The Kansas School For the Deaf, is a K-12 school, located in downtown Olathe, Kansas. In 1866, it became the first school for the deaf established in the state of Kansas, and today it remains the largest. Originally named the "Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb", the name has been changed several times to conform to prevailing sensibilities about deafness. Students and staff often refer to the school as "KSD."
The school was founded in 1861 by Phillip A. Emery, a deaf person who had taught briefly at Indiana School for the Deaf before coming to Kansas the previous year. [1] He began educating deaf students from the attic of a small house in Baldwin City, Kansas, about 25 miles southwest of its current location. [2]
Within five years, the school received state funding and a new location in Olathe. In 1885 the thriving institution changed its name to Kansas Institution for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb. Its emphasis, influenced by the work of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, was on integrating deaf students into society, rather than housing them apart from it. [3]
From the beginning KSD emphasized vocational training. Leather working, baking, sewing, printmaking and other trades were incorporated into the curriculum. Vocational training continues to be an integral part of the KSD experience to this day. [3]
Like many schools, KSD encourages students to participate in athletics. It adopted sports very early on, The football team began in 1899, and the basketball team in 1903. [4] [5] Perhaps the most famous KSD alumnus is Dummy Taylor who pitched for the New York Giants from 1900 to 1908. In addition to football and baseball, the school has also had active wrestling, track, basketball, cheerleading and volleyball programs. Athletic teams play both area public schools and other state deaf schools from the region.
The school has dormitories for students who live far from the campus. [6] The Stanley D. Roth east and west wings house dormitories. [7]
Gallaudet University is a private federally chartered university in Washington, D.C., for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing. It was founded in 1864 as a grammar school for both deaf and blind children. It was the first school for the advanced education of the deaf and hard of hearing in the world and remains the only higher education institution in which all programs and services are specifically designed to accommodate deaf and hard of hearing students. Hearing students are admitted to the graduate school and a small number are also admitted as undergraduates each year. The university was named after Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, a notable figure in the advancement of deaf education.
The Louisiana School for the Deaf is a state school for deaf and hard-of-hearing students in Louisiana, located in Baton Rouge, the state capital. It was established in 1852 as a joint school for blind students. In 1860, its first purpose-built facility was completed and admired as an elegant monument to philanthropy. The schools were divided in 1898, and in 1908, Louisiana School for the Deaf was renamed.
Bethany College is a private Christian college in Lindsborg, Kansas. It was founded in 1881, making it one of the oldest colleges in Kansas.
MidAmerica Nazarene University (MNU) is a private Nazarene university in Olathe, Kansas in the Kansas City metropolitan area. It was established in 1966.
The Maryland School for the Deaf (MSD) offers public education at no cost to deaf and hard-of-hearing Maryland residents between the ages of zero and 21. It has two campuses located in Frederick and Columbia, Maryland.
The Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind (FSDB) is a state-supported boarding school for deaf and blind children established in 1885, in St. Augustine, Florida, United States.
Indiana School for the Deaf (ISD) is a fully accredited school for the deaf and hard of hearing, located in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Kentucky School for the Deaf (KSD), located in Danville, Kentucky, United States, is a school that provides education to deaf and hard-of-hearing children from elementary through high school levels. Founded in 1823, it was the first school for the deaf west of the Allegheny Mountains. Jacobs Hall, its oldest surviving building, was designated a National Historic Landmark in recognition of this history.
The California School for the Blind is a public educational institution for blind children, K-12, located in Fremont, California. Its campus is located next to the California School for the Deaf.
The Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind, located in Staunton, Virginia, United States, is an institution for educating deaf and blind children, first established in 1839 by an act of the Virginia General Assembly. The school accepts children aged between 2 and 22 and provides residential accommodation for those students aged 5 and over who live outside a 35-mile (56 km) radius of the school
Oregon School for the Deaf (OSD) is a state-funded school in Salem, Oregon, United States. It serves deaf and hard of hearing students from kindergarten through high school, and up to 18 years of age.
The Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf (MSAD) is a public residential school serving deaf children in Minnesota, United States. It is one of two Minnesota State Academies in Faribault and operated by the state for particular student populations.
The Tennessee Schools for the Deaf (TSD) is a state-operated residential and day school for deaf and hard-of-hearing students who reside in the state of Tennessee ranging from pre-kindergarten to grade 12 also includes a post-secondary transition/occupational program. It is located in Knoxville, Tennessee within the historic Island Home Park neighborhood.
Texas School for the Deaf (TSD) is a state-operated primary and secondary school for deaf children in Austin, Texas. Opened in 1857 "in an old frame house, three log cabins, and a smokehouse", it is the oldest continually-operated public school in Texas. The school struggled under inadequate funding during the American Civil War, and its aftermath, with the students eating food that they grew themselves on the school farm. In 1951 the State Board of Education assumed oversight of the school.
Georgia School for the Deaf (GSD) is a public residential school for the deaf. GSD provides comprehensive education and services to deaf and hard-of-hearing students between the ages of three and twenty-two. Located in Cave Spring, Georgia, United States, the school offers day and residential programs which meet the academic, social and physical needs of students in a bilingual environment. It was established in 1846 and is one of three public state schools operated by the Georgia Department of Education.
Iowa School for the Deaf is a pre-K to 12th grade school for deaf and hard-of-hearing students located in Council Bluffs, Iowa. It serves students who live in Iowa and Nebraska.
The Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind (AIDB) is the world’s most comprehensive education, rehabilitation and service program serving individuals of all ages who are deaf, blind, deafblind and multidisabled. It is operated by the U.S. state of Alabama in the city of Talladega. The current institution includes the Alabama School for the Deaf, the Alabama School for the Blind, and the Helen Keller School of Alabama, named for Alabamian Helen Keller, which serves children who are both deaf and blind. E. H. Gentry Facility provides vocational training for adult students, and the institution offers employment through its Alabama Industries for the Blind facilities in Talladega and Birmingham. AIDB has regional centers in Birmingham, Decatur, Dothan, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, Opelika, Shoals, Talladega, and Tuscaloosa. AIDB currently serves over 36,000 residents from all 67 counties of the state.
Founded in 1850, the Arkansas School for the Deaf (ASD) is a state-run public school in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States, serving deaf and hard of hearing students through residential, day school, and part-time enrollment programs. The school offers preschool through high school, and is affiliated with the Arkansas Association of the Deaf (AAD) and the National Association of the Deaf (NAD).
Heritage Christian Academy is a private Christian school with campuses in Overland Park, Kansas and Olathe, Kansas. It serves pre-kindergarten through grade 12.
Michigan School for the Deaf is a public K–12 school for deaf children in Flint, Michigan. It is under the Michigan State Board of Education.