Florida School for the Deaf and Blind

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The Florida School for the Deaf and Blind is a state-supported boarding school for deaf and blind children established in 1885, in St. Augustine, Florida, USA.

The school was established in 1883 by the Florida Legislature and construction was completed on the original three wooden buildings in 1884. The first graduating class was 62 students in 1892 and the first graduation ceremony was held in 1898.

The school was first named The School for the Blind, Deaf and Dumb and it was under the direction of a five-member board of trustees until 1905. The Florida legislature established the present seven-member Board of Trustees in 1963.

The school is now the largest school of its type in the United States with 47 buildings on over 70 acres of land. The school now has an annual budget of over 30 million dollars up from its original annual appropriation of $20,000.

The school is Florida's primary public school for hearing-impaired and visually-impaired students pre-school through 12th grade. The School offers an educational program for pre-school through 12th grade, as well as a post-secondary program, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the Conference of Educational Administrators Serving the Deaf, and the National Accreditation Council for Agencies Serving the Blind and Visually Handicapped.

The Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind is an important tool for Florida children and families of hearing or vision impaired children.

It has separate divisions for deaf and for blind students and provides a variety of Outreach Programs promoting cultural diversity amongst Florida kids.

[edit] Notable alumni

Ray Charles attended St. Augustine School as a charity case, where he learned to read Braille. The school was known as The Institute for the Blind, Deaf and Dumb while Ray Charles Robinson was in attendance.