A school for all seasons: The rise and fall of the Iowa Braille School and what it means for educators today

In this historical dissertation, I examine the history of Iowa Braille School (IBS) and how it provided students with visual impairments a positive school experience in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). Archival sources from IBS and The Iowa Department for the Blind revealed overall positive student and staff experiences throughout the history of IBS. IBS breaks the mold of the traditional research on residential schools by providing scholars with an example of an institution that not only treated its students well but also created an effective learning environment. Despite these positive interactions, students also felt emotional pain and distress at being placed in a residential school. Students were grateful for the education they received, but also acknowledged the heavy emotional cost of attending. These findings add nuance to special education and LRE and paint a more complicated picture of how we should administer these services. IBS’s enrollment peaked between 1939 and 1946, when attendance became mandatory for Iowa’s students with visual impairments. In 1946, Iowa passed an early special education law that allowed students with disabilities to stay in their home districts. The 1940s through the 1970s marked a period of slow decline for IBS as new special education laws and changing attitudes about residential schools slowly eroded IBS enrollment and influence. These events, combined with internal administrative changes and the rise of the Iowa Commission for the Blind all played a role in the eventual closure of IBS in 2011. I do not argue for the reinstatement of IBS or other residential schools, but my findings expand our understanding of residential schools, their methods, their potential benefits to students, and the overall complexity of special education services.