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1000 BCE
Hebrew Law Denies Deaf Rights
Hebrew Laws established differential treatment of Deaf individuals. The Laws provide the Deaf with limited rights to property and marriage. -
427 BCE
Plato
427-237 BC was a time period led by the Philosophy of Innate Intelligence. Plato stated that all intelligence was present at birth. Plato wrote the, “Ability to reason was intrinsically linked with the ability to speak and therefore individuals who were deaf would inevitably be unintelligent.” Plato believed Deaf people were incapable of intelligence, ideas or language. -
355 BCE
Ancient Greeks
Ancient Greeks thought deaf people were incapable of education. Deaf people were not educated. Those born deaf were thought of as senseless and incapable of reason. -
355 BCE
Aristotle
Philosopher Aristotle said, “Those who are born deaf all become senseless and incapable of reason." Deaf people were therefore seen as unqualified to learn. Deaf = barbarian. -
476
Early Christians See Deafness as Sin
St. Augustine told early Christians that deaf children are a sign of God's anger at the sins of their parents. Thus began the dark and middle ages for the deaf. Deaf people were committed to asylums because of speech and behavior, they were thought to be possessed by demons. -
1500
Enlightenment Begins in Spain / Benedictine Monks
Earliest records of Deaf Education occurs in Spain. The Spanish Benedictine monks developed a means to teach Deaf people to speak. Pedro Ponce de Leon, a Catholic priest began the first school of the Deaf for children. Known as the, "Father of education of the deaf." -
1501
First Attempts at Educating the Deaf
Girolamo Cardano from Padua, Italy was the first physician to challenge Aristotle's belief that hearing was a requirement for understanding. He recognized that Deaf people have the ability to reason. He taught his deaf son using a code of symbols. He believed Deaf people can be taught written language. -
Juan Pablo de Bonet
Juan Pablo de Bonet supported oralism for educating the deaf. To integrate the deaf with hearing society, he additionally used fingerspelling to teach speech and literacy. -
Martha's Vineyard
From 1690-1880, an accepting view on deafness and communicating in American Sign Language existed in the Massachusetts' town of Scituate. Deaf and hard of hearing colonists settled on Martha's Vineyard. The deaf population increased due to intermarriage which created a mix deaf and hearing community. An American School for the Deaf was established in 1817. -
Oral Education
Sameuel Heinicke, a German oral teacher of the deaf opened the first oral school for the deaf in Germany. Heinicke taught deaf and hard of hearing children by having them feel his throat while he spoke. His orally based educational techniques were called, "The German Method." Heinicke is considered one of the founders of oral pedagogy in deaf education. -
European Developments in Deaf Education
From 1760 -1780, Deaf education spread throughout Europe. Thomas Braidwood opened the first school for the deaf in England. In Germany 1777, Arnoldi, a German pastor believed education of the deaf should begin as early as four years old. In 1784, Abba Silvestri opened the first school for the deaf in Italy in Rome. -
French Sign Language Established
Abbe Charles-Michel d l'Eppe was known as the, "Father of Sign Language and Deaf Education. He established the first free public school for the deaf in France in 1771. d l'Eppe worked to develop a bridge between the deaf and hearing worlds through a system of standardized signs and finger spelling. He published a dictionary of French sign language. France became credited as the first country to institutionalize deaf education. The French leadership supported and subsidized deaf education. -
First American School for the Deaf
In 1814, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet met Abbe Roch Sicard and Laurent Clerc, who agreed to help establish a school in the United States. They founded the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut (originally named the Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons). The state subsidized school became America's first, "special education" institution. Many teachers of the deaf began to train in Hartford. -
Numerous American Schools of the Deaf
States such as New York, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Virginia, and Ohio founded state-subsidized deaf schools that used sign-based pedagogy. -
Golden Age of Deaf Education
More than 30 schools for the Deaf were established by Deaf and hearing teachers from the American School for the Deaf and Gallaudet College, including schools in Indiana, Tennessee, North Carolina, Illinois, Georgia, South Carolina and Arkansas. American Sign Language was flourishing. -
The Columbia Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb and Blind
In 1856, Amos Kendall, a postmaster general, donated part of his estate in Washington D.C. to to establish housing and a school for 12 deaf and six blind students. The next year, Kendall influenced Congress to incorporate the school. Edward Miner Gallaudet, the son of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet became the new school's superintendent. -
Abraham Lincoln
President Abraham Lincoln signs the charter for the Washington D.C. based college for the deaf, the Columbia Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb and Blind. Congress authorized the institution to offer college degrees. -
Alexander Graham Bell Promotes Oralism
Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone. He also uses his influence to implement the practice of oralism, thus restricting American Sign Language communication for deaf people. Bell founds the Volta Bureau to promote oral-based education for children who are deaf and hard of hearing. This begins the period of upheaval in deaf education, with a large backlash against sign language. -
Helen Keller
Helen Keller is born in Alabama. She lost both her hearing and sight at 19 months. She is taught at home by her friend and teacher Annie Sullivan and later at the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston. Helen graduated from Radcliffe College. In 1887, women are admitted to the National Deaf-Mite College (now Gallaudet). -
