MUSKOGEE, Okla. — Students at the Oklahoma School for the Blind are starting the new school year with more room to learn skills they can use far beyond the classroom.
For student Jaylee Burnside, that meant spending part of her day making chocolate-covered pretzels in the school’s newly expanded independent living skills classroom.
“I’m very excited. I love how organized everything looks, and I love how open it is,” Burnside said.
Burnside is one of about 75 students attending the Oklahoma School for the Blind this school year. She has attended the school for about a decade and said she couldn’t imagine going anywhere else.
The school’s previous independent living classroom was about 300 square feet. Superintendent Brent Pearce said the new classroom is roughly four times larger, allowing more students to participate at the same time.
“This grows the person to have a more functional life, so I’m super excited that we can grow this program,” Pearce said.
The independent living skills program is available to students across the school from kindergarten through 12th grade.
Students learn everyday skills such as cooking, baking and cleaning. The expanded classroom also includes upgraded equipment to give students more opportunities for hands-on learning.
Some lessons begin outside the classroom. Students can go grocery shopping with teachers, find the ingredients they need and then return to the school to prepare a meal.
Independent Living Skills Supervisor Laci Goins said staff members are looking forward to seeing how students use the expanded space.
“We’re just super excited to have this. Can’t wait to see where this goes,” Goins said.
The school’s investment in independent living also extends to older students.
Upgraded dorm space is available for students ages 18 to 22 who participate in the school’s transition program. Students can live with a roommate, personalize their space and continue practicing the skills they learned in the classroom.
Clifton Haskin is your Muskogee reporter.
Is there something you think he should know about or look into?
You can email him at clifton.haskin@kjrh.com.
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