New York Institute for Special Education facts for kids
Quick facts for kids New York Institute for Special Education |
|
|---|---|
1851
|
|
| Address | |
|
999 Pelham Parkway North
10469
|
|
| Coordinates | 40°51′31″N 73°51′34″W / 40.858617°N 73.859438°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Private, Special, Day & Boarding |
| Established | 1831 |
| Sister school | Overbrook School for the Blind |
| Executive Director | Bernadette M. Kappen, Ph.D. |
| Grades | P–12 Students aged 3 to 21 |
| Accreditation | National Commission for the Accreditation of Special Education Services |
The New York Institute for Special Education (NYISE) is a private school in New York City. It is a non-profit organization, meaning it uses its money to help the school, not to make a profit.
The school started in 1831. It was first a school for children who were blind. Three people helped create it: Samuel Wood, Samuel Akerly, and John Dennison Russ. They were all known for helping others. The school was first called the New York Institute for the Education of the Blind. It was located in Manhattan, New York City.
In 1986, the school changed its name to the New York Institute for Special Education. This new name showed that the school now helped more students. It began to offer programs for children with learning and emotional disabilities, as well as those who are blind. Today, the institute helps children from birth up to 21 years old.
Contents
How the School Started
The Founders' Vision
Samuel Wood was a rich publisher of school books. He had been a teacher before. He noticed that there were not many books for children. So, he wrote and published a simple reading book. Wood also saw blind children in places for the poor. He knew they had a difficult future. He wanted to help them learn.
Samuel Akerly had worked for ten years at a school for deaf people. He helped develop ways to teach deaf students. Then, he became interested in helping blind people too. Akerly knew how to ask for new laws. He, Wood, and 15 other citizens asked the New York State government for help. They wanted to create a place to "improve the moral and intellectual condition of the Blind." They also wanted to teach them useful jobs. The law passed, but it was changed to only help children.
John Dennison Russ was a doctor who also liked to help people. He had already planned to teach blind children in poorhouses. Then, Akerly told him about the new school. Russ worked as the first teacher without pay. His first class had three blind orphan boys. They came from a poorhouse to a private home. After two months, three more boys joined. The school then moved to a bigger place. Teachers learned new ways to teach as they went along. At the end of the year, the students showed what they had learned. This made people interested and led to more donations.
Early Growth and Changes
By 1833, the school had grown to 16 students. Four of them were girls. In 1834, the state of New York started paying for some students. New Jersey also began sending children to the school. There were now 26 students in total. Dr. Russ had help from other teachers. One taught school subjects, one taught job skills, and one taught music.
Dr. Russ did amazing things. He taught students and managed the school. He also invented tools for blind people. He tried to make books smaller for those who couldn't see. He even created a special alphabet with dots and lines. He also improved how maps were taught in European schools.
Dr. Russ also had his own medical practice. The school moved to a new, larger building. This made things difficult for him. So, Dr. Russ left the school in 1835.
Famous People at the School
19th Century Figures
Fanny Crosby was a poet who wrote words for thousands of Christian songs. She was both a student and a teacher at the school. She became blind when she was a baby. She started at the school in 1835 when she was 14. She studied there for nine years. Then, she taught at the school from 1847 to 1858.
Grover Cleveland and his brother William worked at the school in 1853 and 1854. This was when Fanny Crosby was teaching there. At that time, there were about 116 students. They were between 8 and 25 years old. William taught older students history, philosophy, and science. He needed money for his studies to become a minister. He convinced the school to hire Grover. Grover worked as a bookkeeper and taught younger students reading, writing, math, and geography. Neither brother was trained to teach. They often had to learn just before their students did.
Life at the school was tough for the Cleveland brothers. The food was not good, the pay was low, and the buildings were cold. The head of the school was very strict. Both brothers later said their time at the school was the hardest part of their lives.
Fanny Crosby and Grover Cleveland were lifelong friends. Crosby shared stories about Cleveland's time at the school when he ran for president. She said Cleveland was a hard worker. She also said he encouraged her to stand up to the strict superintendent.
William Bell Wait was a teacher at the school. He invented New York Point. This was a writing system for blind people. It was used a lot in the United States before the Braille system became popular. Wait also invented the Kleidograph. This was a special typewriter that could print New York Point onto paper.
20th Century Figures
Ed Lucas was a student at the school. He later became a sports writer, a broadcaster, and a speaker who inspired many people.
4201 Schools Association
The New York Institute for Special Education is part of the 4201 Schools Association in New York. This group helps schools that provide special education services.
See also
- Blindness and education
