American School for the Deaf

The American School for the Deaf (ASD), originally The American Asylum, At Hartford, For The Education And Instruction Of The Deaf, is the oldest permanent school for the deaf in the United States, and the first school for deaf children anywhere in the western hemisphere.[2] It was founded April 15, 1817, in Hartford, Connecticut, by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, Mason Cogswell, and Laurent Clerc and became a state-supported school later that year.

American School for the Deaf
Location
West Hartford, Connecticut
Coordinates41.7710°N 72.7473°W / 41.7710; -72.7473
Information
TypePrivate[1]
EstablishedApril 15, 1817 (1817-04-15)
SuperintendentJeffrey S. Bravin
Staff328
GradesK–12
Number of students174
Color(s)Black and orange
AthleticsSoccer, Volleyball, Basketball, Track & Field, and Softball
MascotTigers
Websitewww.asd-1817.org

History

The first deaf school in the United States was short-lived: established in 1815 by Col. William Bolling of Goochland, Virginia, in nearby Cobbs, with John Braidwood (tutor of Bolling's two deaf children) as teacher, it closed in the fall of 1816.[3]

Gallaudet Memorial by Daniel Chester French (1925) at American School for the Deaf

During the winter of 1818–1819, the American School for the Deaf became the first school of primary and secondary education to receive aid from the federal government when it was granted $300,000.[4][5] As a result of its pivotal role in American deaf history, it also hosts a museum containing numerous rare and old items. While it is situated on a 54-acre (220,000 m2) campus, the ASD has a small enrollment – in its history, the ASD has graduated approximately 6000 graduates.[6]

The impetus behind its founding was the fact that Alice Cogswell, the daughter of a wealthy local surgeon (Mason Fitch Cogswell), was deafened in childhood by fever at a time when the British schools were an unacceptable substitute for a local school. Cogswell prevailed upon the young Gallaudet (who had recently graduated from Yale University's School of Divinity and had begun studying at Andover). Gallaudet met young Alice in Hartford, where he was recovering from a chronic illness.

Laurent Clerc Bust by Carl Conrads

Cogswell and nine other citizens decided that the known 84 deaf children in New England needed appropriate facilities. However, competent teachers could not be found, so they sent Gallaudet in 1815 on a tour of Europe, where deaf education was a much more developed art. After being rebuffed by the Braidwoods, Gallaudet turned to the Parisian French schoolteachers of the famous school for the Deaf in Paris, where he successfully recruited Laurent Clerc.

On the strength of Clerc's reputation, the ASD was incorporated as the "Connecticut Asylum for the Education of Deaf and Dumb Persons," as it was originally known, in May 1816. When it opened in 1817, there were seven students enrolled: Alice Cogswell, George Loring, Wilson Whiton, Abigail Dillingham, Otis Waters, John Brewster, and Nancy Orr. The original name of the school was: The Connecticut Asylum (at Hartford) for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons.[7] John Brewster Jr., was a 51-year-old itinerant portrait painter.

Gallaudet was principal until 1830. His son followed in his legacy, establishing Gallaudet University, which followed the ASD's lead and taught students primarily in American Sign Language (derived from the methodical signs and Parisian sign language of the French Institute for the Deaf).

In 2021, the ASD launched its "Online Academy" for students ages 12–16, which is the first virtual enrollment option offered by the school. The program is intended to provide services to students in other parts of the U.S. as well as international students. It also enrolls homeschooling students and hearing students who want to learn American Sign Language.[8]

National Theater of the Deaf

In 2004, America's National Theatre of the Deaf (NTD) moved its corporate headquarters to the campus of the American School for the Deaf.[9]

Notable alumni

References
  1. Falcone, Amanda. "American School For Deaf Adapts To Changing Landscape". Hartford Courant. Hartford Courant. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  2. "American Sign Language, Center for Global Studies - Wesleyan University". www.wesleyan.edu. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
  3. Camp, Ted. "Deaf Timelines: History and Heritage", http://www.silentwordministries.org, Jan. 2011; Loth, Calder, ed. Virginia Landmarks Register, 4th edition, Univ. of Va. Press, 1999.
  4. Dewey, John. 1917. Address, in: Proceedings of the Twenty-First Meeting of the American Instructors of the Deaf," p. 50
  5. Gallaudet, Edward M. (1886). "History of the education of the deaf in the United States". American Annals of the Deaf and Dumb. 31 (2): 130–147. Archived from the original on 2012-12-28.
  6. Gannon, Jack. 1981. Deaf Heritage – A Narrative History of Deaf America, Silver Spring, MD: National Association of the Deaf, p. 16 (PDF Archived 2012-03-28 at the Wayback Machine)
  7. Buchanan, Bob (ed.), "Gaillard in America – Portrait of the Deaf Community, 1917", p. 172 (via Google Books)
  8. Blanco, Amanda (15 September 2021). "American School for the Deaf launches virtual academy, extending reach to students across the U.S. and the globe". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Connecticut. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  9. National Theater of the Deaf (US): NTD moves to ASD in West Hartford, CT (2004); NTD/ASD press release: NTD moves to ASD campus
  10. Edmund Booth. Gupress.gallaudet.edu. Retrieved on 2013-08-02.
  11. "Connecticut Deaf History". viewer.mapme.com. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
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