LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Students are now back on campus at the Kentucky School for the Blind. KSB, which serves blind and visually impaired students from across the state, started in-person learning again on March 1 after nearly a year of Nontraditional Instruction (NTI).
Sophomore KSB student, Gracie Smith, said it was hard to stay motivated while learning online away from her friends.
“It was really stressful trying to do things online. It was hard to keep track of, especially when teachers use so many formats to get things out to me. It was also really hard to try to adapt because there were a lot of obstacles I found,” Smith said.
Virtual learning was a challenge for all students across the Commonwealth. Teacher Becky Spies said, despite that challenge, her students did a great job. She wants others to know how resilient they are.
“There were some additional hurdles. But it is fewer than people imagine it would be. I get a lot of people asking how can they do Zoom calls if they don’t have vision? It’s amazing what they can do without vision. They can still get on Zoom calls. They still get on camera,” Spies said.
That's a message Gracie wanted to share as well.
“I think it’s really important for a lot of people to understand that it is not impossible for students with visual impairments to use technology," Smith said. "People don’t seem to grasp that we have a lot of other ways of adapting. I think it is important to realize we are just as capable as anyone else is.”
Principal Peggy Sinclair-Morris said KSB is about so much more than just the traditional classwork.
“We focus a lot on what is called expanded core curriculum, which are those additional things such as assistive technology, orientation, and mobility, daily living skills, recreation, and leisure. We can really do some intense focus on those in addition to the academics kids need,” Sinclair-Morris said.
That's why it was so important to her to come up with proper safety strategies, so they could bring students back.
“I almost cried because that’s the reason I came back to the school having worked here previously. I came back to be around the kids and just to see them and how excited and happy they were,” Sinclair-Morris said.
Students come to this school from around the state. Gracie, for example, travels from Hardin County. She says it takes her about an hour to commute. Other students travel even further, which is why they live on campus for part of the week. Sinclair-Morris said KSB has adjusted dorms so that there is only one student per room to keep up with social distancing.
Since Gracie's friends live all over the Commonwealth, she hadn't seen many of them since last March. That's why the return in-person was so special
“It’s good to be able to see my friends again because being social really helps me to stay motivated to want to do things and playing sports. Sports are a really big motivation for me that I get to start again next week, so that’s really exciting,” Smith said.
She plans to participate in track and field and cheerleading this year. She said it was hard to go a year without sports because it is a huge motivator for her to stay focused in school. With this small return to normalcy, Gracie is looking forward to brighter days ahead.