Local opinion: Why Arizona’s blind students need a continuum of specialized instruction

The following is the opinion and analysis of the writers:

Last week, students from across Arizona gathered at the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (ASDB)-Tucson campus for the annual regional Braille Challenge. One hallway had been transformed into a tactile gallery: floor-to-ceiling artwork created by blind and low-vision students, curated by a teacher who understands that art must be touchable to be fully experienced. For many families, events like this offer a rare environment where students are not adapting to systems built for others, but participating fully in spaces intentionally designed around their access needs.

As reported by the Arizona Daily Star, ASDB will no longer provide on-site classes in Tucson for students who are blind or low vision unless they are also Deaf or Hard of Hearing. Instead, these students will be served through outreach and cooperative-site models within local school districts. Outreach services are valuable and often necessary. However, research consistently demonstrates that specialized schools remain essential components of the legally required continuum of placement options for students with visual impairments.

In a national study published in the Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, Eugene McMahon (2014) examined the evolving role of specialized schools. His findings show that these schools continue to serve a critical function within the continuum mandated under federal law. More than 80% of specialized schools provide direct services to students in general education environments, and nearly 80% provide consultation and training to public school personnel. Specialized schools are not an alternative to public education; they are active partners across the continuum.

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McMahon’s research also documents a shift in student demographics: a growing proportion of students served at specialized schools have additional disabilities. These students often require highly coordinated services, including teachers of students with visual impairments, orientation and mobility specialists, assistive technology experts, and educators trained in multiple disabilities with severe sensory impairment. Specialized campuses are structured to provide this level of intensity and integration in ways that can be difficult to replicate across dispersed sites.

Federal law guarantees students with disabilities a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment. Importantly, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires states to maintain a continuum of placement options because no single model meets every student’s needs. “Least restrictive” is not a synonym for “mainstream.” For some blind and low-vision students, a general education campus may be more isolating if it lacks immediate access to vision-specific expertise and peer community.

The purpose of a continuum is not efficiency; it is appropriateness. As McMahon describes, specialized schools exist to provide “the right help, at the right time, in the right place.” Placement may shift over a student’s educational career, sometimes more inclusive, sometimes more specialized, but preserving options ensures that decisions remain individualized rather than constrained by availability.

The benefits of specialized schools extend beyond academics. Research identifies advantages, including relief from social isolation, access to role models, opportunities for leadership, and participation in activities designed around the strengths of blind and low-vision students. These findings echo the words of ASDB student Monroe Stockton, who told the Star that her “bullying never really stopped” until she enrolled at ASDB, where she felt “at home” and “accepted.” These are not abstract policy questions; they are lived realities for Arizona families.

Arizona families deserve a system that adapts to students’ needs across time. Outreach services and cooperative models can strengthen that system. But they should complement, not replace, specialized campus-based instruction. Several neighboring states, including Utah and Colorado, continue to maintain specialized campus-based programs as part of their educational continuum for blind and low-vision students. These models demonstrate that campus-based instruction and outreach services are not mutually exclusive; they can coexist within a flexible system designed to respond to students’ changing needs.

Arizona has long been a leader in vision education, and preserving a full continuum of options would reflect that legacy. Maintaining a full continuum of placement options is not about preserving buildings; it is about preserving the capacity to provide the right help, at the right time, in the right place. Educational equity for blind and low-vision students depends on maintaining that continuum.