Winter 2008 Table of Contents
Versión Español de este artículo (Spanish Version)

The Rebuilding of TSBVI

By William “Bill” Daugherty, Superintendent, TX School for the Blind & Visually Impaired

Abstract: Superintendent Daugherty describes to construction projects at TSBVI that utilize a Universal Design concept.

Key words: Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, TSBVI, Superintendent Bill Daugherty, blindness, visual impairment, News & Views, Universal Design

The Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) campus will be almost totally rebuilt over the next six years with bond money approved by Texas voters. This incredible opportunity comes with many challenges regarding the design of the buildings and grounds, the construction management of the massive project, and the many steps that will have to be taken to ensure student safety and prevent disruptions to instruction. But perhaps the most critical issue to be addressed is how these new facilities will support and enhance instruction and learning.

Weekly facilities planning meetings have engaged a cross-section of educators, support and administrative staff in an intensive review of every step and detail of the architectural design process. Our architect, Paul Woodward of Halff Associates, has done a remarkable job in responding to the far-ranging and diverse design input given by OT/PT staff, Orientation and Mobility Specialists, teachers and others who all have unique perspectives borne of their professional disciplines and job responsibilities. The single unifying principle is to build a school that maximizes student independence and minimizes barriers of all types. Both of these principles tend to fall very nicely into what is commonly called Universal Design—interior and exterior environments that work well for everyone, regardless of individual characteristics.

What will emerge over time will be building and grounds that are laid out in a logical and pleasing manner, lighting and acoustics that promote high-quality sensory input, and flexible spaces that lend themselves well to the varied curriculum that the school delivers to a broad range of learner needs.

So, will the new TSBVI be “engineered” in such a manner that it creates an unrealistically accessible environment that students, upon leaving the school, will find difficulty readjusting to the “real world”? I say no. They’ll just be better advocates who, like the many users of wheelchairs who have fought long, hard and effectively for physical access to buildings, will insist that Universal Design principles benefit the entire public.

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Last Revision: June 9, 2008