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Washington State School for the Blind superintendent to retire

Stenehjem has led program 26 years

By Susan Parrish, Columbian Education Reporter
Published: May 10, 2016, 6:02am
3 Photos
Student Oryann Fitim, 16, foreground, plays for Superintendent Dean Stenehjem on Monday afternoon at the Washington State School for the Blind. He is retiring at the end of the school year after 26 years at the helm of the state school.
Student Oryann Fitim, 16, foreground, plays for Superintendent Dean Stenehjem on Monday afternoon at the Washington State School for the Blind. He is retiring at the end of the school year after 26 years at the helm of the state school. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian) Photo Gallery

Bent over a drill press, Alexis Payne, 17, drilled holes in a box that will eventually hold a collection of essential oils such as lavender.

In J.J. Isaacson’s functional mathematics class, Alexis and a handful of other students were doing hands-on, real-world math to build projects that are personally meaningful. Jordan Raze, 15, was building an Adirondack chair. More extraordinary than the thoughtful, well-executed projects were the students themselves, all of whom are blind or visually impaired.

Dean Stenehjem (pronounced “Sten-jem”), superintendent of Washington State School for the Blind, stood next to Alexis, watching her work with the power tool.

“We focus on experiential education,” Stenehjem said. “They’re doing measurements and learning to use equipment. They’re making a project to take home and feel pride of accomplishment.”

When Stenehjem spoke with other students in class, he called them all by name. In fact, he knows all of the school’s 61 students, and they recognize his voice, he said. At the end of each year, students and the superintendents go separate ways until fall, but this year, it’s different.

After 26 years at the helm, Stenehjem is retiring at the end of the school year. He is the 10th superintendent since the school’s founding in 1887. He also has the longest tenure. He’s serving under his fifth governor.

Stenehjem’s tenure has been transformative, and much of the changes are due to new technology.

“Technology has been a game-changer,” he said. For blind and visually impaired students as well as adults, “access to information plus knowledge equals empowerment.”

The school’s services reach 2,000 students in Washington and surrounding states. Online learning technology allows students to participate in real-time classes on campus without leaving their school hundreds of miles away. Additionally, WSSB employs an outreach staff that visits schools around the state, bringing services to blind students whether they live in Seattle, on Lopez Island or in the far reaches of Eastern Washington. Very often a client is the only blind student not just in a school, but in their entire community.

“We’re part of every school district in the state. We’re their resource center,” Stenehjem said. “The challenge is how to provide services to children whatever they need, wherever they are. We work with a lot of partners. Many people have ownership. We’re always working on how to continue to improve programs and services. That’s what it’s all about. Keeping the focus on students.”

About 42 states operate schools for the blind. Oregon closed its school in recent years; those students now receive services at the Vancouver campus.

Residential campus

Today’s students might live on campus, but for much shorter periods than did students of previous decades. At one time, the majority of students lived on campus for most of their 12 years of schooling. Now, the average time on campus is three years, and some students stay for as little as 18 months.

Washington State School for the Blind’s superintendents

1887-1906: James Watson.

1906-1913: Thomas P. Clarke.

1913-1915: W.B. Hall (died in office).

1915-1920: Sadie Hall (W.B. Hall’s widow).

1920-1926: Herbert R. Chapman (died in office while playing tennis).

1926-1946: Jeanne E. Chapman (Herbert Chapman’s widow).

1946-1955: Marian Grew.

1955-1973: Byron Berhow.

1973-1990: Roy J. Brothers.

1990-2016: Dean O. Stenehjem.

2016: Scott McCallum (term will begin June 1).

“It’s a large, revolving door. Get your services and go back to your home district,” Stenehjem said.

When he was hired, even primary students lived on campus and away from their families. Now, residential students are at least fifth-graders, and most are in high school.

When Stenehjem was a new superintendent, the students who live on the east side of the state visited home only once per month. Now, all students go home every Friday afternoon and return to campus Sunday night. The majority of students live along the Interstate 5 corridor. Those who live in the far reaches of the state fly home. Even with the cost of transporting the students home and back each weekend, the school saves $100,000 annually by not having to keep the campus staffed and meal services open.

