RD145 - Annual Progress Report of the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind at Staunton on the Effect of the Aging Population on State Agencies


Executive Summary:
The Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind at Staunton (VSDB-S) does not provide direct services to senior citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Services are provided to hearing impaired and visually impaired students, ages three through twenty-one years of age. Its mission is as follows:

The mission of VSDB is to provide an all-inclusive day and residential educational program and atmosphere that will enable Deaf/Hard of Hearing and Blind/Visually Impaired students to maximize their potential for independence and make life-long contributions to society.

VSDB-S does provide the use of the facility and assistance to the alumni groups of the school, who range in age from 18 years to over 85 years of age. Alumni are given use of the facility for such activities as meetings and reunions, and a museum is housed on campus, which is overseen by a group of our deaf alumni members. Assistance is given to them by VSDB-S as needs arise, such as maintenance and upkeep of the museum. The blind alumni meet annually on the campus for a week-end filled with activities. These activities include the faculty and staff at the school as well as recent graduates.

Our senior population is also called upon from time to time to interact with students of the school, such as reading to a class or presenting a program in the dormitory, and some also fill substitute positions in our classrooms and dormitories as needed. The Human Resource Office at VSDB-S often assists retirees when need to complete forms, make telephone calls, and answer questions on issues such as health insurance and compensation.

VSDB-S operates a website that is easily accessible to the senior population, and is designed to be “user friendly” for all ages of the population. The school’s deaf alumni also operate a website of their own, which features alumni as well as school information. VSDB-S publishes the Virginia Guide, which features student activities and articles of interest concerning the school, and is available to the senior population through a paid subscription.

The school is handicapped accessible, including our gymnasium, which assists the aging population when attending activities or sporting events on the campus, as they often do.