National Association of the Deaf Founded
The National Association for the Deaf made up of deaf people representing 21 states, meets in a convention in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1880. Edmund Booth, Robert P. McGregor and Edwin A. Hodgson help found it. The association is encouraged in Hodgson's newspaper, the Deaf-Mute's Journal. -
Electric Hearing Aid Invented
Early hearing aids were not easy to use. They weighed several pounds and had to be placed on a desk. Carbon-based microphones were powered by large three- and six-volt batteries, hard of hearing people received amplified sound for the fist time. -
Gallaudet College
In honor of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and through an act of Congress, the Columbia Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb and Blind's name was changed to Gallaudet College. -
Deaf Baseball & Football Players Make Changes
Baseball's American League has its first grand slam by William "Dummy" Hoy, a deaf player in 1901. As a result, umpire hand signals were developed so that Hoy could see a strike call from the outfield. In the 1920's, Gallaudet University's football team keeps its game plays a secret by hiding their signed instructions in a huddle. As a result, other teams started to also huddle up. This began the huddle tradition in football. -
Segregation
African American students who were Deaf were excluded from the Kendall School and transferred to the Maryland School for Colored Deaf-Mutes in Overlea, Maryland -
World War I Creates Employment Opportunities
There are less people left to work in factories as hearing men go away to war. As a result, the Goodyear and Firestone tire factories hire more deaf people. At Gallaudet College, deaf women participate in Red Cross for World War I. -
Deaf Employment Rises
From 1941- 1950, Deaf employers' strengths and abilities were finally being noticed. World World Two created a need for labor. Deaf men and women were hired in large numbers to work in defense industries. Many Deaf employers worked in factories in California, Ohio, New York, and Washington, DC. -
ASL as a Language
In 1960, the first Linguistic book and defense of American Sign Language as a language was published by William Stoke. Stoke's research on ASL revolutionized the understanding of ASL in the Unite States and sign languages throughout the world. -
Divided Outlook on Deaf Education
Since the beginning of the field, heated debates regarding the best mode of communication for delivering classroom instruction remained: sign or speech. -
The Telephone Typewriter
A Deaf individual named Robert Weitbrecht invented the typewriter (TTY), which enables deaf people to type out conversations and call each other. -
Picturephone Introduced
The Picturephone, the first commercial videophone is introduced by AT&T. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA; Public Law 89-10) was enacted as part of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title 1 of the ESEA became the medium for providing financial assistance to meet the needs of children educationally deprived. Additional educational staff members were to be hired as well as purchasing more classroom equipment. -
Cued Speech Invented
R. Orin Cornett develops the Cued Speech system at Gallaudet. This method is English transliterated, allowing deaf people to learn English as well as jargon and idioms in their native language. Places equal emphasis on early identification, amplification, and adequate auditory management. -
Total Communication Modality
Schools for the deaf experimenting with instructional methods and sign systems. Some incorporated Seeing Essential English (SEE 1), Signing Exact English (SEE II), or Conceptually Accurate Signed English (CASE). Teachers use any and all means of communication with their students, speech, writing, ASL and finger-spelling to enhance English reading and writing skills. -
"Sign Me Alice"
"Sign Me Alice" is the first play written by a deaf person about deaf people. It premiered at Gallaudet College. -
Vocational Rehabilitation Act
(VRA; Public Law 93-112, Section 504) prohibits discrimination against students with disabilities in federally funded programs and entitles those with disabilities to a free and appropriate education (Scheetz, 2012). -
Educational Amendments Act
(Public Law 93-380) was passed in 1974 and granted federal funds to states to establish and/or continue programming for learners who were gifted and talented. Families of these students were granted the right of due process in special education placement. -
Education for All Handicapped Children Act
The EAHCA (Public Law 94-142, Part B) has the largest effect on the education of deaf and hard of hearing students. This law defines the term the "least restrictive environment" as a classroom setting where peers disabled and non-disabled ages 5-18 receive their education along side each other. It further requires states to provide free and appropriate education for students with disabilities. Schools are obligated develop Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for students with disabilities. -
Section 504
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act is passed. The law requires that all businesses, colleges and organizations with federal contracts or federal funds be open and accessible to individuals with disabilities. -
Bilingual-Bicultural Modality
In the 1980s, bilingual education provided individuals who are deaf with a solid foundation in ASL and English. -
Silent Network / Deaf Mosiac
In 1981, a Deaf cable channel began broadcasting and operated 24-hours, seven days a week. In 1985, Deaf Mosiac began broadcasting from Gallaudet University Television Studios in Washington, DC. The program won Emmy awards for the producers. The program ended production in 1995. -
Cochlear Implants Stir Controversy
In 1985, cochlear implants are approved from clinical trials in people 18 and over. The Deaf community views cochlear implants as unethical and a rejection of Deaf Culture and heritage. -
Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments
Ten years after EAHCA was passed, it was amended to include children with disabilities between birth and age 5. This legislation began the establishment of early intervention programs for infant and toddlers with disabilities. As a result, specific early intervention programs for infants with hearing loss emerged. -
Deaf Actress Wins Oscar
Marlee Matlin becomes the first deaf actress to win an Academy Award for her role in the movie, "Children of a Lesser God." -
Deaf President Now
Students and faculty at Gallaudet University protest the selection of another hearing president. The Deaf President Now consisted of student rallies, marches and protests for a week. After eight days of protests, I. King Jordan is named Gallaudet University's first deaf president. -
Deaf Education and ASL
"Signing Naturally" Curriculum was published, written and produced by Deaf authors Ella Mae Lentz and Ken Mikos. Gallaudet University published "Unlocking the Curriculum" which proposed a return to ASL as the first method of instruction for Deaf children. This refuted the Manually Coded English approaches. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
In 1990, The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA; Public Law 101-336) was written to protect individuals with disabilities against discrimination in the private sector. The law ensures that they would be provided with equal opportunities for public services, employment, accommodations, transportation, and telecommunications. -
Cochlear Implants Approved by FDA
Cochlear implants were approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for use with children as young as 2 years old. The Deaf Community believed it violated the rights of the child. The National Association for the Deaf wrote a position paper asking FDA to withdraw marketing approval of cochlear implants. Deaf people continued to protest the technology and saw it as a form of oppression from the hearing world. -
Use of Cochlear Implants Increases
Technology advances for cochlear implants. Many parents opt for cochlear implants and mainstreamed education as an educational plan for their Deaf children. Overtime, teacher education programs altered their curriculum to meet the needs of children with cochlear implants. -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
IDEA required schools to continue providing services to students with disabilities, which included expelled students. By 1997, the requirement was emphasized that students with disabilities would have access to the general curriculum. General education teachers were required to participate in IEP team. The number of Deaf teachers rise. More teaching opportunities in public schools for Deaf teachers and the desire for Deaf role models increases. -
New Captioning Rules
In 1998, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released new captioning rules for the broadcast and cable television industry. 100% of cable television was to be captioned within eight years and many local news programs were required to have real-time captioning. -
Deaf Individuals on Television
In 2000, athletic Deaf woman and alumni of Gallaudet University competed on reality TV show, "Survivor." In 2002, Deaf actress and TV star Deanne Bray was in "F.B.Eye" and was involved with deaf theater. -
Additional Cochlear Implant Approval
In 2000, the NAD issued a new position paper recognizing the rights of parents to make informed choices for their children, and respects their choice to use cochlear implants and all other assistive devices. In 2003, The Food and Drug Administration approved cochlear implants in children as young as 12 months of age. -
No Child Left Behind
No Child Left Behind (NCLB; Public Law 107-10) dramatically changed and extended the federal role in elementary and secondary education policy. States became required to administer annual testing (math assessments, standardized science tests), Adequate Yearly Progress on academic proficiency in reading and math, report cards of district and school progress provided to the public, and provisions on faculty qualifications. -
Reauthorization of IDEA
The Reauthorization of IDEA (Public Law 108-446) held schools accountable for children with disabilities to also conform to the state systems established under NCLB. -
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-5) provides incentives for states to develop effective educational approaches for students with special needs including deaf and hard of hearing students. It also provides incentives for tracking the progress of students with special needs, including deaf and hard of hearing students. As well as incentives to increase the number and quality of teachers in hard to staff disciplines, including Deaf Education (Sheetz, 2012). -
Switched at Birth
The scripted television show is about two teenagers who were switched at birth and grew up in different environments. According to ABC family, it was the first mainstream television series to have multiple deaf and hard of hearing series regulars and scenes shot in ASL. In 2013, the show aired an episode using only ASL with captions. The episode centered around the "Deaf President Now" protests at Gallaudet University. -
New Gallaudet Logo
Gallaudet adopts a new logo that represents its bilingual campus. Gallaudet is written in text and the "swoosh" represents "Gallaudet" in ASL. -
Today
The future is bright for people who are deaf and hard of hearing. The field has produced remarkable and rapid changes. As a result of these milestones, we have a plethora of resources for deaf and hard of hearing individuals for them to reach their full potential. -
References
Gallaudet University (n.d). Historical Timeline. Washington D.C. Retrieved from: https://www.gallaudet.edu/about/history-and- traditions/historical-timeline
Sign Language Company. (2013). Deaf Culture Timeline. Sherman Oaks, CA. Retrieved from: https://signlanguageco.com/deaf-culture-timeline/
Scheetz, N. A. (2012). Deaf education in the 21st century: Topics and trends. Boston: Pearson
