Ohio State School for the Blind (OSSB or OSB) is a school located in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

, United States. It is run by the

Ohio Department of Education The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) is the administrative department of the Ohio state government responsible for primary and secondary public education in the state. The Ohio State Board of Education is the governing body o ...

for blind and

visually impaired Visual or vision impairment (VI or VIP) is the partial or total inability of visual perception. In the absence of treatment such as corrective eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment, visual impairment may cause the individual difficul ...

students across Ohio. It was established in 1837, making it the nation's first public school for the visually impaired. Institution for Education of the Blind

The Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind building was constructed in 1874 in downtown Columbus on Parsons Ave. Later it became the headquarters for the Ohio State Highway Patrol, and is now home to the Columbus Public Health offices. In the early 1900s, the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind became known as the Ohio State School for the Blind. In the mid-1950s the school moved to its current location at 5220 N. High St on the ground of a defaulted

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...

. Over its history, the school has seen a vast change in its population and demographics, originally housing a majority of single disability student to now educating students with a variety of abilities. In the basement of the school sits a vast collection of

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin , . Models can be divided in ...

s that were constructed and purchased over time, of various

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

s around the United States that blind students may not be able to see with their eyes but instead could examine with their

hand A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the Koala#Characteristics, koala (which has two thumb#O ...

s. While the majority of the models were constructed of quality material, there are some that have been neglected and damaged over the years. And have such been repaired and sit in the lobby of the newly built building. In recent years, a discussion has gained popularity about combining the school with the

Ohio School for the Deaf The Ohio School for the Deaf is a school located in Columbus, Ohio. It is run by the Ohio Department of Education for deaf and hard-of-hearing students across Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwes ...

, creating a single state funded school for both blind and deaf students. Camps from both sides have argued both for and against this idea. Opponents say it will destroy each other's way of life. After several months of research, the state of Ohio decided to keep the Ohio State School for the Blind and the Ohio State School for the Deaf each on their own campus. The Ohio State School for the Blind

marching band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who play while marching. Historically they were used in armed forces and many marching bands remain military bands. Others are still associated with military units or emulate a military sty ...

was formed in 2005 to provide music and

halftime In several team sports, matches are played in two halves. Half-time (also written halftime or half time) is the name given to the interval between the two halves of the match. Typically, after half-time, teams swap ends of the field of play in or ...

shows for the Ohio School for the Deaf

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

program and is the only blind marching band in the country. It is alternatively known as The Best Blind Band In The Land. It is now directed by Yolanda Johnson, assisted by Jeff Schneider. The Ohio State School for the Blind made history on January 1, 2010, when they marched in the 2010

Tournament of Roses Parade A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. The group is the first blind marching band in the event's 121-year history. The marching band was awarded with the National Citation of Excellence from national music fraternity,

Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (legally Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America, colloquially known as Phi Mu Alpha, PMA, or simply Sinfonia) () is an American collegiate social Fraternities and sororities, fraternity for men with a special interest ...

Notable alumni include educator Eleanor Gertrude Brown (class of 1908), who went on to earn a Ph.D. from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in 1934, jazz legend

Rahsaan Roland Kirk Rahsaan Roland Kirk (born Ronald Theodore Kirk; August 7, 1935Kernfeld, Barry.Kirk, Roland" ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'', 2nd ed. Ed. Barry Kernfeld. ''Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Grove Music Online''. ''Grove Dictionary of M ...

and actor/comedian Troy Hammond.

References

External links

Ohio State School for the Blind
(archived) {{authority control Schools in Columbus, Ohio Schools for the blind in the United States Educational institutions established in 1837 Public high schools in Ohio Public middle schools in Ohio Public elementary schools in Ohio Public K–12 schools in the United States Public boarding schools in the United States Boarding schools in Ohio Clintonville (Columbus, Ohio) Education in Franklin County, Ohio High schools in Franklin County, Ohio Disability in Ohio

See also

References

External links