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April 2, 2010
School for the Deaf in Rome celebrates 135 years of deaf education
Rome has seen a lot of things come and go between 1875 and 2010 - but one thing that has stood strong all those years is the New York State School for the Deaf.
This week the school celebrates its 135th anniversary and on Thursday, the campus celebrated with a play demonstrating the evolution of deaf education.
School Superintendent Carriann Ray said that while the school has been a mainstay in Rome, it hasn't been without it's own share of changes.
"I think it's looking at a total education for deaf students, as their needs are very different," Ray said. "Each student may be hard of hearing...deaf. Some students may have hearing aids, some have cochlear implants. So, deaf education has had to change to meet the many needs that students have."
Deaf students signed, sang and even played instruments Thursday in front of a crowd that included Rome Mayor James Brown.
The celebration began earlier in the week with a Historical Celebration on Monday, a picture, art, and poetry celebration on Tuesday, and public tours on Wednesday.
The School for the Deaf began in Summer 1874, when Alphonso Johnson, a deaf man who was a graduate of the New York Institution for the Deaf and a teacher for some time, came to Rome and proposed to establish a school.
Dr. Thomas Gallaudet helped Johnson in getting a group of Rome Businessman interested in establishing a school for the deaf, and after eight months of planning, opened with four pupils on March 22, 1875 in a rented two-story brick house.
With the four students were from Clayton, Watertown, and Rome, Johnson acted as both Principal and Teacher.
The school commenced what would be its first academic year on September 1, 1875, then called the Central New York Institution for Deaf-Mutes. In 1931, the name of the school was changed to the Central New York School for the Deaf. The school later became a state facility on July 1, 1963 by an act of the State Legislature, with powers of control transferred from the corporation to the jurisdiction of the State Education Department and the Board of Regents. At that time, the name of the school was changed to the New York State School for the Deaf.
In 1965, plans were started for the development of a new school campus. With a multi-million dollar appropriation form the State Legislature, construction began on the Lower School Building that was occupied in September 1967. Facility development continued through 1975 and was completed with the construction of outdoor recreation and athletic areas.
The New York State School for the Deaf now consists of 17 acres.
http://www.wktv.com/news/local/89150922.html
Posted by 4HL on April 2, 2010 4:50 AM
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