| About Us
The Montana School for the Deaf and the Blind (MSDB) opened in Boulder in 1893, in a leased two-story house. By the end of the first year, ten students were enrolled. Two years later the School was moved to a vacant store building. In 1898, the School moved to a new and permanent location in Boulder. In 1903, the State Legislature mandated that all deaf and blind children in Montana attend the School. A new wing was added to the building in 1904 to accommodate a growing number of students.
In 1934, the School reached a crossroads when the Legislature voted to move the Montana School for the Deaf and the Blind from Boulder to a new facility in Great Falls. Located on a ten-acre campus donated by the city, the new school opened in 1937. The School expanded in 1948 when a house for the superintendent was built. A vocational building was added in 1956, and a new classroom building in 1960. In 1962, MSDB was among the first six schools in the country to set up a junior chapter of the National Association of the Deaf.
A regional Captioned Media Program service center, which provides educational films, was added to the school's library services in 1966. A new classroom building was added to the campus in 1971, and the original building was converted to a dormitory. MSDB implemented mainstreaming and interpreting programs for both the deaf and the blind, allowing students to attend regular public school classes even before it became legally required. In 1975, a teacher at MSDB organized the Montana Interpreters for the Deaf, and in 1976 a program was launched for multi-handicapped children. A new cottage, food service center and physical education complex were added to the campus in 1981, and an Independent Living Skills Program was started for Junior and Senior high school students.
The Montana School for the Deaf and the Blind is a state supported special purpose school which serves as a center of technical expertise for the education of deaf and blind children, providing programs and assistance throughout the state. The goals and objectives of the School focus on providing educational opportunities for deaf-hard of hearing and visually impaired children, equivalent to those afforded their hearing and sighted peers, enabling them to become independent and self-sustaining members of their communities.
Today the campus-based education program serves an average enrollment of 75 students from preschool through the 12th grade. Through the Outreach Program, the school's five consultants provide technical assistance to the parents and teachers of over 300 students in more than 90 school districts across the state. The Family Advisor Program supports in-home, early intervention programming to an average of twenty families each year.
MSDB remains dedicated to preserving this proud tradition by continually improving the quality of the educational opportunities it provides students, their families, and the state.
Montana School for the Deaf and the Blind Program Goals and Objectives
The Montana School for the Deaf and the Blind is accredited by the following national and regional organizations:
 
|
