American School for the Deaf
West Hartford
The American School for the Deaf (ASD) is the oldest permanent school for the deaf in the United States. What’s more, the school became the first recipient of state aid to education in America when the Connecticut General Assembly awarded its first annual grant to the school in 1819. When the United States Congress awarded the school a land grant in the Alabama Territory in 1820, it was the first instance of federal aid to elementary and secondary special education in the United States.
The things I learn.
The American School for the Deaf (ASD) is the oldest permanent school for the deaf in the United States. It was founded April 15, 1817 in Hartford, Connecticut by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc and became a state-supported school in 1817.
The first deaf school established was Virginia School for the Deaf in 1780’s, but it closed few years later.
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. Dr. 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.
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. 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 “American Asylum for Deaf-mutes” 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.
Gallaudet would be principal until 1830. His son would follow 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).
My visit to the school’s cool museum!
American School for the Deaf
Robert Azensky says
June 28, 2010 at 12:21 pmWhile studying the collection of papers I own, of the James Henry Wells family of Hartford Connecticut. I happened upon numerous dinner invitations signed T H Gallaudet 1840-50 to James H Wells. Also I found extracts of Asylum Business which describes the annual contract and payment for Abby Dillingham & Charles Burgess, Augusta Kimball. Abby having entered on April 16, 1817. Just some of a large cache of historical documents from the Wells Family of Brattleboro VT and Hartford Connecticut passed down through the Wells family and through marriage to the Huggins then Porter Families.
Meredith says
April 10, 2011 at 7:01 pmThe school established in Virginia was NOT the Virginia School for the Deaf. That school was not opened until 1839, in Staunton. Its full name is the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind (VSDB).
The school in Virginia that you are thinking of was operated by John Braidwood, of the British family of deaf educators. He opened it in 1812 and it closed in 1815. It was located near Richmond and was started at the request of William Bolling, who had deaf children.
Steve says
April 10, 2011 at 8:40 pmThank you, Meredith.
S. M. Manzur Iqbal says
September 18, 2011 at 3:35 amI am applying for this education.
Mrs. Shakuntala R. Dani says
March 11, 2013 at 2:52 pmI am from India, n I like social service. I nave a great experience in dumb and deaf field. I want to join this school as a teacher…
Manohar V. Chiplonkar says
April 13, 2013 at 9:18 amI am from Mumbai (INDIA). As an ideal teaching aid, I have developed a unique product – SCRIPTO semi-transparent slate. Use of this slate will help teachers to teach and kids with hearing and speech problem to learn alphabets in short time. Kindly let me know if your esteemed institute is interested in getting a free specimen.
Thanks for your time. Regards.
Jean C. Martin says
June 1, 2013 at 11:06 amMy mother’s sister took a train from Minnesota to West Hartford where she had applied for a teaching poisition at American School for the Deaf many years ago.
The administrator did not realize that she was hearing impaired but did hire her and she worked there as a teacher for many years. I was told that the library may have been named after her.
Her husband was employed by and worked with the children and adolescents for many years at American School for the Deaf.
They lived on the campus in a red brick ranch style home.
Their names were Margaret and Robert Taylor.
I have always wanted to re-visit ASD. I am now retired. I recall visiting from Minnesota as a young child.
I now live in Duxbury, Massachusetts and would love to bring my family some day to tour the school and museum.
For my Aunt, Margaret Taylor and her husband Robert Taylor, ASD and the students of this wonderful school were their life, their career and calling in life. Two very special people.
The school mascot lived with them. I remember him as a beautiful German Shepherd.
Thank you.
And should there ever be museum or school tours, I would so welcome this.
Jean C. Martin
francisco reyes says
November 15, 2013 at 7:58 amMy Boy is 13 year,he is deaf,and I want soccer school for him
dave nisidh says
May 12, 2014 at 10:32 pmhi,
I am nisidhkumar.c. asst.Techer at baroda gujarat india deaf-mute teacher
since 1981 and teach approximate 2000 and more students learn from me speech therapy, language developing,speech reading subjects and sine language so i would like to visit your school and many more schools witch is situated in USA so what i have to do.
Johann Gunesekera says
October 6, 2014 at 5:10 amMy name is Johann Gunesekera from Melbourne, Australia. I am deaf born. It would be nice to meet you when I am around New York area and other States,and also interestingly meeting deaf people/teachers. I am already booked a travel ticket from the 26th December 2014 to the 24th January 2015. It is regarding for my accommodation, contacts, agencies, deaf communities and making new friends. I do living in single househusband-hood, but I do love writing – this is my passion and dream to become a successful author especially short stories.
Before I leave Melbourne, I would like to contact you or other Deafies because I don’t know where I will be on New Year Eve Night. Is that okay with you?
Look forward to hearing from you again. Have a wonderful day.
All the best and cheers,
Johann Gunesekera
6 Friuli Place
Skye
Melbourne
Victoria 3977
Australia
e: jv_gun@bigpond.com
61 4 400 026 990 (only SMS)
(You are welcome to add me as friends on Facebook with a logo of USA flag)
Karen Flanders Eddy says
January 18, 2015 at 3:48 pmMy father, Kenneth Ainsworth Flanders Jr., went to school here. He graduated somewhere around 1939-40.
Catherine says
March 30, 2016 at 7:04 pmWhen was this article published?
Steve says
March 30, 2016 at 7:36 pm2009.
Kathleen Brockway says
April 9, 2017 at 11:43 pmThis is Kathleen Brockway and I am a Bolling Ancestor. I want to correct Meredith’s comment that it was opened in 1815 in Virginia- closed in 1816, then opened again in 1817 June a couple of months after ASD opened, and then moved to other site in 1819, then closed in circa 1823. I have my own sources. That was the Bolling family’s deaf children who attended to all those schools including Marcus Flournoy and a few deaf students I know of. I still considered Virginia’s Cobb School to be the first public Deaf education in America. ASD is the oldest running School today. Thanks!
Nelson Paul Tibbitt Jr. says
May 28, 2018 at 2:00 pmWe have visited twice the American School For The Deaf in West Hartford, since our daughter, Julie Tibbitt Feldman became Principal there in 2018.
Julie is certainly one of our three princesses and has always been.
Julie is one of our 5 fantastic children. We continually love Julie.
She has 3 brothers and 1 sister and we love all 5 of them. She has a brother who has a P H D in chemistry and teaches college chemistry at a division (Maui College) in Hawaii.
We will again visit Jeff in Hawaii in June, 2018. This will be our third visit to our son in Hawaii.
Mark says
July 2, 2018 at 10:34 pmWho is A.E.W. Anderson? He is artist painting but who? Deaf or hearing?
TAWIAH ISAAC says
October 10, 2019 at 9:41 amI have completed from university of education, winneba.
I did special education and geography . that is the year of 2018 but am still at home and I need job to do
Connie Hicks says
August 19, 2020 at 9:57 pmWhat was Col William Bolling’s middle name?
Harlie says
January 25, 2021 at 10:20 pmWhat day and month was the article published, also who wrote the information?