Oklahoma School for the Blind

Audio:
Young girl: I love to read!
High School boy: I’m the quarterback!

Various students: The Oklahoma School for the Blind and the Oklahoma School for the Deaf have high academic standards, outreach programs and free specialized training. Stuff we can’t learn anywhere else! Find out more, call the School for the Blind at 1-877-229-7136. Call the School for the Deaf at 1-888-685-3323. Brought to you by the Oklahoma Department for Rehabilitation Services.

Video Description: The public service announcement shows multiple images that look like a scrapbook with text and graphics on the pages. 

Screen #1 shows several images of a young girl. A video of her says, “I love to sing!” 

Screen #2 shows an OSD football player. A video of him says “I’m the quarterback!” 

Screen #3 shows images of fingers on braille, a trophy, OSB cheerleaders, and a teenage boy with sunglasses and a white cane who says “The Oklahoma School for the Blind.” 

Screen #4 shows a young student with glasses, a cheerleader, a young girl and young boy signing, and a teacher and student playing a card game in a classroom with the words “The Oklahoma School for the Deaf.” 

Screen #5 shows students in a science lab, a student looking through a microscope lens, a teacher and four students with braille typewriters, fingers typing on the braille typewriter and a video of a student who says “high academic standards.” 

Screen #6 shows an adult giving a student an eye exam, a girl making a bed, male students studying in the library, an OSD cheerleader, a boy and girl walking, a girl working at a pizza restaurant, students playing basketball with the words “Outreach Programs.” 

Screen #7 shows an adult training a student to walk with a cane. A student wearing sunglasses closely reading a computer screen. Two students in chef hats preparing food and hands cutting celery. Two students with a teacher in a computer lab and a student in sunglasses who say the words “Specialized Training”. 

Screen #8 shows an OSD cheerleader signing, two cheerleaders performing, OSB band students playing horns, a student using an iPad and braille device, fingers reading braille on a keyboard, a teenage girl with glasses and the words “Just for Us.” 

Screen #9 shows OSB Jazz Band students playing horns, a young girl waving a sheet of paper, fingers reading braille, a boy with sunglasses and a video of a teenage girl who says words that also appear on screen: “Call the Oklahoma School for the Blind at 1-877-229-7136.” 

Screen #10 shows a boy with a hearing aid, a teacher helping a student write on the white board, a girl signing in a classroom and a student who signs, “Call Oklahoma School for the Deaf at 1-888-685-3323.” DRS logo. Opening Doors to Opportunity, Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services.

Laquanna Sango, Senior: I love OSB things like – everything. I like everything about it, the food, the teachers, the way they help us, our accommodations.

Voice over (VO): Located in Muskogee, the Oklahoma School for the Blind, also known as Parkview School, offers education programs, free of charge, for children with vision loss.

Students may live on campus during the week, commute from home or attend summer school programs.

Russell Rowland, Sophomore: What I like about going to school here is that the teachers – not only do they assist us but they teach us how to be independent in college. The school also provides us with the technologies that we will be needing in college. They teach us how to use them.

VO: Children from preschool age through high school benefit from small class sizes and individual instruction from highly skilled and dedicated educators.

Faye Miller, OSB teacher: OSB is the perfect environment for students with vision loss, because we have the expertise and we have the equipment here at our school to provide them with individualized instruction and really work on areas of concept development that they may not get using traditional methods.

VO: Students follow a fully accredited academic program and get instruction in areas specifically designed for people with vision loss.

Sango: I like the teachers. I like the teachers because they help us and they are sensitive to our needs. They help us with whatever problems we go through.

Valarie Wilson, OSB Life Skills Teacher: I’ve seen them grow from being kind of shy and backwards about their impairment to actually standing forth and saying this is what I need and this is what I can do just give me the chance.

VO: The Oklahoma School for the Blind provides thousands of free outreach services each year for students attending local public schools and their families.

Qualified staff provide evaluations, in-service training for teachers and recommendations for classroom modifications that help students reach their full potential.

Renee Miller, OSB Outreach: The outreach services here at the school for the blind, provide consultation, resources, and support services for individuals, professionals that work with students that are visually impaired.

Jana House, mother of Lauren, OSB Student: With the help of OSB, we feel like she’s been able to make leaps and bounds already. With their continued help, we know that she will be able to be a successful person.

Copyright 2008 Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services.