New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired

{{Infobox school

| name = New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired

| image = New Mexico School for the Blind Harry Ditzler auditorium.jpg

| imagesize =

| caption = Harry Ditzler Auditorium on the Alamogordo campus

| streetaddress = 1900 N. White Sands Blvd.

| city = Alamogordo

| state = New Mexico

| zipcode = 88310

| country = United States

| coordinates = {{coord|32.91321|-105.95882|display=inline,title|type:edu}}

| superintendent = Patricia Beecher

| accreditation = NCA CASI

| team_name = Golden Bears

| established = 1903

| homepage = http://www.nmsbvi.k12.nm.us

}}

The New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (Braille: ⠝⠍⠎⠃⠧⠊) 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).

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).

{{cite book |last1=McDonald |first1=Barbara |title=Weavers of a Tapestry of Time: 1903–2003: One Hundred Years at the New Mexico School for the Visually Handicapped |year=2002 |publisher=Bennett Printing |location=Alamogordo, New Mexico |oclc=52996400 }}{{Rp|2}}

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.{{Rp|3}} The city of Alamogordo and the county of Otero donated {{convert|20|acre|m2}} of land for the school, and the land was cleared and construction begun.{{Rp|4}} The Institute first opened its doors in September 1906 with a class of 21 students.{{Rp|5}}

In 1949 the New Mexico Legislature passed a bill for a $300,000 bond to build a residence for the superintendent and an administration building.{{cite news|title=$300,000 School for Blind Bond Issue Passes, Sent to Governor|newspaper=Alamogordo News|date=1949-03-10|volume=52|issue=10|page=1}} - [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82477130/for-nm-school-for-the-blind/ Clipping] from Newspapers.com.

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.{{Rp|67}}

The school was renamed the New Mexico School for the Blind in 1925,{{Rp|18}} the New Mexico School for the Visually Handicapped in 1954,{{Rp|41}} and the New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired in 2004.

{{cite web |title=Minutes, New Mexico School For The Blind & Visually Impaired Board Of Regents Regular Meeting, 12 November 2004 |url=http://www.nmsbvi.k12.nm.us/Minutes/2004%20Minutes/Minutes%2011%2012%202004.doc |publisher=New Mexico School For The Blind and Visually Impaired |format=Microsoft Word |date=2004-12-17 |access-date=2009-06-20}}

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.{{Rp|17}}

{{cite book |last1= Townsend |first1= David |last2 = McDonald |first2 = Clif |title= Centennial: Where the Old West Meets the New Frontier |publisher= Alamogordo/Otero County Centennial Celebration |location= Alamogordo, NM |isbn= 978-1-887045-05-6|year= 1999}}

{{cite news |first=Karl |last=Anderson |title=Daughter of state icon was icon in her own right |work=Alamogordo Daily News |location=Alamogordo, New Mexico |oclc=10674593 |date=2008-01-27 }}

She composed the school song.{{Rp|14}}

{{cite web |title=NMSBVI Programs; NMSBVI School Song by Elizabeth Garrett |url=http://www.nmsbvi.k12.nm.us/content/programs.htm |date=2009-05-19 |publisher=New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired |access-date=2009-06-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090322014752/http://www.nmsbvi.k12.nm.us/content/programs.htm |archive-date=2009-03-22 }}

She was vice-president of the school's Board of Regents in 1931 and 1932.{{Rp|95}} The girls' dormitory, built in 1963, is named after her.{{Rp|53}}

Organization

Organizationally the state's "special schools", including NMSBVI, are placed within the New Mexico Higher Education Department.

{{cite web |title=Updates from the Cabinet Secretary of Higher Education |url=http://hed.state.nm.us/cms/kunde/rts/hedstatenmus/docs/530857775-10-04-2006-13-07-05.htm |date=2006-10-03 |publisher=State of New Mexico, Higher Education Department |access-date=2009-06-25 }}{{dead link|date=February 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

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.

{{cite press release |title=Land Commissioner Transfers State Trust Lands to the School For The Blind And Visually Impaired for New Pre-school |publisher=New Mexico State Land Office |date=2006-10-23 |url=http://www.nmstatelands.org/uploads/News/2006/2006_1023NMSBVH.pdf |access-date=2009-06-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716122407/http://www.nmstatelands.org/uploads/News/2006/2006_1023NMSBVH.pdf |archive-date=2011-07-16 }}

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.{{Rp|95–96}}

{{cite web |title=New Mexico State Land Office: About Us |url=http://www.nmstatelands.org/default.aspx?PageId=44 |publisher=New Mexico State Land Office |access-date=2009-06-21}}

The State of New Mexico pays the tuition and most living and educational expenses of students who are New Mexico residents.

