The New York State School for the Deaf (NYSSD) was founded in

Rome, New York Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States, located in the Central New York, central part of the state. The population was 32,127 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Rome is one of two principal cities in the Utica–Ro ...

in 1874 by Alphonso Johnson, a graduate and former teacher of the NY Institution for the Deaf. The school now operates under the

New York State Board of Regents The Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York is responsible for the general supervision of all educational activities within New York State, presiding over University of the State of New York and the New York State Education Depa ...

History

Alphonso Johnson, a deaf graduate of the New York Institution for the Deaf and former teacher there founded a deaf school in Rome, New York in 1874 with the assistance of Rev.

Thomas Gallaudet Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet (December 10, 1787 – September 10, 1851) was an American educator. Along with Laurent Clerc and Mason Cogswell, he co-founded the first permanent institution for the education of the deaf in North America, and he becam ...

. The school opened in 1875 with four pupils, with Johnson as principal and teacher. The next year, the school began operating as the Central New York Institution for Deaf-Mutes. Within three years, attendance rose to 100 and more buildings began construction. In 1887, the

New York State Legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York: The New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly. The Constitution of New York does not designate an official ...

appropriated funds for several buildings, including Gallaudet Hall, as it was later named. In 1931 the school became the Central New York School for the Deaf. In 1963, by act of the Legislature, the school became part of the New York State Education Department and underwent a further name change to New York State School for the Deaf. Multimillion-dollar appropriations in the 1960s resulted in considerable expansion, with the campus now occupying 17 acres. Fred L. Sparks of

Gaffney, South Carolina Gaffney is a city in and the seat of Cherokee County, South Carolina, United States, in the Upstate region of South Carolina. Gaffney is known as the "Peach Capital of South Carolina". The population was 12,539 at the 2010 census, with an estim ...

became the superintendent in 1950.

Organization

Formerly a corporation, the school is a state operated agency and is now a part of the

New York State Education Department The New York State Education Department (NYSED) is the department of the New York state government responsible for the supervision for all public schools in New York and all standardized testing, as well as the production and administration o ...

and the

. It is governed by Title VI Special Schools and Instruction, article 88 of the NY State Code. Current enrollment is 65 students with 20 faculty. Residential dorms are available for students who wish to live on campus.

Educational program

Academic study

NYSSD has programs for elementary education, middle school, high school, college prep, career prep and

vocational education Vocational education is education that prepares people to work as a technician or to take up employment in a skilled craft or trade as a tradesperson or artisan. Vocational Education can also be seen as that type of education given to an ind ...

( BOCES), daily living skills, and fine arts; and also has a deaf infant program.

Athletics

NYSSD maintains sports programs in softball, track, and soccer. The school mascot is the Trojans, and the colors are green and gold. There are interscholastic teams in boys' basketball, soccer, and track; and girls' soccer, basketball and softball. NYSSD belongs to several conferences, the

New York State Public High School Athletic Association The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) is the governing body of interscholastic sports for most public schools in New York outside New York City.http://www.nysphsaa.org/ ''nysphsaa.org'', accessed 15-JAN-2008. Th ...

(NYSPHSAA), the Eastern States Deaf Athletic Association (ESDAA), and the public school North Country Athletic Conference (NCAC).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:New York State School for the Deaf Schools for the deaf in the United States Educational institutions established in 1874 Schools in Oneida County, New York Deaf education 1874 establishments in New York (state) Public boarding schools in the United States Boarding schools in New York (state)