children whose sight is so defective that they are unable to attend the public schools; the latter for the trade training of the adult blind, that is, for those of the blind who have reached nineteen years of age without having had the advantage of any school for the blind, or those whose sight did not become impaired until after reaching that age- both classes being ineligible for a school for the blind-as well as for those who have finished their school work and require industrial training in order to become self-sustaining." The school is located at 1205 Asylum avenue, Hartford; the nursery and branch of the school was located during the past year at Farmington, "to which place it was transferred on account of lack of room in the school building for properly conducting the work." The department of trades is located at 334-336 Wethersfield avenue, Hartford. "This department is sub-divided into several departments as follows: Household, broom, caning, printing, mattress, and fancy work. Instruction is given in broom making, chair caning, repairing and making of mattresses, some branches of the printing business, basket making, knitting, crocheting and sewing, typewriting, reading and writing. The number resident in this department during the year was fifty, of whom eight were officers, which number includes the two resigned, twenty-eight pupils, two employees, five domestics, and seven blind workmen and women who were employed in the shops." An examination of the financial statement of this institution shows that each department was conducted at a profit ranging from $557.08 in the caning department to $36.41 in the fancy work department. The Board received from the State of Connecticut and disbursed $22,546.80 for the benefit of the seventytwo State pupils under its charge during this year. The significant feature of the Connecticut law, which is entirely unique, is that all matters pertaining to the education of blind youth as well as the training in trades of blind adults are entirely in the hands of the Board of Education of the Blind organized for that purpose. This Board appears to be given an absolutely free hand in all its work, and such must, in the opinion of your Commission, be the case if the best results are to be secured. ILLINOIS INDUSTRIAL HOME FOR THE BLIND. Marshall Boulevard and Nineteenth Street, Chicago, Illinois. |