Indiana

Indiana School for the Blind planning for next 100 years

Published

1 year ago

February 7, 2025

Indiana School for the Blind planning for next 100 years

INDIANAPOLIS (MIRROR INDY) — When the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired relocated to Indy’s far east side this year, there were naturally a lot of questions.

Would the new facilities accommodate the students’ needs? How would the students get to the new campus from the current one on 42nd Street? And would they lose some students in the transition?

But for Jazmine Nelson, a junior who has attended the school since 2018, the move to the school’s temporary location in a former IPS school has brought unexpected benefits.

“At the last campus that we were all at, it was all separated — like elementary was in a building, middle school, high school was in a building,” she said. “Having everyone put together kind of brings us closer as a school and as more of a community.”

The move took place at the start of the school year as part of a $655 million project to combine the campuses of the state’s school for blind and low vision learners and the Indiana School for the Deaf.

Together, both schools will see the construction of new, state-of-the-art facilities tailored to the needs of their students. For example, educators have requested dimmable lighting to accommodate kids with light sensitivity and high-contrast floor and hallway designs to help low vision students easily identify their place in a building.

It will be the first time either school has seen significant renovations in 25 years.

“Sometimes it’s a little pressure thinking about how we’re trying to build this building for the next 100 years,” Principal Jay Wilson said, “but it’s been a good and interesting process.”

Designing a new campus

The Indiana School for the Blind enrolls more than 100 kids a year in pre-K through 12th grade. The school serves students from across the state and about 30 of its students, this year, live on campus.

Indiana lawmakers have dedicated $465 million to the project through state appropriations. Another $190 million is being financed through federal pandemic relief dollars. Officials broke ground on a combined campus in August.

Plans call for moving the Indiana School for the Deaf from its 42nd Street campus just north of the Indiana State Fairgrounds to a shared location at the 75th Street and College Avenue campus where the Indiana School for the Blind has taught students since 1930.

Both schools house students from across the state in on-campus residential buildings and will see the construction of new dorms.

Additionally, a new academic center, fieldhouse, athletic fields and greenhouse will be built on the sprawling, 67-acre campus. Other existing structures, such as the school’s administration building and bell tower, will be renovated.

Though the two schools will share a campus, each will have its own dedicated space. Students and staff from both schools have met with architects to describe what they would like in the new campus.

Local firms Ratio Design and American Structurepoint also have enlisted the help of two renowned accessibility experts — architects Chris Downey, who is blind, and John Dickinson, who is deaf.

James Michaels, superintendent of the Indiana School for the Blind, said he appreciates the understanding the two architects bring to the project. The team, for example, has brought tactile versions of their drawings to meetings with Michaels, who is blind, so he can better follow along as they describe their work.

“They have perspective from their own experiences,” Michaels said. “They really have done a lot of things to help me understand what the campus is going to look like.”

Settling into temporary space

Indiana School for the Deaf students are able to attend classes as they normally would through the construction.

But students of the Indiana School for the Blind are taking classes at IPS’ former George Buck School 94. Some support offices have been moved to another closed IPS school, Floro Torrence School 83. Residential students are staying in dorms on the Indiana School for the Deaf campus.

The transition to the temporary space required some adjustments. Braille lettering was placed outside each door, cane holders were installed in classrooms and high contrast markings were added to doors frames to increase their visibility. However, Principal Jay Wilson said, overall changes were minimal.

“Our overall philosophy is that our students, once they leave us, go into a world that is a sighted world,” Wilson said. “So actually it’s a good, real-life lesson.”

To accommodate students, Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired classes typically have far fewer students assigned to each classroom. That means the spaces at School 94 felt especially roomy to the students and teachers.

They might be relocated for three to five years — depending on how long construction takes — so school leaders are taking steps to make School 94 feel like their own. A greenhouse was built in an enclosed courtyard and school leaders say they’re also excited to offer new classes this spring in a recently finished adaptive kitchen.

The kitchen features countertops of varying heights, no-burn cooktops and tactile markings on appliances. School leaders say they will take some of the donated materials when they move back to the original campus.

The biggest challenge so far, Wilson said, has been a lack of office space.

With occupational and physical therapy programs on site, the school employs far more adult staff than a traditional school. That means converting classrooms to temporary offices was an early priority during the temporary relocation.

“It’s a new normal for us,” Wilson said. “Sometimes kids can be more adjustable than adults, but I think everybody has done a good job of assimilating to a new normal.”

Listening to students

Nelson, who is a residential student from northwest Indiana, said she’s grown more accustomed to the daily commute from the dorms on 42nd Street to the Indiana School for the Blind’s eastside school building.

