Willie Ross School opens expanded building and services

Sept. 22, 2021 | Sarah Heinonen
sheinonen@thereminder.com

WRSD President and CEO Robert Carter signs to the group of students, parents, board members and officials while Ami Slater interprets for the hearing.
Reminder Publishing photo by Sarah Heinonen

LONGMEADOW – Surrounded by students, parents, teachers, legislators and other dignitaries, Robert Carter, president and CEO of the Willie Ross School for the Deaf (WRSD), formally opened the newly remodeled Sidney Cooley Administration Building on Sept. 17. The new Cooley Building, with an expanded second floor, offers an audiology center, two conference rooms, a large new lobby and office space.

According to Carter, “The completion of this campus renovation project will allow us to better meet the needs of our deaf community and make our facilities more accessible to our students and the public.”

The school opened the building with the cutting of multiple ribbons, representing students, parents, staff, trustees and legislators. State Sen. Eric Lesser and state Reps. Brian Ashe and Michael Finn were on hand for the ribbon-cutting. Ashe and Lesser secured $100,000 for the project from the state. Monson Savings Bank also donated money to the expansion, as did 340 individuals.

“I’ve often said Willie Ross School is a hidden gem and today that gem got a little larger,” Ashe said. Lesser spoke about the school’s “statewide reputation for advocacy,” and how it helps legislators craft essential laws. Finn, the House chair of the Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities, echoed his colleagues’ praise for the school’s work.

The renovated and expanded building, which cost $2.5 million and was completed over two years, is fully accessible and home to several new amenities. With so many of the students at the Willie Ross School requiring an individualized learning plan (IEP), conferences with educators and families are common. The new adjoining conference rooms, with a divider that can be removed to create a larger area, were needed, said Joel Skelton, WRSD coordinator of community engagement.

Another benefit of the increased space is the audiology center, which allows staff to test students’ hearing in a soundproof booth using specialized equipment. Previously, Skelton said, the school wasn’t able to serve the youngest individuals and worked with those 3 years of age  and older. Now, the school serves people from 6 months to 22 years of age. He emphasized the importance of learning language, including sign language, as early as possible.

To support those who will soon be aging out of the school, a training room has been added, creating a Work Study space where individuals can prepare to join the workforce alongside their hearing peers.

One of the motivations for expanding the Cooley Building was the Willie Ross School’s growing array of services for the hearing-impaired community, including audiological evaluation and hearing evaluations and hearing aid fittings for pediatric and adult patients, speech and language consultations and services, sign language instruction, counseling and pre-vocational training.

The project also added a horseshoe bus dropoff area for increased student safety and energy efficiency updates. A new as-yet-unfinished playground will be constructed this fall and is expected to be completed in spring 2022.  An online crowdfunding campaign for the new playground can be found at https://www.givecampus.com/v5xjf.

The Willie Ross School for the Deaf is located at 32 Norway St. and can be reached at 567-0374 for voice calls and 798-4221 for videophone. For more information, visit https://www.wrsdeaf.org.

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