Having attended a blind school myself, I am going to address the significant points you've made in your post and offer my opinions about them:
1. Almost everybody I know who goes to a school for the blind is always sheltered in one way or another and never use their cane or read braille.
ON the contrary, (keep in mind that I cannot speak for all schools for the blind across the United States) using canes and reading braille is actually pretty strongly enforced at the two blind schools I've attended. One was expected to use their cane, and if you don't read braille, well there isn't a whole lot of other opportunities for you to complete assignments. Students were often lectured and told off if seen not using their canes. There wasn't much of a choice for a student whether or not they wanted to use it. Textbooks and most other reading materials were provided in braille. (along with other mediums for students with low vision) I would love to hear more about what you mean by not reading braille though. As far as students being sheltered in this kind of environment, I do agree with you. Even though the schools I went to were extremely adamant about teaching students how they would have to ask for their accommodations once leaving, there weren't a lot of opportunities for students to experience this first hand. I actually understood this concept though having attended public schools for quite a while in my younger years before losing my vision. I know quite a number of students from the schools that I've attended who probably wouldn't know what to do if materials were provided to them in an inaccessible format. I wouldn't say that this is a fault of theirs but more a fault of the school that didn't teach them how to advocate for themselves.
2. Don't even get me started on the accessible technology. When you walk in a computer room, you have the option of jaws, window eyes, NVDA or voiceover. In the real world, that's not what happens.
I understand the point you're making here, but to play devil's advocate, if someone were to stumble across a Mac that they needed to use in the "real world", they would be able to use Voiceover. When it comes to other assistive technology though, I think you have a strong point. The two blind schools I attended offered many different assistive technology devices to students to use while enrolled there. These included anything from portable magnifiers, to book readers, to braille displays, and many different others. I do think that students should have exposure to these devices and become somewhat familiar with what they have to offer, but students quickly and easily became reliant upon the technology. Unfortunately, once graduating from the school, students no longer have access to these devices unless they have the financial ability to obtain them. (that gets very interesting though once you start looking at devices that are thousands of dollars) I think the point here is that it would be better if students had the opportunity to work with the technology, but not to become reliant upon it.
3. I do not think schools for the blind are needed in today's society.
Why not? Have you ever had the experience of attending a blind school for any time? Someone who spent all of their years of education in a blind school could say that a public school experience would have been completely useless to them. It's easy to dismiss something you haven't experienced without looking at it from a different perspective. I'm really not trying to defend the blind school experience too much because I do have my issues, but I'm just saying that there's a lot of bias here.
4. Also, whenever I go to events at the school near me, I actually feel blind, or feel disabled, if you know what I mean. It’s like all the staff are silently saying "Hey, your different, you belong here."
Once again, students who have only been exposed to a blind school environment could say the exact same thing about the public school experience.
5. I could never spend 10 months of my life locked away in a place like that.
Define "locked away"
6. How were you people when you came out of there after high school?
In what sense? Mentally? I would say I'm doing pretty well. Emotionally? Not too many problems there that can't be solved. Normal? Point me to one person who is... (blind or not)
7. I've always thought somebody who's always gone to a blind school would be screwed once they left, because they actually have to look for what they need rather than have it there always when they need it.
That is the case. A lot actually. Like I explained earlier, I've always understood the concept of having to self-advocate having had the opportunity to attend a couple different school environments, so I've never had a problem like that. Don't misinterpret that and think that I am putting myself above other blind individuals who do struggle with this. I'm not doing that at all. I'm just explaining that my time in education has been very unique, so I’m just a little different.
8. I don't even think the academics at those schools are at the same level as regular public schools.
I think that this might be the most incorrect statement you've made. Of all of the blind schools I've interacted with, there is nothing different about the level of academics involved. Trust me, I've had many different conversations with different teachers/administrators about this. Many do believe that the curriculum is different for blind schools and in my experience, that definitely hasn't been the case. The pace at which classes move through different material is what gives people this impression. One of my biggest problems with the schools I have attended was how slow they moved through materials. I understand why this is done, but when teachers have to slow down to ensure that every student on every level in the class understands the materials, students who grasp the material much more quickly are often at a disadvantage. That aside though, some blind schools do have additional aspects to the curriculum including classes teaching orientation and mobility skills along with other blind specific courses.
Alright I think I'm done. I really didn't mean to write as much as I did, but you might as well finish what you start. Hopefully I helped to shed some insight into the blind school experience. (at least from my perspective) I wouldn't say at all that I am 100% against blind schools, but I definitely do think that some changes can be made to make the experience more beneficial for visually impaired students. I've thought a lot about pursuing this, but my motivation was crushed when my thoughts and opinions fell upon deaf ears. It's not easy getting people to listen to what you have to say as a student.
Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company. - Mark Twain