US History

Expansion and Reform (1801-1861)

Social Movements

This collection uses primary sources to explore nineteenth-century schools for the deaf and blind.

An excerpt from a sermon delivered at the opening of The Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons.

Thomas H. Gallaudet delivered this sermon at the newly established Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons on April 20, 1817. Many people affiliated with the church, as well as some advocates for the education of deaf and dumb people, felt deafness prevented one’s closeness to divinity. Hence, instruction in manual language ultimately brought deaf people closer to the church and to holiness.

An excerpt from a eulogy for Thomas H. Gallaudet (1787-1851), an important figure in the history of education of deaf people in America.

A eulogy describing the “life, character, and services” of Reverend Thomas H. Gallaudet, delivered by Henry Barnard, superintendent of common schools in Hartford, Connecticut. Gallaudet founded the first institution in the United States for the education of deaf people.

Excerpt from a list of students who attended The Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons, 1817-1851.

This list, excerpted from the appendix of a eulogy for Thomas Gallaudet, names students that attended The Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons (later the American School for the Deaf). The school opened in Hartford, Connecticut on April 15, 1817, with Gallaudet as principal. 

An excerpt from an 1846 report titled “Education of the Deaf and Dumb.”

An 1846 publication about the impact of education on deaf people and preferred methods of instruction and communication. Strategies reviewed include “natural signs,” “methodical signs,” “written language,” “manual alphabet,” “reading on the lips,” and “articulation.” 

An excerpt from the 1854 book *The Lost Senses* by John Kitto.

*The Lost Senses* was written by the British missionary, scholar, and writer John Kitto, who became deaf at the age of twelve after an accident. The first chapter in *The Lost Senses* focuses on Kitto’s own deafness, exploring the “natural history” of his life in England and abroad, whereas the following chapter on blindness is a comparative study and analysis of people that live with the loss of sight. 

An excerpt from an 1818 address by Laurent Clerc, read at a “public examination” of Connecticut Asylum pupils.

This address, written by Laurent Clerc, was presented by Thomas H. Gallaudet “before the governor and both houses of legislature” on May 28, 1818, as part of a “public examination” of students at The Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons. Clerc was born deaf and received formal education in Paris under Abbe Sicard, then became a teacher at the Institution Nationale des Sourds-Muets à Paris, then traveled to the United States and played an influential role in the development of American educational programs for deaf students. 

An excerpt from Gardiner Greene Hubbard’s 1867 book *The Education of Deaf Mutes: Shall It be by Signs or Articulation?*

An advocate for oral speech education for deaf people, Gardiner Greene Hubbard in this book explores varying strategies in education of deaf students and criticizes the adoption of sign language and well as the boarding-school lifestyle of The Connecticut Asylum. He presents a strong case for providing alternatives to institutionalization.

An excerpt from E.R. Scott’s book *The History of the Education of the Blind Prior to 1830*.

This book, describing the history prior to 1830 of educating people that are blind, was published in 1916 by The College of Teachers of the Blind. It discusses Louis Braille and provides examples of the Braille alphabet. 

A reproduction of a portrait of Samuel Gridley Howe, founding director of the Perkins School for the Blind.

This black-and-white reproduction of a painting by Jane Stuart shows Samuel Gridley Howe as a young man. Howe was a physician, war hero, and the founding director of the Perkins School for the Blind. He was the first person to teach language to a student who was deaf and blind, Laura Bridgman. He was married to Julia Ward Howe, author of *The Battle Hymn of the Republic*. 


 Laura Bridgman’s writing guide. 

Laura Bridgman was the first American deaf-blind person to receive formal education in the United States. This writing guide is believed to be hers. Writing guides help writers keep the pencil in a straight line as they are creating the text.

An excerpt from an 1833 book about the New York Institute of the Blind.

This 1833 book includes information about the history of the New York Institute of the Blind as well as a discussion of “institutions for the blind in this and other countries.” The book also includes “biographical notes” of some “illustrious blind” people. 

A 1834 book by James Gall about the origin and progress of literature for blind people.

James Gall’s 1834 “historical sketch of the origins and progress of literature for the blind” includes “practical hints and recommendations as to their education.” The appendix contains “directions for teaching reading and writing to the blind, with and without a regular teacher.” 

An illustration of Laura Bridgman working on the manual alphabet.

This illustration shows Laura Bridgman sitting at a desk engaged in writing the manual alphabet on her left hand. (The manual alphabet is a sequence of symbols corresponding to letters and used to spell out words.) Bridgman is wearing an eye sash, as is the doll on the floor in front of her. 

