Ohio was the fifth in the nation to open a school for the deaf. The boarding school in Ohio kept students busy from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. with lessons, chores, and daily activities.
Class Discussion Questions:
1) Learn how to spell your name using American Sign Language.
2) Compare and contrast your daily school schedule to the daily schedule at the Ohio School for the Deaf.
Read the Script:
Hello, my name is G-A-B-R-I-E-L, Gabriel. What I was doing with my hands, there, is American Sign Language. Maybe you've seen it before. It is a way for people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing to communicate through hand gestures and facial expressions.
Sign Language has been taught in Ohio since the 1800s. We have a pretty welcoming history of teaching the deaf. See, in the early days, many people didn't think the deaf could learn, but they were wrong. Very wrong.
The first permanent school for the deaf in the U.S. was founded April 15, 1817 in Connecticut. It wasn't long until Ohio opened their own. In 1829, the Ohio School for the Deaf opened in Columbus. It began with just one teacher and one 12-year-old student. At that time, most Americans lived in small towns or on farms, so it was difficult to meet the needs of deaf students in the tiny schools scattered across the countryside. For this reason, most schools for the deaf were boarding schools where students could come from far and wide to live in a community with other deaf children, and to learn from teachers who were specifically trained to meet their needs.
An 1850 account of life at the school give the following daily schedule. At five A.M., the students woke up and had breakfast family-style with teachers and administration of the school. Then it was time for the household chores and a study hall until 8:30 A.M. when recess began. At nine A.M., everyone gathered in the chapel for prayers, then class time until lunch at noon. More school until four when it was time for chores again! Boys did the yard work, and the girls sewed. And finally, supper at six. They were busy days for the students and busy weeks with school even happening on Saturdays.
The Ohio School for the Deaf worked hard to prepare students to lead productive lives. Children enrolled in the school, learned standard subjects like reading and math, but they also learned skills like carpentry and sewing that they could used in jobs once they graduated.
By 1904, the Ohio School for the Deaf population had grown to its peak with 532 students. As time went on and the school grew, deaf students learned more skills like autobody repair, business, graphic design, and commercial baking. The Ohio School for the Deaf continues to serve needs of deaf students after almost 200 years!
In 1975, Congress passed the Individuals with Disabilities Act to provide children with disabilities an equal opportunity for education. So nowadays, fewer deaf students need to attend boarding schools because many of their needs can be met in public schools right where they live.
Learn a little more...with a link!
Encyclopedia Article: Ohio Memory, Ohio School for the Deaf | Learn more about Ohio’s first school for the hearing-impaired.
Website: American Sign Language For Kids | There’s an app for that & lots of videos about learning sign language.
Video: PBS LearningMedia, Science Trek, Hearing | How do our ears use sound waves to hear?