A B R I E F I N T R O D U C T I O N

George Veditz
Became Deaf at 8
Attended Maryland
School for the Deaf, later Gallaudet
University
Worked at Maryland and Colorado
Residential Schools
President of the NAD in
1904
First to film ASL in
1910 and those films are considered a valuable part of Deaf history

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Approximately 250,000 – 500,000 people in the US use ASL
The first residential school was in Hartford, Conn founded in 1817
Gallaudet University was founded in 1857
American Sign Language is the third most language used in this country

Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet Laurent Clerc

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G R A D U A T E D F R O M Y A L E U N I V E R S I T Y
S T U D I E D T O B E C O M E A M I N I S T E R
N E I G H B O R T O T H E C O G S W E L L S
T A U G H T D E A F N E I G H B O R W O R D S B Y
W R I T I N G I N T H E D I R T W I T H A S T I C K
D R . M A S O N C O G S W E L L A N D T H E C O M M U N I T Y
R A I S E D M O N E Y T O S E N D G A L L A U D E T T O
E U R O P E
M E T T H E B R A I D W O O D F A M I L Y I N E N G L A N D
L E A R N E D T H E F R E N C H M E T H O D S O F D E A F
E D U C A T I O N ( M E T H O D I C A L S I G N S )
M E T H O D I C A L S I G N S C R E A T E D A N D T A U G H T
B Y T H E A B B E D E L ’ E P E E

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D E A F F R O M A N A C C I D E N T A S A C H I L D
N A M E S I G N I S F R O M T H E S C A R O N H I S
C H E E K ( P O S S I B L Y F A L L I N G I N T O T H E
F I R E )
E D U C A T O R O F T H E D E A F I N P A R I S
R E T U R N E D T O U N I T E D S T A T E S W I T H
G A L L A U D E T
T A U G H T G A L L A U D E T S I G N S O N T H E B O A T
T O A M E R I C A
T O G E T H E R W I T H G A L L A U D E T ,
E S T A B L I S H E D T H E F I R S T S C H O O L F O R T H E
D E A F I N T H E U S

Dr. Mason Cogswell Alice Cogswell

Information
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Deaf at age 2 from “spotted fever”
Met Gallaudet at age 9
One of 6 deaf students to enter the American School for the Deaf in 1817
Died at age 25, 13 days after her father
Two statues represent her at
Gallaudet University: One she stands alone and the other is with Gallaudet teaching her
“A”
Statue at Gallaudet
University

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Signing community from the late 18 th century to
1952
United States national average was one deaf person in 5728, while on
Martha's Vineyard it was one in 155 in 1854
This community and language played a small role in modern day ASL

Deaf islanders migrated to the mainland after the opening of the school for the deaf in the early 19 th century
The island language,
French signed language, and home signs
The school community became known as the birth place of the Deaf community
The languages combinations became known as American Sign
Language
Hereditary deafness diminished after the islanders moved away and married people on the mainland
In the town of Chilmark , which had the highest concentration of deaf people on the island, the average was 1 in 25

Gallaudet
University’s
History
Located in Washington
DC
Founded in 1857
Situated on 99 acres
Original land was donated by Amos
Kendall (2 acres)
1864 Congress authorized distribution of college degrees

Avenues Into the Deaf
Community
Deaf community is not an ethnic group where it’s members are obvious
Attitudinal deafness vs audiological deafness
To be accepted by the group you must support and accept the values and goals of the community