A new era in the education of blind children, or teaching the blind in ordinary schools / by Alexander Barnhill.

  • Barnhill, Alexander.
Date:
[1875]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A new era in the education of blind children, or teaching the blind in ordinary schools / by Alexander Barnhill. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    78/90 (page 74)
    companions in the general exercises of an English education and in arithmetic, the only part where individual instruction is required bsm<^ the reading lessons on the raised type. The public examination of the school at Greenock was lately held, when the blind children took their part among the other children in the ordinary lessons— spelling, meanings, grammar, general exercises, and arithmetic, in a very creditable manner ; and their reading in the raised type, when they were examined separately, was everything that could be desii-ed. Further, two girls have, during this last year, been taught knitting, and each of them had wrought a pair of stockings, showing the result of their instruction in that useful art, giving promise of as great proficiency as in the other parts of education which they have been lono'er studying. These blind children were individually examined lately by F. J. Campbell, Esq., the managing director of the New Normal College for the Blind, Norwood, and he expressed himself as much pleased with their intelligence and attainments. He was par- ticularly pleased with the boy, who was first sent to the sighted school, and he says that he is so clever that he will not only be a credit to his parents, patrons, Greenock, and to the College, (if sent to the college), but if health and strength are spared him, be a blessing to his class. Means are being used to have him sent to the college for his further advancement. The blind children continue to be taught at other places in Scotland with success, some showing great progress, and there are now 30 being taught in this way who would otherwise, there is too much reason to fear, be left to grow up neglected and uncared for. Surely it is an urgent duty that all such blind childi*en should be sought out and means taken for their education. With your kind permission I will send, in another communication, a notice of the recognition of the claims of blind children in the new Education Bill for Scotland; and remain, Sir, yours very truly, ALEX. BARNHILL. Education of Blind Qhildren and the Scotch Education Bill To the Editor of the London Mirror. Religious Institution Rooms, Glasgow, lUh August, 1872. SiR^—^With your kind permission I now propose, as intimated in my letter of the 18th July, to give a short notice of the recognition of the claims of blind children in the new Education Bill for Scotland. The neglected condition of many blind children in Scotland, and the developing of the plan of teaching them along with the sighted, have of late much arrested attention to the necessity of making suitable provision for them. It was thought at first to be the best course to use practical means to.remedy the evil, because if no efficient steps could be pointed out the evil might be looked upon as hopeless, and soon lost sight of. Therefore, it Avas only after the means had been subjected to the test of upwards of two years' trial that public atten- tion was called to the matter.