The 15-year-old has some vision but struggles to make out colors and details. She described her experiences with vision as being like “you’re watching a really old movie that doesn’t have color yet.” Those differences, she said, stand out in a traditional classroom.

She tried returning to her traditional public school for a brief period this year, but found the Indiana School for the Blind could better accommodate her needs for specific materials. And, the school’s high contrast hallways were easier to navigate.

“There’s still times where the lights in the classroom are too bright,” Nelson said, “But, here, I feel like the teachers understand you a lot more.”

At the Indiana School for the Blind, she also is able to participate in cheer, track and forensics. Nelson is interested in becoming a teacher or psychologist, and she’s getting experience working with elementary students at the school, teaching them about braille and voiceover technology.

That’s all become easier now that students of all ages are in the same building.

“I’m just able to, like, walk down a hallway and turn a corner, and it’s right there,” she said.

The junior will graduate long before the campus redesign is finished, but she had a chance to share her ideas with architects as they began designing new buildings.

Her requests? More dimmable lighting, common areas and suite-style dorms in student residence halls.

“I’m sad that I won’t be able to experience it,” Nelson said. “However, I’m grateful that I’m able to contribute to other students’ experiences and being able to be in a school that was designed with their ambitions and dreams in mind.”

The Indiana Blind Children’s Foundation, a nonprofit that supports the school, will have a fundraiser March 1. The 2025 No Limits Celebration at Butler’s Schrott Center for the Arts will feature a performance by Lachi, a globally touring performing artist who was born legally blind.

Doors open for a reception at 6 p.m. A one-hour concert will begin at 8 p.m. followed by deserts and a Q&A with Lachi. Tickets start at $50 and are available online.

Mirror Indy reporter Carley Lanich covers early childhood and K-12 education. Contact her at carley.lanich@mirrorindy.org or follow her on X @carleylanich.

Source link

Indiana

What Tom Izzo said after Michigan State’s win over Indiana

Published

6 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

What Tom Izzo said after Michigan State’s win over Indiana

Michigan State basketball went into Assembly Hall on Sunday afternoon and controlled the Hoosiers from start to finish, earning a 77-64 victory. The win goes a long way in almost virtually confirming that the Spartans will have a triple-bye in the Big Ten Tournament, while also bolstering the Spartans case to get a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

For the second straight outing in the state of Indiana, MSU head coach Tom Izzo came away pleased with his group, and expressed that to the media:

“Well, to be honest with you, for once, we got off to a good start. We haven’t been doing that. We decided to try to go inside, Kohler (had) been struggling, we thought we’d try to get him going. We get that 10-point lead and it kind of stayed that way.
“We did not do a great job of building on it, it’s because they’re a good team. Everybody asks me, ‘Are they good enough to be in the tournament?’ Read my lips: hell yes. It’s just that somebody’s got to lose some of these games. The league is so good.”
“I’m proud of my guys, because coming back from that Thursday-Sunday deal, both on the road, I thought they showed a lot of character. I’m proud of my staff, those preps are not easy at this time of year. Kur came off the bench and really sparked us after making more than a few mistakes.”
“What I appreciated about the game is I thought Jeremy took over. Everything we asked him to run early, to go into Jaxon, he did a great job of. I thought Kur, who’s a sophomore now, took a big step forward after not playing very well the 5 minutes he was in there early and falling down and giving up 3s, and then he bounced back. That’s kind of what you’ve gotta do.”
“We did it a little different way. We said this will be kind of like the NCAA Tournament where you’ve got a one- or two-day prep, one-day prep, so I think it was good for us. I’m really proud of them, but I don’t want to be proud of them until I’m done playing.”
“All in all, guys, we’re in spring break, which means you can practice like 100 times, and nobody arrests you or anything. But our guys deserve some time off and we’ll get some things done tomorrow. “

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on X @Rex_Linzy

Source link

Indiana

Coast Guard investigates death of mariner working barge in Jeffersonville

Published

18 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Coast Guard investigates death of mariner working barge in Jeffersonville

U.S. Coast Guard officials are investigating March 1 after a mariner died while working on a barge in Jeffersonville, Indiana.

An incident involving the mariner occurred the afternoon of Feb. 27 at mile marker 597 of the Ohio River, said Lt. Cmdr. Steve Leighty, public affairs officer for the U.S. Coast Guard Ohio Valley Sector. Leighty declined to provide further details about the mariner and the circumstances of their death, citing the ongoing investigation.

Officials with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office are also investigating the incident, Leighty said.