“It’s not only good for families and kids, but it also made sense financially,” he said.

Prepping for the future

Stenehjem spoke in animated tones when talking about the future of educating blind and visually impaired students. So many new technologies are at the cusp of development. He cited haptic technology’s ability to allow blind people to experience touch in a virtual environment, such as a topographic map projected on a flat screen.

“We’re at the Model T phase. It will change very quickly as technology advances. It’s going to be a very exciting time,” he said.

Nationwide, the unemployment rate for the blind population is almost 70 percent. Of his own staff, 14 percent are blind or visually impaired.

Stenehjem said he sees technology as enabling more blind people to hold jobs and commute to work. Improved mass transit in cities, audible GPS on smartphones and eventually driverless cars will all contribute to increasing employment among the visually impaired population.

“If you want to figure out your smartphone, hand it to a blind student,” he said with a laugh. “Students totally embrace new technology. What better group of people to be the innovators?

“The movers and shakers who are living with blindness every day are amazing advocates for services.”

Stenehjem cited other indicators of a blind person’s success, not just academic success: “How independent is a person? Do they have the skills to be an independent contributing member in their community?”

After the visit to the functional math class, Stenehjem popped into Jennifer Langley’s music class in Irwin Hall, where the high school band practiced the song “Thank You for Being a Friend.”

A long braid hanging down her back, Oryann Fitim, 16, sat at the piano, her fingers poised on the keys. Stenehjem stood nearby to watch her fingers.

“Give us a B-flat chord,” Langley told Oryann.

Langley then turned to the bass guitar player, Rebecca Haglund, 16, and said, “Take us away!”

As Stenehjem walked back across campus to meet with a graduating senior, he explained how Langley works with blind musicians.

“How do they know when to start playing?” he asked. “She raises her arms and takes an audible breath, so they can hear her.”

Washington State School for the Blind

 2214 E. 13th St., Vancouver.

 Student enrollment: Averages about 70 middle and high school students on campus; nine students attending remotely through digital technology, plus hundreds of students assisted statewide through the outreach department.

 Number of teachers on campus: 15.

• On the Web: www.wssb.wa.gov

That’s just one of the tidbits he has learned about teaching kids who can’t see but are eager to learn.

Photos of Stenehjem and the school’s other nine superintendents hang on a wall near the administration building entrance. After two former superintendents died in office, their widows were appointed to succeed them. Both women served longer than their husbands.

When Stenehjem was hired, his wife, Sue, a nurse, noted the wives’ photos and added that she was not interested in stepping into her husband’s shoes.

“My wife informed me: ‘I have no intention of doing what you do,’ ” he said, chuckling.

Washington State School for the Blind Services

 Public school for ages 11 through 21 who are blind or visually impaired and have not yet graduated from high school. Middle and high school programs offered.

 Learning Independence for Today and Tomorrow: LIFTT program for young adults 18 to 21 who have completed high school graduation requirements, but need additional training to transition to post-high school life.

 Services for the blind or visually impaired community include Lions Low Vision Clinic (360-947-3302); Ogden Resource Center, Instructional Resource Center, Assistive Technology Services, Outreach Services to local school districts, Braille/large print transcription services for accessible media, birth to age 3 services for blind or visually impaired children, student summer camps, Youth Employment Solutions summer work program partnership with Department of Services for the Blind.

 Sensory Safari Tactile Museum of Natural History is a display of taxidermy that allows the public to learn through touching the animals, Braille, large print and audio. Open by appointment only.

 2016 fiscal year budget: $6.4 million.

Next year, Stenehjem, who lives in Ridgefield, said he and Sue will do some traveling, and he plans to continue advocating for blind students.

“When kids are on our campus, they aren’t the blind kid. They are a student who happens to be blind,” he said. “They gain a confidence in learning to get around by themselves.”

Stenehjem’s successor, Scott McCallum, was appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee. He will begin his term June 1.

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Columbian Education Reporter