The Horace Mann School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (HMS) is the oldest public day school for the

Deaf Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an audiological condition. In this context it is written ...

and

hard of hearing Hearing loss is a partial or total inability to hear. Hearing loss may be present at birth or acquired at any time afterwards. Hearing loss may occur in one or both ears. In children, hearing problems can affect the ability to acquire spoken la ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Located in the

Allston Allston is an officially recognized neighborhood within the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was named after the American painter and poet Washington Allston. It comprises the land covered by the zip code 02134. For the most pa ...

neighborhood of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, the Horace Mann School is a member of Boston Public Schools, and has a long history of providing

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

for Deaf and hard of hearing students.

History

Founded in 1869, Boston School for the Deaf Mutes was established by the Boston School Committee. Renamed after

Horace Mann Horace Mann (May 4, 1796August 2, 1859) was an American educational reformer, slavery abolitionist and Whig politician known for his commitment to promoting public education. In 1848, after public service as Secretary of the Massachusetts St ...

, an advocate for oralism, in 1877, HMS has since occupied many different buildings in and around Boston. At the school’s opening in November 1869, one group of HMS students attended classes in the morning in an available space on East Street while a second group of learners attended afternoon classes in a space on Somerset Street. After only two months, HMS was relocated within Pemberton Square where morning and afternoon classes were held for all students in the same location. In 1873 the State of

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...

began sending deaf students to Mann instead of the American Asylum. Rhode Island stopped sending them to Mann after it established the

Rhode Island School for the Deaf Rhode Island School for the Deaf (RISD or RISDeaf) is a school for deaf students established in 1876 in the US state of Rhode Island. History Founding The school was founded on the initiative of the parents of Jeanie Lippitt, who became deaf ...

in 1876. By 1875, the number of students attending Horace Mann School had increased and a larger space was required. As a result, the school was moved to 63 Warrenton Street. In 1890, the school was relocated again. From 1890-1929, HMS was located at 178 Newbury Street. After nearly forty years on Newbury Street, in 1929, Horace Mann School began to operate out of the Roxbury section of Boston on Kearsarge Avenue where it remained for the next forty-five years. Finally, in 1975, another building was selected to house the school. Since 1975 and for the last 42 years, Horace Mann School has been and is currently located at 40 Armington Street, Allston, MA. Several well-known historical figures such as Alexander Graham Bell and Helen Keller have been associated with Horace Mann School in its earlier years. The Horace Mann School serves students from age three to 22.

References

External links

Horace Mann School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
(Boston Public Schools-owned site) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mann, Horace School For The Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Schools for the deaf in Massachusetts Elementary schools in Boston Middle schools in Boston High schools in Boston