Florida School For the Deaf & Blind

This is an incredible school! (I worked in the Blind department for 2 years.)
They really teach the students many life skills to allow them to look forward to an independent and fulfilling life. There is a lot of focus on abilities rather than impairments, and there is so much supportive community at the school and also in the town. Many skilled artists have graduated from FSDB because there is a great visual arts program (in the deaf department) and a wonderful music program (in the blind department). The kids from my classroom sang at a superbowl! AND, as you many know, Ray Charles also attended FSDB.
There is a lot going on there! With many carnivals, field trips, plays, art sales, et cetera. One of my favorite experiences was a play. The actors were all students, of different grade levels ranging from HS to elementary students — some deaf, some blind, and possibly a few that were both. The production was definitely child’s theater, and even though I am blessed with hearing and vision, I could see how the production was created to be exciting for both deaf and blind audience members. It was amazing! You could follow the entire plot visually or audibly. The kids really loved it.
If your child is deaf and/​or blind, this is one of the BEST schools for them. Many families relocate nearby so that their child can come home in the evenings. For other families that aren’t able to move closer to the town, many kids stay overnight. There is a (free) school bus that drives the kids on weekends who live a few hours away. And, as far as I’m aware, for kids who live extraordinarily far (but still in FL), there is a bus that lets them go home for about week or so out of the month.
If you’re weighing the options of sending your child here, versus tossing them in to a hearing school; I would strongly consider FSDB. At a «regular» school, D&B students are pretty much isolated and can only socialize among a small group of themselves. At FSDB, the students get to socialize with a ton of other students, and form the normal cliques and bonds that help develop important and healthy social skills.