Since its beginnings, the Oregon School for the Deaf has been a center for Deaf culture in the state. It continues to shape new generations of leaders in the Deaf community, advocating for themselves in the state and nationally. The school is small, with fewer than 150 students in grades K-12, but it offers the same academic programs as other schools. They also have a sports program and extracurricular activities. The school is open to any deaf or hard-of-hearing student in Oregon, but the distance from Salem can make it challenging for those living far from the area.
From the beginning, the OSD has had dormitories for students to stay in during the week, because they live too far away to travel daily to the school. Today, some students from Eastern Oregon fly back and forth to spend their weekends at home, even though the travel can be grueling. For many students, OSD is where they can find peers and community, since they might be from small towns with no other deaf people. Most of the leadership and teaching positions at the school are filled by deaf people who understand the student experience and serve as role models for students. The Oregon School of the Deaf is officially recognized as a bilingual school, offering instruction in both American Sign Language and English.
History of the Oregon School for the Deaf
In 1870, William S. Smith founded the Oregon School for the Deaf. A deaf teacher himself, he had been born in Canada and educated at the New York School for the Deaf. By the time he arrived in Oregon, Smith had already taught in Michigan and California at schools for deaf children. The Oregon legislature provided $2,000 as the initial investment in the school. To enroll students, Smith traveled across Oregon by horse and cart, meeting families and encouraging them to send their children to the school.
The early curriculum included an early version of American Sign Language (ASL). The curriculum was similar to that of other students at the time, with a focus on reading, writing, and mathematics. Because most of them were boarders, students learned to cook and clean up after meals, which they typically ate family-style. Sports became part of the experience as well – basketball teams for both boys and girls existed in the first decades of the twentieth century, and sports remain an essential part of school life today.
Training in the Trades
Once the school was established, Smith returned to the Oregon Legislature with a proposal to fund trade training so graduates could go to work upon finishing at OSD. The Legislature obliged, and the first training in the trades at OSD was established. The first trade students at OSD were taught printing, which suited many deaf men, since women were not encouraged to pursue work in the trades. Printing was usually in a very loud environment with the printing presses, and it was usually a solitary job. Both elements suited deaf people because the lack of co-workers meant less difficulty communicating, and the din of the presses wasn’t an issue. Through their focus on printing, the students at OSD wrote newsletters about their lives and experiences, which they exchanged with students at other Deaf schools across the country.
The trades have been part of the school since its early involvement in printing. Later in the nineteenth century, the school added woodworking, leatherworking, farming, and sewing to the curriculum. The school continues to offer trades training, but now focuses on welding, construction, and barista skills for those interested in working in coffee.
Oregon School for the Deaf and Activities on Campus
Oregon School for the Deaf engages in a variety of community education and outreach events. They have recently re-started their preschool program, welcoming deaf and hard-of-hearing kids as well as CODAs (children of deaf adults) who are fluent in ASL. OSD is also hoping to provide more parent education for parents of students at all levels, since many deaf students have hearing parents who may struggle to understand the Deaf experience. They have held an all-Oregon STEM event for elementary schools, a middle school leadership conference, and other activities that bring Oregonians from diverse backgrounds to the school.
OSD’s most prominent attraction for the community is the Nightmare Factory, a haunted house put on by students in the dorm yearly in October. Students spend the year before designing and building costumes and sets, and performing in the haunted house during each weekend in October. It’s a great fundraiser for the school’s sports and extracurricular activities, and a highlight for many students.
To get involved with OSD and the great work they do, attend a basketball game, or go and be scared at the Nightmare Factory. They are a fantastic resource for the Deaf community in Oregon, and they plan to continue that work into the future.