Questions

1. Using the [sermon by Gallaudet](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/nineteenth-century-schools-for-the-deaf-and-blind/sources/1437), the [eulogy for Gallaudet](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/nineteenth-century-schools-for-the-deaf-and-blind/sources/1438), the report on “[Education of the Deaf and Dumb](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/nineteenth-century-schools-for-the-deaf-and-blind/sources/1440),” and the [address by Clerc](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/nineteenth-century-schools-for-the-deaf-and-blind/sources/1442), as well as outside sources, discuss the main figures influencing education for deaf people in the United States in the early nineteenth century and how their role impacted education methods for deaf people in the United States today.
2. Using the [portrait of Samuel Gridley Howe](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/nineteenth-century-schools-for-the-deaf-and-blind/sources/1445), Laura Bridgman’s [writing guide](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/nineteenth-century-schools-for-the-deaf-and-blind/sources/1446), the [account of the New York Institute of the Blind](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/nineteenth-century-schools-for-the-deaf-and-blind/sources/1447), identify and describe the various means of communication and instruction of individuals identified as deaf, mute, blind, or deaf and blind. Why were some of these methods considered controversial? 
3. Using the report on “[Education of the Deaf and Dumb](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/nineteenth-century-schools-for-the-deaf-and-blind/sources/1440),” [*The Lost Senses*](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/nineteenth-century-schools-for-the-deaf-and-blind/sources/1441), the [address by Clerc](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/nineteenth-century-schools-for-the-deaf-and-blind/sources/1442), [*The Education of Deaf Mutes: Shall It be by Signs or Articulation*](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/nineteenth-century-schools-for-the-deaf-and-blind/sources/1443), Laura Bridgman’s [writing guide](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/nineteenth-century-schools-for-the-deaf-and-blind/sources/1446), the [account of the New York Institute of the Blind](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/nineteenth-century-schools-for-the-deaf-and-blind/sources/1447), James Gall’s [book](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/nineteenth-century-schools-for-the-deaf-and-blind/sources/1448), and the [illustration of Laura Bridgman](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/nineteenth-century-schools-for-the-deaf-and-blind/sources/1449), explain how the teaching of blind people differed from the teaching of deaf people. How were instructional methods and schools similar and different? 
4. Using [*The Education of Deaf Mutes: Shall It be by Signs or Articulation*](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/nineteenth-century-schools-for-the-deaf-and-blind/sources/1443) and the [illustration of Laura Bridgman](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/nineteenth-century-schools-for-the-deaf-and-blind/sources/1449), explain how Braille impacted the education of blind people. 
5. After reviewing the primary sources in this set, consider the barriers faced by children who were blind and/or deaf in the nineteenth century and earlier. Do those same obstacles exist today? Why or why not? 

Activity

1. Divide the class into two groups and assign one group “yes” and one group “no.” Ask the groups to use the primary sources in the set, along with internet resources and database articles, to debate whether residential programs in the nineteenth century provided a better education for students who were deaf, blind, or both than local public schools. Follow up with a discussion about why residential programs were a popular choice in the early nineteenth century, whether residential programs are a popular choice in the education of individuals with disabilities today, and the probable reasons for any changes.
2. Divide students into small groups and ask each group to gather examples of how technological advances of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries have influenced the life and education of people with a sensory disability such as blindness or deafness. Come back together into a full-group discussion about the changes in education made available by technological changes. What differences might these resources make?


Teaching Guide: Exploring Nineteenth-Century Schools for Deaf and Blind Students

Resources

1. [Perkins History Museum](http://www.perkins.org/history), Perkins School for the Blind. 
2. “[Educating the Senses: The 19th Century Awakes to Reform](http://www.disabilitymuseum.org/dhm/edu/cluster.html?cluster_id=24),” Disability History Museum. 
3. “[History of Gallaudet University](http://www.gallaudet.edu/about/history-and-traditions),” Gallaudet University. 
4. “[History of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped](https://www.loc.gov/nls/about/organization/history/),” National Library Service, Library of Congress. 

Overview

In the nineteenth century, in an era known as the Second Great Awakening, philanthropic and charitable efforts grew across the United States. Part of this humanitarian effort focused on educating disabled people. Construction of boarding schools and institutions for deaf and blind students slowly spread across the country and children once considered uneducable now received formal instruction. Nevertheless, the education of deaf and blind people was controversial. Many questioned the influences of public and private funding on the schools as well as the practice of committing children to an institution at a young age, when meant removing them from their families. Varying teaching strategies for deaf and blind children were also debated. 

Rev. Thomas H. Gallaudet, Laurent Clerc, and Dr. Mason Fitch Cogswell were influential figures in the growth of instruction for deaf people in North America. In 1814, Gallaudet became interested in this topic after meeting Alice Cogswell, the deaf daughter of his neighbor, Dr. Cogswell. Gallaudet traveled to Europe, where he learned from Abbé Sicard, head of the Institution Nationale des Sourds-Muets à Paris, a famous school for deaf children in Paris. Gallaudet began working at that Institution with Laurent Clerc, a graduate of the school and teacher there. Clerc and Gallaudet then traveled back to the United States, and in April of 1817, Gallaudet, Clerc, and Dr. Cogswell founded The Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons (later the American School for the Deaf) in Hartford, Connecticut. Gallaudet became principal and Clerc a head teacher at the Asylum. 

Schools for blind people were also influenced by European educational methods and strategies. Samuel Gridley Howe, founding director of the New England Asylum for the Blind (later the Perkins School for the Blind) spent weeks studying and touring schools throughout Europe before returning home and opening a residential school for blind students. Howe also focused his attention on teaching children who had multiple sensory issues and were both deaf and blind. 

Although isolating, asylums and institutions like these educated people once thought by many to be incapable of ever being educated, let alone contributing meaningfully to society. Nineteenth-century schools for deaf and blind people laid the foundation for the education of students with disabilities in America. 

English

Nineteenth-Century Schools for the Deaf and Blind

nineteenth-century-schools_13_a62588352f03b54598df02429a6d76f5.jpg

Courtesy of Perkins School for the Blind via Digital Commonwealth.

Excerpt from “Laura Bridgman Practicing the Manual Alphabet, 1845,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/a62588352f03b54598df02429a6d76f5.

An illustration of Laura Bridgman working on the manual alphabet.

Cite this item

Tips for Students

Item 13 of 13 in the Primary Source Set Nineteenth-Century Schools for the Deaf and Blind