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Within the category of poetry chapbooks, John Lee Clark's SUDDENLY SLOW is one of the hottest bestsellers out there. Order your own copy and find out why! Autographed copies are available at http://www.clercscar.com/books

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THE FIGHT TO SAVE FSDB
Douglass Bullard
Words: 549
[Essay]

The year was 1988, the same year as the Deaf President Now! protest at Gallaudet University. Even during these successful days for the Deaf, plans were being made to close the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind. Only ten years previously FSDB had an enrollment of over 900 students. By 1988 the number had dropped below 300, and legislators were preparing to close this venerable school.

The President of the Florida Association of the Deaf, Warner St. John, and I made plans on a rally at the Capitol in Tallahassee, but first we knew we had to do our homework. I was the legislative liaison for the FAD and went directly to the representative and state senator from the county where FSDB is located, and asked them to tell us what was causing the rapid decline in enrollment. We learned the three things most responsible:

1. FSDB was not allowed to advertise itself anywhere.

2. Local school districts were not required to inform parents of options other than the local school.

2a. The Federal Dept. of Education paid every school $20,000 for every deaf pupil, which gave the local school a good incentive not to let parents know of any other options.

3. In most school districts, the IEP for each student was done by a local audiologist or speech therapist. In short, done by people with no knowledge or understanding of the unique educational needs of deaf children.

Quickly, Warner and I worked with the local House representative and state senator to prepare three bills.

1. FSDB to be allowed to "make itself known."

2. Every school district must let parents know of ALL schools for the deaf child.

3. The IEP for every deaf child must be done by a certified teacher of the deaf.

Then, during the spring legislative session of 1989, we organized a magnificent protest that drew busloads of deaf people from all around Florida. Hundreds marched around the Capitol and met with their representative or senator. Newspapers from all around the state of Florida published articles about this, and for once, quoted us accurately. We distributed copies of the fine COED book about educational needs of the deaf by Frank Bowe among the legislators to help them realize the vital importance of a real school for the deaf.

The result was all three bills passed and were signed by the Governor! The requirement that the IEP be done by a certified teacher of the deaf meant that the local school districts had to contact FSDB to send them a teacher to do the IEP, for the simple reason most of the school districts did not have a certified teacher of the deaf.

Happily, FSDB quickly grew to 750 within a few short years, and now is full and has to turn away students. Many parents, upon learning about FSDB through the IEP, moved to St. Augustine so their kids could enjoy the benefits of both a genuine school for the deaf and home life with their parents.

I wrote this article in the hope that other state organizations of the deaf may be encouraged to fight to save their state schools. Already all too many have shut their doors. Hopefully we will witness a return of more schools of the deaf.

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This first appeared in The Tactile Mind Weekly. The late Douglass Bullard was the author of the novel Islay.

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