10 Things About FSDB

1. Everyone can communicate – We encourage and support all forms of communication. FSDB staff and students use ASL, sign-supported speech and oral/written English. In the Blind Department teachers are skilled in teaching Braille as well as their content areas. We have an ELL program that provides support and language facilitators for eligible students.

2. Our classes are small and personalized – A low student-to-teacher ratio ensures individual attention for students and differentiation to meet learning needs.

3. We read, read, and read some more! – Special language and literacy programs are used at every grade level campus-wide. In the Blind Department, students have access to Braille, large print, and screen readers like Jaws and Window Eyes.

4. Specialists are on campus – Most teachers hold a master’s degree and/or special licensure in education of deaf or blind children. We also have speech and language pathologists, audiologists, reading specialists, math specialists, O&M instructors, Braille specialists, interpreters, occupational and physical therapists, psychologists, behavior specialists, and educational diagnosticians .

5. Only caring staff is hired – Parents, dormitory staff and other student life and school staff have frequent communication regarding student needs. Our boarding program has an independent living skills curriculum for all students. We have our own police force to keep the campus safe and a 24-hour Health Care Center.

6. Students can take off campus classes too! – Agreements with St. Johns County School District, First Coast Technical College, and St. Johns River State College enable FSDB students to take classes off campus. Virtual/Online classes are also available in our Learning Opportunities Center.

7. We’ll help you after graduation – Transition planning begins in middle school. Students may enroll into an extended support program after the senior year that provides work and technical training opportunities.

8. We use technology everyday – Our classrooms and dorms are equipped with technology for school work and homework. In the Deaf Department you will find SMART Boards, personal remote systems, SMART Tables, and a myriad of curriculum software. In the Blind Department you will find Braille printers, embossers, ‘distributed video’ which brings Zoom Text to each students’ desktop, refreshable Braille displays, My Readers, Lookies, Daisy Book Readers and much, much more. We have a Braille Production Center on campus that produces of hundreds of pages of Braille every day!

9. We’re social – Students who come to FSDB make life-long friends. There are numerous opportunities for club and recreational activity participation. Students can also participate in a variety of sports through our athletic program . Our students compete placed regionally, statewide, and even nationally .

10. FSDB is tution free! – Families do not pay tuition, boarding or transportation costs. FSDB is financed through the state government and is governed by a Board of Trustees , the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Legislature.

Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind is Florida's public boarding school for students who are sensory impaired. FSDB is fully accredited, and it is one of the programs of instruction available in the state of Florida to serve deaf, hard-of-hearing or blind students. Find out more

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