10 Things About FSDB

FSDB's Mission and Vision

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Front Gate

1. FSDB is tuition 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.

2. Everyone can communicate – We encourage and support all forms of communication. FSDB staff and students use American Sign Language (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 ESOL program that provides support and language facilitators for eligible students who are speakers of other languages.

3. Our classes are small and personalized – A low student-to-teacher ratio ensures individual attention for students and differentiation to meet each child’s specific learning needs, styles and abilities.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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. Additionally, we have a 24-hour Health Care Center and our own police department to keep the campus safe.

7. 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.

8. 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 through age 22.

9. 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!

10. We’re social – Students who come to FSDB make lifelong friends. There are numerous opportunities for club and recreational activity participation. Students can also participate in a variety of sports through our athletics program, which has been recognized in regional, state, and even national championships.

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