Education Program
The purpose of the campus-based education program at the Montana School for the Deaf and the Blind is to provide, by the use of specialized methods and systems, an education for deaf-hard of hearing and visually impaired children that is commensurate with the education provided to non- handicapped children in the public schools and that will enable children being served by the school to become independent and self-sustaining citizens.
MSDB provides educational programs for deaf and blind children from birth through age 21 and employs trained teachers of the deaf and the blind who are highly skilled, knowledgeable, and experienced in their fields. Staffing includes a full-time school psychologist, physical therapist, occupational therapist, orientation and mobility instructor, audiologist, and two speech pathologists.
An Individual Education Program (IEP) planning process involving student, parents, teachers, specialists, school administrator and a local district of residence representative is conducted annually for each student. The IEP determines placement and through this process, the student may take classes at MSDB, Great Falls Public Schools, or a combination thereof. Inclusion options are available to the students at the elementary, middle school and high school levels for both academic and extracurricular activities through a cooperative agreement with the Great Falls Public Schools. MSDB support specialists are provided for the blind, and sign language interpreters are provided for the deaf.
The Montana School for the Deaf and the Blind complies with all provisions of Title IX, Education Amendments of 1972. In providing educational opportunities, programs and services to eligible students under the provisions of the IDEA, MSDB does not discriminate on the basis of gender.
The school received full accreditation from three (3) organizations in calendar year 2006. The three accrediting organizations are the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools (NAAS), the Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf (CEASD), and the National Accrediting Council for Agencies Serving People with Blindness or Visual Impairment (NAC). These accrediting organizations produced a joint accreditation report which can be accessed at the following link: Report (PDF format)
We invite you to learn more about each of our Academic departments and the types of support services we provide.
Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Department for the Visually Impaired
Support Services at MSDB
Montana School for the Deaf and the Blind Program Goals and Objectives
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