UofL students partner with Kentucky School for the Blind unearthing historic artifacts

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - University of Louisville teachers and students are teaming up with the Kentucky School for the Blind so they can both learn something from history and one another.

The Kentucky School for the Blind has been around since the 1800s. Back then, the school operated a segregated schoolhouse for Black students. It desegregated in the 1950s, and that facility was demolished.

In May, students with the Kentucky School for the Blind teamed up with students and researchers from the University of Louisville to take part in an archaeological dig at the site of the former segregated school on the Louisville campus.

UofL students have been teaching the younger students archaeological field methods, like screening and excavating, to uncover the historic schoolhouse.

On Tuesday, the UofL team showed KSB students how to wash and prepare the artifacts properly for analysis and evaluation in UofL’s lab.

“There is a lot of texture and things the students can learn from,” Sondra Miller from the Kentucky School for the Blind said. “You can see them exploring and navigating and even the simple skill of using a toothbrush.”

In addition to learning about archaeology and time lines, the students are also learning extra social skills and navigating new places.

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