Kindergarten, Elementary, Special Vocational and Boarding School for Visually Impaired Children
The education of blind children dates back to 1825 when Pest Institute for the Blind was founded. The constructions of National Educational Institute for the Blind started in 1901, the kindergarten was built in 1912.
Kindergarten
The kindergarten is a separate building offering spacious and friendly rooms to children aged between 3-8.
Amongst the small kindergarten groups special and deaf-blind groups can as well be found. The development of
movement, tactile sense, hearing, vision and mental capacities is helped by physiotherapists, masseurs, speech
therapists, low vision trainers and psychologists. In the preschool period, when, for example, music teaching
starts, families are involved to a great extent in preparing both day and boarding children for school.
Elementary school
Students acquire the material taught at mainstream elementary schools with the help of special aids in small groups;
the school runs following departments: blind, blind with learning difficulties, blind with mental retardation.
Special additional activities: mobility and orientation training, tactile sense, development of basic skills,
speech and physiotherapy, low vision training, typing and computer technology.
Dormitory
Main educational goals: ability of selfstudy, teaching daily living skills, preparation for an independent
life including orientation.
Free time activities: learning music (piano, cello, guitar), sports (goalball, athletics, swimming, chess, rowing,
tourism, skiing), language clubs (English, French, German), handcrafts (weaving, matting, basket making,
pottary, steatite works), camps (sports, handcrafts).
Special vocational school
After leaving the elementary school, consisting of eight years, students may continue their studies in the
vocational school, in the first two years of which they get acquainted with all the jobs they can choose;
in the second two years the students learn the chosen jobs in three departments.
Jobs for visually impaired: computer operator, carpet weaver, basket maker; for visually impaired students
with learning difficulties: carpet and basket maker; for visually impaired students with mental retardation:
carpet maker (at this level special development of daily living skills is needed.