American School for the Deaf

139 North Main Street

The American School for the Deaf (ASD ) is a school for deaf and hard of hearing students in the United States. It is the oldest existing school of its kind in North America and was founded in April 1817 by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc in West Hartford, Connecticut, where she is today.

Schools'

The school branches of ASD include elemantary school, junior high school and senior high school and a special school ( Positive Attitudes Concerning Education and Socialization, PACES ). In class, spoken language and sign language (American Sign Language, ASL) is used.

In addition to the educational opportunities the ASD operates public relations in the field of deafness and hearing impairment, and various socio-educational and medical counseling programs and service offerings. The school has a museum with collections on the history of ASD.

History

1807 began the resident doctor in Hartford Mason Fitch Cogswell, triggered by a disease-related deafness to his daughter Alice, to seek adequate support of the deaf. A 1812 survey showed that there are a significant number of deaf people with no education were alone in Connecticut. Cogswell was an urgent need to address the establishment of a specially tuned to the needs of deaf and hearing impaired education. Along with other prominent guarantor before Hartford in 1815, he gained money to finance the clergyman Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, a son of the neighborhood, the Alice already had a few words write teach a trip to Europe. Gallaudet should research there after teaching methods for deaf children.

In London, Gallaudet met the deaf Frenchman Laurent Clerc know who taught at the National Institute for the deaf in Paris and started doing sign language. After a stay at the National Institute in Paris Gallaudet returned accompanied by Clerc to Hartford; both founded after they had collected on a trip through New England budget year, 1817, the " Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons" in the building of the " Old City Hotel " in the Main Street. Alice Gogswell was one of the first students. Clerc taught the first teacher at the school until 1858, Gallaudet worked until 1830 as a director. 1921 the school moved to its present location on the North Main Street.

Campus

On the grounds of the school are in addition to the buildings of the ASD, the Deaf National Theatre ( National Theatre of the Deaf ), a Montessori School ( Montessori School of Greater Hartford ) and a day-care center for children with learning disabilities ( The Learning Incentive, Inc.)