Celebrating Kansas’ Deaf Heritage

Olathe, Kansas is the home to the oldest state educational institution in Kansas — the Kansas School for the Deaf (KSD). Started in 1861, the institution moved to Olathe in 1866, where it continues to educate the deaf. The school has served students for over 135 years. KSD has been the center of instruction for Kansas deaf children as well as an important part of the Olathe community. The Kansas School for the Deaf has a rich history that has often been as silent as the students themselves. Throughout the years, the nature and scope of the education has grown and developed to become a fully integrated environment. Students not only receive an education but also find a community that encourages social and emotional development. To understand how far the Kansas School for the Deaf has come, one must look back to its humble beginnings as the Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb.

Creating a School for the Deaf

The year 1861 marks the beginning of a little school that would evolve into the Kansas School for the Deaf. In the attic of a building in Baldwin City, Kansas, a small school opened its doors to all deaf children in the territories of Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico and Colorado. The founder of the school, Phillip A. Emery, arrived in Kansas the previous year. Emery, who was deaf himself, had taught for several years at the Indiana School for the Deaf. He began the project at the urging of his Kansas neighbor, Jonathon Kennedy who was the father of three deaf children.

Miss Elizabeth Studebaker, the first student, enrolled on December 9, 1861. Four more students soon followed. The cost to attend the school was $2.00 per week. However, many of the parents could not pay due to the uncertain times during the Civil War. Goods such as ham, eggs and wood were often bartered for the children’s instruction. In 1862, Reverend Thomas Johnson, founder of the Shawnee Indian Mission, recognized the importance of the struggling school and went to Topeka to petition the state legislature to appropriate money for the endeavor. For the 1863 school year, $1,500 was set aside for the school with an additional $4 per week provided to pay for each student’s board and tuition.

After the state began funding the Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb, politics raised its head to question where the school should be permanently located. With the potential for more money and the desire to consolidate all state institutions the asylum moved from Baldwin City to Topeka in 1864. The appropriation was raised to $1,800 that year but the school returned to Baldwin City in 865. Olathe soon emerged as a third contender for the school. At this time, two prominent Olathe politicians moved forward to promote their hometown. John T. Burris, the Speaker of the House, wrote a bill to establish the asylum in Olathe as well as appropriate money for land and a building. This bill soon passed. In the senate, W.H.M. Fishback, the state senator from Olathe, pushed the same bill through with a 20 to 0 vote. In 1866, Governor S.J. Crawford signed the bill into law. Olathe became the institution’s home.

The state of Kansas leased land from Colonel Josiah E. Hayes of Olathe. The lease stated that Colonel Hayes was to build a stone structure to be used as the school and the state would have the option of purchasing the property later. The following year, the state exercised this option and paid Colonel Hayes $15,000 for the building and grounds. Despite this seeming permanence, one last attempt was made to bring the asylum back to Topeka. In 1868, legislation was introduced again to consolidate all state institutions in Topeka. State senator, John P. St. John, who was from Olathe and chaired the Appropriations Committee, quickly ended this effort. St. John, who would later become Olathe’s first Kansas governor, pushed through a motion to kill any further action on moving the school and other institutions to Topeka with a three vote margin. Olathe was firmly established as the permanent home for the Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb.

A Silent Education

The fundamental philosophy for teaching deaf children was based on a system introduced in the United States by Reverend Thomas Gallaudet. After studying European methods, particularly the French who taught a sign language, Gallaudet returned to the U.S. and opened a deaf school in Connecticut in 1817. The American School for the Deaf, which still exists today, was the first permanent deaf school in the United States. Gallaudet’s teaching methods evolved to include the idea that through proper training, deaf-mutes could become self-sufficient within the community rather than remain wards of the state.

