St. Joseph's School for the Deaf 4 March 2010

St. Joseph's School for the Deaf has been able to maintain its enrollment in the face of the emphasis on mainstreaming (which is generally a bad idea for most deaf students), and as numbers have grown, there was need for a new hostel for the boys.  A new building was put up last April and is really nice.

	The hostel for the boys is planned to be aesthetically pleasing as well as functional and has a small fish pool inside on the ground floor.
	The building is mainly naturally lit and the corridors and stairways are spacious and light and airy.
	The dormitory for the smaller boys. Mosquito nets are a necessity.
	A smaller group of older boys have their own dorm. Mainstreaming of children with disabilities into regular schools is causing a general decline in schools for the deaf.
	The students have a large spacious dining room for their meals, and it can also be used for other activities requiring a big indoor space.
	Generally most cooking in Sri Lanka is done with wood and kitchens are planned around a wood-burning stove and its ventilation. Now more and more middle-class families are starting to use LPG gas stoves also.
	The students at St. Joseph's are generally a happy lot and together with the Perpetual Help sisters form a lively and healthy community.

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