ASL interpreters were present to vocalize all signed answers in this article.
During a morning math class at the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and Blind, teacher Bryan Newton works with students to solve equations before a timer runs out.
“I want to see that coordinate,” Newton signs to a student across from him. “You got it right, see?”
Newton smiles as he works through each problem with the student. He is also the school's cross country and girls basketball coach.
For Newton and other faculty members, the classroom is part of a much bigger transition.
ASDB moved its Tucson-area campus about 15 miles north to the former Copper Creek Elementary School in Oro Valley over the summer. The move came as the school faced rising operating costs and declining enrollment.
The school gave families a look at the new campus during an open house July 31. Superintendent Annette Reichman and Principal Paul Saunders later led a 60-minute tour through six classrooms. Saunders said the initial response from parents was encouraging.
“The feedback we received was very generally positive,” Saunders said. “They enjoyed the beauty of the campus, how wide the hallways and big classrooms were.”
But the transition has not been easy for everyone.
Zamian Little, a high school student who is interested in English and science, said his 45-minute commute to the new campus has been frustrating.
“You know, I wish we could go back to the old campus, honestly. That’s my wish,” he said. “I prefer the old campus more. It was my second home. This is an interesting transition to live out in Oro Valley. It’s the first time I’ve ever lived out here.”
Still, Little said there are parts of the new school he enjoys, including the hands-on robotics courses.
The relocation also changed how some students are learning alongside one another. Many students who are blind or visually impaired were separated from their deaf peers during the move.
ASDB's historic Speedway campus was established in 1922, when the school welcomed its first cohort of deaf students. But school officials said the cost of continuing to operate the campus became too high for the school board.
They began looking for other options in the Tucson area and eventually found Copper Creek Elementary, which had closed after budget cuts by the Amphitheatre Public Schools system.
Saunders said the new campus has a more concentrated layout, with less distance between classrooms and other facilities.
Reichman said the school's responsibility extends beyond the Oro Valley campus.
“We are, again, committed to the school here at the Oro Valley Campus. We are committed to the Phoenix Day School for the Deaf,” she said. “At the same time, we are also committed to all of the other students throughout the entire state who are not coming to the brick-and-mortar site. We are going to them in collaboration with their school districts.”
ASDB currently has 96 students enrolled and more than 50 administrative and instructional staff members, including aides.
Reichman said the school also operates two cooperative sites in Tucson and plans to continue providing adaptive programs at locations around Arizona.
The goal, she said, is to continue serving students throughout the state of Arizona.
“Again, we've been doing this all along,” Reichman said. “So we have a lot of students throughout the entire state, which we are continuing to serve.”
