Children who are blind and children who are deaf each face different challenges in learning. For blind children, learning science and math concepts can be difficult unless they're taught through tactile experiences. For deaf children, learning English is critical to success in school; learning a language without hearing it spoken is a daunting task.
Recognizing this, AIDB, through its benefactors, has built the Woods Science Center on the
Alabama School for the Blind campus. This specially-equipped building is one-of-a-kind in the country, offering children who are blind and who have low vision, a hands-on approach to science and an enriched curriculum, including a Sensory Safari filled with exotic, mounted animals from across the world.
The Woods Center of Excellence in Language Arts and Communication, on the Alabama School for the Deaf (link) campus, provides a visually-rich reading and language environment for children who are deaf and enter our program with a severely-limited vocabulary. Both Centers are unique in their approach, and we believe they will play a large part in changing our students' lives for the better.