{{cite web |title=Student/Family Handbook 2006/2007 |url=http://www.nmsbvi.k12.nm.us/downloads/2006-2007%20Student%20Handbook%20final%20revision.pdf |publisher=New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired |date=2006-06-26 |access-date=2009-06-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005154955/http://www.nmsbvi.k12.nm.us/downloads/2006-2007%20Student%20Handbook%20final%20revision.pdf |archive-date=2011-10-05 }}

Campuses

The school serves about 800 students throughout New Mexico, through the Alamogordo campus, the pre-school, and the outreach programs.{{Rp|272}}

{{cite news |first=Diana |last=Jennings |title=NMSBVI serves 800 students across New Mexico |work=Alamogordo Daily News |location=Alamogordo, New Mexico |oclc=10674593 |page=4A |date=2005-12-16 }}

=Alamogordo campus=

The main campus is located at 1900 North White Sands Boulevard in Alamogordo, New Mexico.

{{cite web |title=NMSBVI Contact Information |url=http://www.nmsbvi.k12.nm.us/content/contact.htm |date=2009-05-18 |publisher=New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired |access-date=2009-06-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090322014737/http://www.nmsbvi.k12.nm.us/content/contact.htm |archive-date=2009-03-22 }}

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,{{Rp|102}} and renamed the Paul and Lois Tapia Building in 2006.

{{cite web |title=Minutes, New Mexico School For The Blind & Visually Impaired Board Of Regents Regular Meeting, 16 March 2006 |url=http://www.nmsbvi.k12.nm.us/Minutes/2006%20Minutes/Minutes%2003%2016%202006.doc |publisher=New Mexico School For The Blind and Visually Impaired |format=Microsoft Word |date=2006-04-20 |access-date=2009-06-20}}

{{cite news |first=Ruthie |last=Ford |title=Paul and Lois Tapia building dedicated |work=Alamogordo Daily News |location=Alamogordo, New Mexico |oclc=10674593 |page=2A |date=2006-03-29 }}

Four of the campus buildings are listed in the National Register of Historic 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.{{cite web |title=National Register of Historic Places; NPS Focus |url=http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov |publisher=United States National Park Service |quote=search by Geographic Location, State and City: New Mexico, Alamogordo |access-date=2009-06-25 |archive-date=2008-07-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725123211/http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/ |url-status=dead }}

=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.

{{cite news |title=Project Update - New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired |work=Albuquerque Journal |page=C2 |date=2007-12-18 }}

The ribbon-cutting for the new campus was held January 15, 2009.

{{cite web |title=Minutes, New Mexico School For The Blind & Visually Impaired Board Of Regents Regular Meeting, January 14, 15, 2009 |url=http://www.nmsbvi.k12.nm.us/Minutes/2009%20Minutes/Minutes%2001%2014%202009.doc |publisher=New Mexico School For The Blind and Visually Impaired |format=Microsoft Word |date=2009-04-16 |access-date=2009-06-24}}

Curriculum

The Alamogordo campus serves grades K-12.{{Rp|33}} It is a residential campus, with students whose home is outside Otero County living on-campus.{{Rp|43}} Those who live in the county are day students, and the school provides transportation to and from their homes each school day.{{Rp|46}} Residential students go home each weekend in a bus or airplane provided by the school.{{Rp|49}}

NMSBVI is accredited by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement.{{cite book |title=New Mexico Blue Book 2007–2008 |url=http://www.sos.state.nm.us/sos-bluebook.html |access-date=2009-06-21 |publisher=New Mexico Secretary of State |pages=253–274 |chapter=Education Section |chapter-url=http://www.sos.state.nm.us/BlueBook2008/EducationSection.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081129051906/http://www.sos.state.nm.us//sos-bluebook.html |archive-date=2008-11-29 |url-status=dead }}{{Rp|272}}

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.{{Rp|67}} Today students in the academic track attend most classes in the local school system (Alamogordo Public Schools).

{{cite news |first=Diana |last=Jennings |title=NMSBVI students attend classes on and off campus |work=Alamogordo Daily News |location=Alamogordo, New Mexico |oclc=10674593 |page=4A |date=2006-01-20 |quote=Our students who are on an academic track attend most of their required courses, such as science, English, math, history, etc., at the 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.

{{cite web |title=Curriculum at NMSBVI Residential Campus |url=http://www.nmsbvi.k12.nm.us/content/curriculum.htm |date=2007-03-22 |publisher=New Mexico School For The Blind and Visually Impaired |access-date=2009-06-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005155127/http://www.nmsbvi.k12.nm.us/content/curriculum.htm |archive-date=2011-10-05 }}

NMSBVI uses 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 microcomputers.{{Rp|69–72}}

The school sport teams, the Golden Bears, compete in the South Central Association of Schools for the Blind,

{{cite web |title=NMSBVI Programs - Residential Program Information |url=http://www.nmsbvi.k12.nm.us/content/residential.htm |date=2007-03-22 |publisher=New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired |access-date=2009-06-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100207095125/http://www.nmsbvi.k12.nm.us/content/residential.htm |archive-date=2010-02-07 }}

and NMSBVI is a member school of the New Mexico Activities Association.

{{cite web |title=Member Schools: NMSVH |url=http://www.nmact.org/schools?sid=99 |publisher=New Mexico Activities Association |access-date=2009-06-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090420012133/http://www.nmact.org/schools?sid=99 |archive-date=2009-04-20 }}