TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — As the historic Tucson campus of the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind prepares to close its doors, a new school is stepping in to serve students who are blind or visually impaired and whose families have been searching for answers about their educational future.
The Tucson School for the Blind, a nonprofit private school founded by former ASDB educators, is scheduled to begin classes Aug. 3 in downtown Tucson, offering a new option for students affected by the closure and relocation of ASDB programs.
The transition follows a controversial decision by ASDB leadership to close its more than century-old campus at 1200 W. Speedway and relocate deaf and hard-of-hearing programs to the former Copper Creek Elementary School in Oro Valley.
ASDB officials cited declining enrollment, financial pressures and the need to right-size the campus as reasons for the move. The agency also announced that many blind and low-vision students would be served through partnerships with local public school districts rather than through a dedicated campus.
For many families, the changes created uncertainty.
“Parents of visually impaired and blind students were left with few options,” said Kate Scally Howell, director and co-founder of the Tucson School for the Blind.
Scally Howell taught music at ASDB for 15 years before helping launch the new school.
“It was kind of a happy accident at first,” she said of her teaching career. “But I really fell in love with my students.”
One of those students is Areceli “Nani” Peach, who performed as Dorothy in a production of “The Wizard of Oz” directed by Scally Howell.
“I’m a pretty good singer,” Nani said.
Her father, Darrell Peach, said learning of ASDB’s closure earlier this year was difficult for the family.
“I do believe when one door closes, another door opens,” Peach said. “We’re very optimistic for what’s in the future. But it was hard … it’s still hard honestly.”
After exploring other educational options, the family learned that Scally Howell and several former ASDB teachers were planning a new school.
“Initially it was like too good to be true,” Peach said. “It was like this can’t be real, like no way is this gonna happen. But then it was a huge sigh of relief.”
The Tucson School for the Blind will operate from space at 149 N. Stone Ave. in downtown Tucson and plans to provide individualized instruction in a small-school setting.
Scally Howell said the downtown location offers advantages beyond the classroom.
“There’s free public transportation,” she said. “Our students can go out into the community and make those Tucson community connections as part of their schooldays.”
For families like the Peaches, those connections represent more than convenience. They offer continuity at a time of significant change for Arizona’s blind and visually impaired students.
——
Eddie Celaya is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born in Tucson and raised in the Phoenix area, Eddie is a life-long Arizonan and graduate of the University of Arizona who loves the desert and mountains and hates the cold. Previously, Eddie worked in print media at the Arizona Daily Star. Share your story ideas with Eddie at edward.celaya@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook or Instagram.
----
STAY IN TOUCH WITH US ANYTIME, ANYWHERE
