I. The Segregated Setting: Positive Values and Problems

Abstract

The first two articles under this head outline positive values and problems in segregated and non-segregated settings, respectively, in early childhood education. The third article deals with two tendencies in parents and teachers that complicate the choice of setting. These papers were presented in February at the Third Institute of the Social Service and Groupwork and Recreation Departments of the New York Guild for the Jewish Blind. Summary In the segregated nursery school setting the blind child can learn at his own speed and in an atmosphere of understanding of his particular needs to begin to master the elements of his environment and thereby achieve a feeling of accomplishment. Within this setting this child can grow into an awareness of himself as a person of value and also begin to become aware of his limitations among others similarly limited. He becomes increasingly secure in personal relationships and if he has been treated honestly he will certainly have the ability to move without undue fear into the sighted or integrated setting. It must be remembered that the segregated setting is not the real world and that the blind child's presence here is temporary and for a special purpose.