North Carolina School for the Deaf

The North Carolina School for the Deaf is a state-supported residential school for deaf children established in 1894, in Morganton, North Carolina, USA.

History

In 1845, W.D. Cooke was hired by the state and a school was opened in Raleigh with seven deaf pupils. The school remained open during the Civil War, then later suffered under the incompetent leadership of political appointees.^[1]

Around 1890 the education trend in the United States was to have separate schools for deaf children and blind children. This led to a series of hearings that, in turn, led to legislative action. The end result was funding for a new school for deaf children and its location in Morganton, both in 1891. The prime advocate for a new school was Edward McKee Goodwin (1859–1937) of Raleigh who, in 1894, became the first superintendent, an appointment he held until 1936^[2]. The person instrumental for the location in Morganton was Col. Samuel McDowell Tate (1830–1897) of Morganton. The school for the blind remained in Raleigh as The Governor Morehead School.^[3]

During the Civil War, Confederate money was printed at the school.^[4]

Today

The school is on a historic campus in Morganton, North Carolina with 12 buildings on 160 acres (650,000 m²) of land. The school now has an annual budget of over $10 million.

North Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind is one of two primary public schools for hearing-impaired students in first through 12th grade in North Carolina. The school offers an education program as well as vocational rehabilitation service on campus for students after graduation.

It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Conference of Educational Administrators Serving the Deaf.

References

1. ^ Gannon, Jack. 1981. Deaf Heritage–A Narrative History of Deaf America, Silver Spring, MD: National Association of the Deaf, p. 23-25 (PDF)(PDF)(PDF)
2. ^ [1] North Carolina School for the Deaf at Morganton: 1894-1944.
3. ^ [2] "North Carolina School for the Deaf at Morganton" as published in Heritage of Burke County Vol. II.
4. ^ Gannon, Jack. 1981. Deaf Heritage–A Narrative History of Deaf America, Silver Spring, MD: National Association of the Deaf, p. 8 (PDF)

External links

• North Carolina School for the Deaf [3]
• History of North Carolina School for the Deaf [4]
• North Carolina Office of Education Services [5]

Coordinates: 35°43′52″N 81°41′06″W / 35.7312403°N 81.6850966°W / 35.7312403; -81.6850966