Went to one for a year when I was 6, public school since. I’ve met people from schools for the blind and frankly, many of them seem to be under socialized. They basically have the social skills of kids who were homeschooled. Plus, don’t really seem as prepared to life after graduation as they seem a bit more sheltered. Just my observations.

I went to a school called Lindon Lodge. It was crap. Putting blind people in one school instead of mainstream is a bad idea. It doesn't show the real world and does not prepare you for life. I learnt how to write and read braille, grade 1 and a little of grade 2, but I had to teach myself how to use screen reading software and got bullied quite a lot. I'd highly recommend mainstream schools. Back in my day as far as I know; that wasn't really an option but now disabled people are going to normal schools.

I sometimes went to one so I'd get the chance to meet other blind and visually impaired people. They even invited me to represent the school in track & field championships for the blind. Nowadays that school usually try to get blind people to regular school instead of educating us in their quarters. You may still study there, but only if you have other disabilities, that makes it hard for you to study in a normal school.

My parents were considering sending me to a college for the blind somewhere in the US when I got my diagnosis two years ago. My friends who had gone to similar schools as kids recommended against it as well as other visually impaired friends who had only ever gone to regular schools. Their biggest reason being that schools for the blind don't prepare you for the real world or interacting with sighted people who aren't specifically trained to work with the blind.

I spent a week at one and hated it. Institutionalization shouldn't be the solution in the 21st century.

I have a friend who attended the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind in the 1970's. Over the years, he's told me about the abuse and trauma that many children there suffered, plus some good memories of people who actually cared and tried to help. He has come a long, long way since his time there, but I think there are still emotional scars.

I graduated public High School. After that, I attended my state school for the Blind for 3 years from 2001-2004.