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/-·-·CCM ^te^TT ' "f Til 'School of future will cater to needs of deaf population resource services for the school, said the objectives of foundation's project, are Sir James Whitney School, the "congruent" with the overall one of three provincial objectives now being carried schools for the deaf, is the out by Sir James Whitney and first and only Canadian the ministry of education. school to receive funding Buller said these objectives from an American foundation include educating the parents to better serve the deaf of deaf students, through population. and seminars, on The Belleville school will be workshops and communicareceiving a total of $250,000 problems tion skills dealing with their over the next three years children; developing and from the W.K. Kellogg Founcurriculum for the dation of Battle Creek, Mich, revising providing workshops as part of the special school of deaf; for deaf adults in such areas the future project. The pro- as politics, consumerism and ject's aim is to make schools community interaction; makfor the deaf better resource ing the professional centres for meeting the needs munity aware of the comproof the deaf population. blems of deafness;trying to This project is being ad- solve of the major proministered through Gallaudet blemssome faced by the deaf College in Washington, D.C., population; increasing the the only university for the understanding and expertise deaf in the world. on the part of The Belleville school for the in deafness school administrators, deaf, which serves about 330 public specialists; and children from northern and teachers and a network of afeastern Ontario, will be one of developing six schools for the deaf, five filiated schools for the deaf. others are in the United "The fact that Sir James States, which will be working Whitney has been invited to over the next three years "in accept a leadership role in evolving the concept of the this exciting project is inspecial school of the future," dicative'of the fact that Onsays Catherine Michalski, tario's provincial schools for superintendent of Sir'James the deai have long been held Whitney. in high regard by leaders in Michalski said Wednesday deaf education in North the provincial school, which America," Buller said. is also a regional resource The school's involvement in centre for the deaf, was one of this project, he added, is a three new schools for the deaf ' 'winning situation." added this year for the foun"We can only gain by it. dation's project. We'll be doing what we have B e s i d e s S i r J a m e s been doing but with the extra Whitney, the other five resources and contacts with American schools for the deaf other leading centres for the involved in the project are in deaf." Georgia, California, LouiMichalski said the Bellesiana, Buffalo, and Wiscon- ville school has been a "ripsin. ple" school for the school for "The main focus of the the deaf in Buffalo for the special school of the future past two years, where its project is to develop the staff have participated in prospecial school for the deaf as fessional development a model resource centre in courses in the teaching of the the field of deafness for deaf. children in their own pro"A special school like grams; deaf children in ourselves can't stay the same public school settings; as it was years ago. It has to families of deaf children, in- become more of a resource to cluding pre-schoolers and the community and other adults, and the professional school boards," Michalski community and the com- said. munity in general," "What we're hoping to do is Michalski said. The $250,000, she noted, will involve this school more with be used to put on workshops the community and the deaf for its staff and staff from community and to have the other schools associated with deaf community more involvSir James Whitney, to pay for ed with us. We hope to make educational exchanges bet- other professionals in other ween the school and other fields much more aware of professionals, and the hiring both the problems and talents the deaf," the superintenof experts to conduct of workshops in problems deal- dent said. ing with the deaf. "Sir James Whitney is The school will also have ahead of many schools for the access to the expertise that is deaf in the United States. It available at Gallaudet Col- has a policy that the school lege in the area of deafness. act as a resource centre and ? 'We hope to be able to this new involvement in the develop even more expertise school of the future project is ourselves so that we can going to give us a new imevolve with the changing petus, a shot in the arm to needs of the deaf community keep us going where we are. and the local school boards/' Well continue what we're doMichalski said. ing and expand that," she Guy Buller, co-ordinator of said. By HENRY BURY Staff Reporter