Blind school relocation almost done

• By SONIA SMITH
• Advocate staff writer
• Published: Jul 20, 2009

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The relocation of the Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired to the 116-acre campus of the Louisiana School for the Deaf is almost complete, school  officials said last week.

“It’s an efficient, effective use of taxpayer dollars that allows us to direct our energy and our dollars towards educating these children” said Janet Ford, director of the blind school.

Consolidating the two campuses will save the state around $3 million this fiscal year, which began July 1, officials have said.

Most of the savings will be in personnel. The schools will keep their separate identities but will share some key services, such as security, human resources, food services and maintenance.

Ford said that the school’s dormitories, administrative offices and several classrooms have already been moved into three buildings on the Brightside Drive campus in Baton Rouge.

The remainder of the move will be completed in the next two weeks, Ford said.

The blind school’s location on the campus is ideal, Ford said, as it is close to the cafeteria and health services center that both schools share.

The blind school took over dorms previously used by deaf middle school students. Those middle school students will now use a wing of the deaf school’s high school dorms, said Donna Alleman, interim director of the deaf school since June 1.

Many blind children, who are in school for the summer session, have already moved into their dorms, which were built in 1976 and have been recently renovated. Their old dorms at 1120 Government St. were in a 111-year-old building.

“The children are adjusting well,” Ford said.

On a recent July afternoon, students from the blind school enjoyed an afternoon playing on inflatable waterslides.

Jodi Comeaux, 14, spent most of the afternoon splashing down the slides.

“I went so many times!” she said. “I loved it.”