Reach reporter Leo Bertucci at lbertucci@usatodayco.com or @leober2chee on X, formerly known as Twitter

Source link

Indiana

Indiana Pacers Must Manage Two-Way Contract Player Availability Down Stretch

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Indiana Pacers Must Manage Two-Way Contract Player Availability Down Stretch

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DECEMBER 20: Ethan Thompson #55 of the Indiana Pacers takes a shot over Derik Queen #22 of the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half of a game at Smoothie King Center on December 20, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

Getty Images

WASHINGTON – The Indiana Pacers have a player availability puzzle to put together down the stretch of the 2025-26 season, and it involves all three of their players on two-way contracts.

Currently, the Pacers have Jalen Slawson, Ethan Thompson, and Taelon Peter signed to two-way deals. Thompson and Peter have been helpful at different points this season, and all three players are healthy right now. They each project to have a bigger role in the Pacers’ final outings of the season.

But they can’t all play in every game thanks to two-way contract rules, and the Pacers will have to juggle the availability of each player. Indiana has already played multiple games since the All-Star break with just one or two or their two-way contract signees available to play.

That’s because two-way agreements come with a limit – players on such contracts can only be active in 50 games per season (or a proportionate ratio of 50/82 games at the time of signing based on the number of days left in the season). The Pacers couldn’t get by without their two-way contract players at various moments this season due to injuries, with Peter being active for 23 of the team’s first 25 games and Thompson during every game from December 1 through January 17.

During those stretches, Indiana needed their two-way players to field a team or a rotation that actually made sense. It wasn’t a poor use of their active days. But that two-way usage early in the season now requires the Pacers to be strategic down the stretch of 2025-26. They have 22 more games this season but won’t be able to use their two-way talents in all of them.

Peter, a rookie selected in the second round of last June’s NBA Draft, had a rush of games to open the campaign, and he’s allowed to suit up 14 more times this league year. “He’s figuring out what being a professional basketball player is about,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of Peter and his in-season growth earlier this month. “It’s about being who you are all the time, regardless of make or miss. Just keep playing, just keep staying aggressive.”

Thompson was signed on November 30, which permitted him to appear in 39 games this season. He’s only got 10 left – Thompson was effective right away with the Pacers and played often after his signing. He was named to the NBA G League Next Up game, effectively the G League All-Star game, for his performances this campaign.

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – OCTOBER 13: Taelon Peter #4 of the Indiana Pacers takes a shot against the San Antonio Spurs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on October 13, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Slawson signed his contract earlier today and is eligible for 13 appearances the rest of the way for the Pacers. So, with 22 games remaining, none of the team’s two-way contract players can be active for each remaining game. The team will have to figure out the best strategy when it comes to managing two-way player availability during the final months of the season.

Another consideration for the franchise is that two-way players, by virtue of their contract, can be transferred down to the G League at any time. Peter, Slawson, and Thomspon have combined for 64 appearances with Indiana’s G League affiliate team, the Noblesville Boom, this season. Once the Boom’s season ends – their final scheduled game is March 26 but the team currently holds a playoff spot – then the G League is not an option for two-way players.

So the Pacers have to figure out the best way to deploy, and evaluate, their two-way contract signees during March and April. It’s a lot to manage.

“We’re trying to save games for him,” Carlisle said of the Pacers decision to keep Quenton Jackson, who was previously on a two-way contract, inactive for a game earlier this month. “We want to conserve those games as much as possible.”

Jackson had his contract converted from a two-way deal to a standard deal earlier today, and Slawson filled his two-way slot. It was sharp business for the Pacers, but they lost some available two-way days as a result – Jackson had more than 13 games remaining, but Slawson gets fewer because of the day he signed his contract.

“Two-way guys, your life is a lot of unpredictability of where you’re going to be from day to day,” Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan shared in February.

If the Pacers want to keep their two-way talents around the NBA club as much as possible, their best course of action could be to keep two of the three active in every game and occasionally just have one of the three available. If the team can get to a spot in which they have 15 games left on the schedule and all of their two-way talents have 10+ games left in which they could be active, two of the three could play every night during the final 15 outings. Using all three at once could be difficult, though Indiana may choose to deploy each of Thompson, Peter, and Slawson on the second night of back-to-backs as they manage injuries down the stretch. Putting any of the trio in the G League for a few days is an option, too, but comes with injury risks.

Slawson has not appeared in a game for the Pacers yet this season. Peter is averaging 3.3 points per game while shooting 35.8% from the field while Thompson is posting 4.9 points per contest and knocking down 36.7% of his shots. The Pacers are 15-45 with three back-to-backs remaining and three games left against teams near them in the inverse standings.

Source link