TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Arizona State School for the Deaf and Blind (ASDB) sits adjacent to the Anza Trail Cultural History Park, which serves as an outdoor classroom specifically designed for ASDB students and staff. As concerns grow about the school's closure and relocation, there's worry about losing more than just the campus — but also access to a park built with these students in mind.
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Kristine Hodgkinson, a 30-year-old former ASDB student who graduated in 2015, expressed her feelings about the school's closure.
"I just feel really depressed. I felt just devastated. My heart is broken," Hodgkinson said in sign language.
Hodgkinson is deaf, has a visual impairment, is a left leg amputee and has developmental delays. Her grandfather, Dr. Ronald Quinn with Anza Society International, played a significant role in creating the park for people like her.
"It's intended, literally designed to be an additional outdoor educational resource for the students next door at ASDB, having said that, it is a public park and accessible to everyone of all abilities," Quinn said.
Quinn explained that ASDB teachers regularly bring students to the park to learn about the history of the Anza Trail, Santa Cruz River and local wildlife — something Hodgkinson cherished during her time at the school.
"My favorite thing, oh just the trees and the flowers and people come visit and you can just see the signs and everything right here," Hodgkinson said in sign language.
The park features comprehensive accessibility features. Signs throughout display information in Spanish, English and Braille. You can find QR codes in the corner as well that provide audio descriptions and ASL video content. In addition, a cable runs along the walkway to help blind visitors navigate the trail safely. The native plants in the park were carefully chosen so they could be felt and smelled by those who can't see, without having to worry about getting poked by a cactus or a harmful plant.
"Also notice there are no steps or bumps or mysterious dead ends that you would just navigate if you could see," Quinn said. "If you can't see, you can find your way around there, and if you're on wheels, you can go anywhere you want without any barriers."
According to Quinn, the park was conceived, planned, financed and built by several government, non-profit entities, foundations, and businesses. The creation took seven years and cost $250,000 that came from a number of grants and donations.
With students potentially no longer next door, Quinn raises practical concerns about continued access to the park that opened in January 2023.
"It depends on where they go and whether or not they're still together as a group and have the resources. I mean, we're talking about students that are visually impaired or hearing impaired. There's a big difference between walking next door," Quinn said. "For some asset and being somewhere else or worse, being scattered around at several other locations, even if they're in the same region, how are they going to get there and how are they going to get there together."
Hodgkinson says ASDB changed her life and expressed solidarity with her community.
"I support all of you. I love this connection to this park and my family and I just love you all," Hodgkinson said.
Quinn believes the students' learning experience will fundamentally change when the campus closure takes place, as the seamless integration between school and park will be lost.
You can learn more about the Anza Trail Cultural History Park and its significance here.
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Vanessa Gongora is KGUN 9's Westside reporter.. Vanessa fell in love with storytelling by growing up in sports. She was fascinated by how sports reporters go beyond the x's & o's to tell players' stories, and how sports bring people together, inspiring Vanessa to provide the same impact as a journalist. Share your story ideas and important issues with Vanessa by emailing vanessa.gongora@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
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