View report page

55
"As usual, throughout the year a number of cases from the Eye
Clinics have been admitted to the Western Ophthalmic Hospital
for Squint, Cataract, and various minor operations, and all have
done well.
"The solicitude shown by the staff of the school for the children's
welfare and the exacting work it entails continues to merit high
praise."
Miss M. L. Balls, the Head Teacher, has kindly sent the
following report: —
"The Walthamstow Education Authority provides a Special
School for blind and myopic children of both sexes at Wood Street,
which accommodates 85 children.
"By a careful arrangement of the curriculum, every effort is
made to further the education of children of varying degrees of
blindness in such a manner that each child may develop its capacity
for learning to the fullest extent, in spite of the handicap of
defective sight.
" The children are divided into two groups:—
1. Those who are partially blind.
2. Those who are " Blind within the meaning of the
Act,"
" The method employed for the instruction of the partially blind
class may be described as ' The sight-saving method.'
" Although the partially blind children use their eyes while
working in school, great care is taken that their eyes are in no
way subjected to strain.
" Reading is taught by means of readers, printed in letters
measuring one inch; handwriting is performed on blackboards with
white chalk, arithmetic is written down in the same way, and all
work is executed, as far as possible, in an upright position, so that
the minimum amount of head-bending with its consequent eye
strain, is required of the partially blind child.
"In the senior classes the children are taught to typewrite on
Remington typewriters, so that in time they are able to typewrite
their exercises and essays without using their eyes at all, the ' touch
method ' being employed.
"Those children who are ' Blind within the meaning of the Act '
are taught the Braille system of reading and writing, and the use