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Home > Journals > HJSR > No. 46 (2024)

 

Humboldt Journal of Social Relations

Abstract

The Washington State School for the Blind (WSSB) contains archival collections that document over 100 years of school history and student life. These histories are preserved in scrapbooks, news clippings, photographs, and an assortment of bygone assistive technologies that demonstrate the evolution of blind education and its impact on students. As many of these objects have lingered for years in storage, collections from one of the oldest schools for the blind in the Western United States remain hidden. WSSB and the Washington State University (WSU) Vancouver Library have agreed to work together in partnership to establish a museum and archives. As part of its objective, this partnership aims to extend access and highlight stories from collections to better inform the public of the school’s history and the challenges of blind education. Additionally, the partnership views the museum and archives as a place where blind, low-vision, and sighted students can work together to adopt accessibility standards in the collection environment while gaining skills to prepare them for future careers in museums and archives. This paper discusses the development and progress of this project and how the partnership is setting foundations for community to emerge between students, academics, and the public.

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