The scene looks like any school. The brick buildings, covered with ivy, stand tall. A small playground is off in the distance. On the interior, though, this school looks different. Along the long hallways, many decorations are translated in Braille and students take out their canes, ready to walk to their next class. Children's Express talked with five students at the Indiana School for the Bl

Everyone has dreams and fantasies. Sometimes, by working hard, we can make them come true. For some people, however, no amount of hard work can make their fantasy become a reality _ especially if their aspiration is to gain sight. "I think probably every blind person has a dream of regaining their sight, and unfortunately that's a dream that probably will not happen," said Pete Lang, assistan

Have you ever run into people who didn't have an arm or a leg? Did you wonder how their lives differ from yours? CE recently interviewed Joshua Richards and Dodie Lamagnl. Richards, a junior at the University of Indianapolis, lost a leg to cancer. Lamagnl, a junior at IUPUI, lost an arm in a car accident. They told us how they live with their amputations on a daily basis. As you read their sto

What if you had never heard your favorite rock band or couldn't talk to your friends on the phone? How about not being able to hear when your friends are talking in the cafeteria, or not hearing everything the teachers are talking about in class? This is the world faced by people who are hearing-impaired. This is also the world faced by Miss America 1995, Heather Whitestone. While visiting Ind

Some people consider being hearing- impaired a condition that forces an individual to give up a "normal" life and live in a world of special attention and handicaps. Children's Express talked to Katie Wodicka, 17, who is hearing impaired, about these views and what her life is like. Katie has some hearing ability and leads a fairly normal life. She was preparing to attend Center Grove High Sch

Sign language -- it's been around for almost 400 years and still is used today by deaf people around the world. It also is being studied by hearing people. Whether their interest is learning a new way to communicate or simply to gain high school credits, many hearing students are taking sign language classes each year. Sandra Delph is a free-lance sign language interpreter who also teaches America

Sandra Delph's job requires her to be on call 24 hours a day and to drive more than 40,000 miles a year. But she loves it. "The best part is the feeling of public service, I think, and caring about people and being able to interact with them," she said. Delph is a sign language interpreter for the deaf. She's been signing for 17 years but became a full-time interpreter four years ago. She was insp

Twenty years ago, high school students with special needs would have been placed in separate classrooms, with limited interaction with other kids. Today, Kelly Kaser, a 19-year-old Carmel student with Down syndrome, has a totally different experience. Her school day consists of helping out at a preschool and attending inclusion classes, where she works beside students without disabilities. She pla

Flight: Man has not seen the 100th anniversary of his creation but is already at work re-creating it. This time the barrier is not only gravity, but physical limitations. The Gossamer Spirit project will allow paraplegic athletes to power an aircraft using only upper-body strength. Terry Airport in Westfield will be home to the Timmy Foundation's latest project. Work on the Gossamer Spirit began i

For most people, ordering a pizza is simple: You pick up the telephone and place the order. For people who stutter, it is much more difficult. Afraid of stammering on the phone, they find it easier to drive to the restaurant and order in person. Many people who stutter find they stutter more on the phone, said Bill Murphy, a clinical supervisor in speech language pathology at Purdue University. He

Most people are born with all five senses -- sight, touch, smell, taste and hearing -- although somehow people deprived of one or two of these senses manage to survive and thrive. The rest of us often take these senses for granted. What does it really mean to see or hear? The ability to hear, for example, is very complicated. By definition, it is the ability to perceive sounds through stimulation

When Drew Kingseed was younger, he didn't get a chance to play in parks like most kids. So as a teenager, he decided to do something about it. Born with cerebral palsy, Drew watched from his wheelchair as other kids enjoyed playing outdoors in the parks that dot Kokomo -- parks that don't accommodate kids with physical challenges. Years later, Drew set out to make part of Kokomo's 83-acre Highland

T here was a time when most Americans needed to know only English to get by. This changed as more and more immigrants brought their native languages to this country. To better understand each other, these immigrants learned English, and many Americans learned their languages. But barriers remain between people who share the same language and culture. Communication between deaf and hearing people a

B right lights, challenging scripts, lavish costumes, an empty stage -- a lot of kids like to act, but not everyone gets the opportunity. VSA arts of Indiana tries to give everyone a chance at being center stage, especially people with disabilities. With flexible weekly classes, which are expanded in the summer, students ages 7 to 75 can get involved in drama, music, pottery and visual arts. VSA s