
Public boarding schools in the United States
Boarding schools in New Mexico
1903 establishments in New Mexico Territory
National Register of Historic Places in Otero County, New Mexico