Early Childhood Education In Deaf Schools

My topic for this research project was the Indiana School for the Deaf. This school has some unique history because it was made so long ago, which was when deaf schools were considered asylums. It gave people another view on anyone who is deaf or have hearing disabilities. In February of 1843, citizens of Indiana decided they should educate the deaf children. They decided this because after the Cobbs School, a school made in the early 1800's, shut down, schools just used the oral method, which only allowed students and teachers to speak. If any students were caught doing Sign Language they were usually punished for it. So a deaf man named William Willard who was teaching at a deaf school in Ohio, came to Indiana and proposed they make

a deaf school for the children. The school was the first school to provide teaching to deaf children for free and is also the first state school to have a bilingual/bicultural philosophy. 
This school is for students that are deaf and hard of hearing.

There are currently 342 students on campus and 600 students enrolled in the school. It includes three different schools, elementary, middle, and high school, plus an Early Childhood Education Program. Everything that a normal school has is provided here except the fact that classes are taught in American Sign Language instead of just English. 

The Early Childhood Education Program offers teaching to toddlers, preschoolers, and pre-kindergarteners, any child from 18 months to 5 years old are able to go here. The ECE Program allows students to develop problem-solving and social skills while their discovering interests of their own. There are many events offered through the ECE Program for the children and their families to attend, such as community outings, home visits and in-school workshops. These events occur on at least two Friday’s a month and last from one to two hours. 

Community outings allow parents to watch their children interact with their peers. These are usually held outside of the school. They mainly are playgroups for the children and meet-ups for the adults. It allows parents to interact with other parents and their child's teacher. Home visits are to communicate with the family of the child and give them their progress. They also allow the school to see if the home meets the needs of the child. The in-school workshops are anywhere from sign language to parent rights. The topics at these workshops are

requested by parents.  
One other thing parents can be involved in at the school is taking Sign Language classes. ISD is in a partnership with the Indiana Association of the Deaf. The IAD allows families to take American Sign Language classes so they can communicate with their children easier and understand them more. The classes are offered on the ISD campus.  
The elementary school at Willard includes kindergarten through the fifth grade. American Sign Language is the main language that is taught and used, but English is taught too. Students are able to learn the behaviors, attitudes and values of the deaf and hearing world. The Language Arts program taught there is called Bilingual Language Arts. Students have an extra 40 minutes in this class than they do any other.  
The middle school includes grades sixth through eighth and the high school has tenth through twelfth. The difference between the elementary and these two schools, is the middle and high school take the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress Plus which are tests of every core subject that the state makes them take. If the students are special need, the state allows them to take a test in replacement of it. 
Special needs students are able to take a Life Skills Program. It allows theses students that are deaf and have other disabilities to learn skills that will be needed to be successful once they graduate from high school. It also offers life and academic skills to those who are preforming below grade level.  
Something unique about this school is that it includes a museum. The museum at ISD allows people to see the unique history of the deaf citizens in Indiana. Some things from this museum are brought to community events to allow the public to see and experience the deaf heritage. Things that this museum includes are photographs, documents and artifacts. Some things that you can find there may even date back to the 1840s, right when the school was made and opened.  
The athletic department is huge at ISD. The sports included are football, cross country, volleyball, basketball, wrestling, baseball, softball, track, cheerleading, and swimming. The school is known for it's basketball. One thing they do with baseball is having a tournament called the Clerc Classic Basketball tournament. It was made in 2000 and thought it would bring deaf athletes from top deaf schools. The school that wins this, then usually wins the Deaf Prep National Championship.  
This tournament was named after a man named Laurent Clerc. He is considered the “Apostle of the Deaf in America” and “Father of the Deaf”. He worked with Thomas Gallaudet to make the first school for the deaf , which is called Gallaudet University, and is still running today. He advocated for fundamental rights for the deaf, like the right to marry. He also inspired people to spread deaf education throughout the United States. His view on deaf people, deafness, and sign language were him believing they were a minority culture.  
Some other tournaments held at ISD would be the Spike Out Tournament and the Willigan Tournament. The Spike Out Tournament is a volleyball tournament that was made by the Indiana School for the Deaf. It was made to bring top volleyball teams to one place and let them play each other to see who claims the national championship.  
The Willigan Tournament is a wrestling tournament.

It's named after a wrestler named Marty Willigan. He was a two time NCAA qualifier and also a two time conference champion. After he graduated from Hofstra, he became a member of the USA Wrestling Team at the World Games for the Deaf. Marty then began working at Gallaudet University and coaching the wrestling team there. He worked at Gallaudet for 34 years then was inducted in the NCAA Division lll Hall of Fame for his coaching skills and contributions. He also became a member of the USA Deaf Sports Federation Hall of Fame.  

While the athletic department at ISD is amazing, their after school activities are just the same. Vibrations, Freedom Club, Academic Bowling, Junior NAD, and the International Trip Club are all offered to the students. VIBRATIONS is a visual preforming arts show that consists of the culture of the deaf and American Sign Language. Anyone from ISD that is in eighth grade through high school can be a part of VIBRATIONS. The show consists of students doing ASL song interpretations, dances, drum songs, ASL storytelling and ASL

poetry.  
There are five different performance options that the students can do. You could either watch a full show, which is one hour and fifteen minutes long, or a thirty minute show. You could do a question and answer show which lasts from fifteen to twenty minutes. There's also a show called ASL workshop  that lasts twenty minutes. You could also customize your own show if none of these would be what you wanted to see.  
Freedom Club is where students meet up and celebrate their cultural diversity. It was made in 1988, so African American heritage and culture could be celebrated, and is now celebrating everyone's culture and race. Academic bowling is another activity offered at ISD. It was established in 1997, by Gallaudet University. They made it to show the academic excellence and to allow friendly competition between high school students that are deaf and hard of hearing. The bowling competition has been going on for twenty years now and still continues today. 
A program that is called Junior NAD is offered to the students at ISD. It allows the students develop leadership and citizenship skills and to meet students from other schools and states. Another program that allows the students to meet new people is the International Trip Club. This club gives the students the opportunity to travel internationally and promote awareness and appreciation of the diverse cultures. It is offered to grades tenth thru twelfth, but expects students to raise funds for themselves and as a group to pay for the trip. All the students that participate have to take two courses; International Relations and Ethnic Studies. So far the club has taken students to France and England. For the year 2017 it is set for the students to travel  to Asia.  
After reading this research paper, I hope it is noticeable that the Indiana School for the Deaf is mainly just like any other school. it includes all the same classes, the same sports and the same after school activities. While there are some differences, such as the fact that classes are taught in American Sign Language, the unique history that is included on it, the museum it contains and many more, it is just how many other schools contain some unique things about its self.  
After researching this school, I've come to the conclusion that any American Sign Language class that is close the Indiana, should really try to visit it. It would allow students to experience how students learn on an everyday basis through American Sign Language. Considering Indiana School for the Deaf is one of the most unique deaf schools in the United States since it was made so long ago and it includes a museum of the history of the deaf in Indiana it would also allow students to learn the history of the deaf as well.