Ghost Queue Case B
Visual Description
Bust of Laura Bridgman
Born in 1829, Laura Bridgman lost her sight, hearing, sense of smell and much of her ability to taste at the age of 2, due to Scarlet Fever. At the age of 7, Bridgman enrolled in the Perkins School for the Blind. Under the instruction of Samuel Gridley Howe, Bridgman learned to speak, an early form of sign language, and raised letter reading. She then expanded her instruction to include reading, writing, arithmetic, algebra, geometry, physiology, philosophy, and history. Media coverage of these innovative teaching methods soon garnered renown for Howe, Bridgman international celebrities and the Perkins School.
Courtesy of the Illinois School for the Visually Impaired
Photograph of Willard Ice
Left blind by a childhood eye injury, Willard Ice was enrolled in the Illinois School for the Visually Impaired (ISVI) in Jacksonville, Illinois, at the age of five years old. After graduating from ISVI, he attended Illinois College, where he maintained a 4.98 GPA while working in ISVI’s laundry room and school’s braille library. Granted an expedited admission into the University of Illinois School of Law, Ice excelled in his studies. He graduated first in his class and gained the distinction of being both an editor of the Illinois Bar Journal and president of the Junior Bar Association. Ice worked at the Illinois Department of Finance/Revenue from January 1942 until his retirement in 1977. He also served briefly as the agency’s interim revenue director in 1973.
Courtesy of the Illinois School for the Visually Impaired
Track Uniform, ISVI Sports Letter, and Sport Pins
The ISVI “Warriors” have a fighting spirit and long history of competitive sports. Students have the option of competing on several teams, which include bowling, cheerleading, goalball, swimming, track, or wrestling. Displayed is a ISVI Warriors’ track suit, an ISVI Sports Letter, and sport pins.
Courtesy of the Illinois School for the Visually Impaired
Baskets and a C–Clap
Along with the state’s required educational course work, the Illinois School for the Visually Impaired (ISVI) places a heavy emphasis on students’ post-secondary transition goals. To do this, ISVI emphasizes college and career readiness and Expanded Core Curriculum coursework. In the past, this meant vocational skills training in textile looming, basket weaving, and the industrial arts. These baskets and the steel C-Clap are examples of goods produced by students ISVI students. Presently, students in the ISVI work program are employed on-campus and off-campus in a variety of job placements.
Courtesy of the Illinois School for the Visually Impaired
Evolution of Writing Technology for the Visually Impaired
These artifacts all exemplify the steady progression of communication technology for the blind and visually impaired. They include a slate and stylus, Braille writer, stereotype, electronic notetakers, and digital and optical readers.
Courtesy of the Illinois School for the Visually Impaired
Group Portrait – Class Assembly 1929
Attired in clothing reflective of the period, this photograph shows the students and faculty of Illinois School for the Blind gathered on the front lawn of the Old Main Building. Appearing more as a stately home, the size and grandeur of the building belie the fact that it was a residential school for children.
Courtesy of the Illinois School for the Visually Impaired