Gallaudet’s beliefs became an integral part of the deaf school in Olathe and helped make it a success. From the original five students, the school soon expanded to an enrollment of 18 and by 1893 more than 200 students were attending the school. In 1885, the newly renamed Kansas Institution for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb truly reflected the philosophy of Gallaudet, as the state no longer considered it an asylum, which only cared for its residents. The students would be educated so that they could become a part of the community in which they lived. In 1878, a new superintendent was appointed to the school. Mr. J.W. Parker from the Michigan Institution for the Education of the Deaf made additions to the basic curriculum of sign language, reading, writing and arithmetic. He introduced articulation and lip-reading to the coursework for the students. The school already had an active industrial department but Parker began teaching the students printing. This eventually led to the Kansas Star, a newspaper published and printed by the students at the school. The students received manual and practical training along with their education that would help them live independently.

The institution continued to grow and expand under S.T. Walker, superintendent from 1885 to 1893. Walker made several additions to the courses offered at the school. Ovens were built to provide the students with the opportunity to learn the baking trade. Walker also began training in harness making, which was the first such program in the United States. The harnesses made by the deaf students became highly valued within the Olathe community.

More Than Just Classes

The students who lived at the school did more than just attend classes. They were also provided with a social environment. Children separated by silence from their families and neighbors soon found others who had similar experiences. In 1896, the school was renamed Kansas School for the Deaf which reflected the environment achieved in Olathe. Students could participate in a variety of activities similar to those available to their hearing counterparts. A school newspaper, clubs and athletics were some of the extracurricular activities enjoyed by deaf children as part of their school life.

In May 1876, the students published the first issue of the school newspaper, Kansas Star. Its stated purpose was “For teaching the Art of Printing to the Pupils of the Deaf and Dumb Asylum.” The newspaper provided the students with an opportunity to publish their own writings as well as report on local events. It also reported on topics of interest to the deaf community. In June of 1876, the Star stated, “Mutes can be taught almost all things that others are taught, but it must be done in a different way and with a knowledge of what naturally comes first in the scheme of education.”

From the early days of the school, athletics also played a vital role. Baseball was a favorite pastime in the United States at the end of the nineteenth century. Johnson County had many local teams and the Kansas School for the Deaf was no exception. The KSD baseball team achieved great success in its early years and even beat the University of Kansas baseball team in 1897 and 1900. One of the more notable players to come from KSD was Luther “Dummy” Taylor (pictured at left). Taylor was a pitcher for the New York Giants from 1900 to 1909. (read more about Taylor).

Baseball was not the only sport available at the school. In the early 20^th century, the athletic department expanded to include football and basketball. Volleyball and track have been added more recently. The school proudly boasts of its winning traditions. They have been the National Deaf Champions in football, basketball and volleyball. Athletics teaches life skills such as teamwork but it also provides the deaf student with a chance to be like any other student in the state.

Organizations and clubs provided another outlet for the extracurricular activities so well know within a school atmosphere. Boy Scout and Girl Scout clubs were organized and activities planned to help the students earn merit badges. Teas and formal dinners allowed the students to practice their social skills. In the 1950s, monthly birthday parties were celebrated for the students who lived in the dormitories. The Kansas School for the Deaf even crowned a Homecoming Queen and King. All of these activities rounded out the formal learning that the students have received at the Kansas School for the Deaf. The deaf children have participated in and enjoyed many of the same activities that hearing children have at mainstream schools.

Kansas School for the Deaf

The Kansas School for the Deaf continues to maintain its reputation as a premier school in deaf education. Throughout the years, the institution has grown and developed as it responds to the needs of the deaf community. This growth has included both the physical and the philosophical.

Today, the Kansas School for the Deaf recognizes that deaf students must exist in two different cultures, the hearing world and the deaf community. Therefore, American Sign Language (ASL) and written English are integrated into the school curriculum. ASL, which is a recognized language among the deaf, is usually taught first to the students. All who live, learn and work at the institution are expected to sign. English, which includes grammar and syntax, is learned later as a second language. Beyond language, the students learn to become a part of the larger deaf world. This culture provides a social and moral framework that is different from the hearing community. The William J. Marra Museum provides the students and the community with an opportunity to learn about deaf culture. The museum, now a part of the Deaf Cultural Center, teaches students about their culture and history through a display of historical photographs, school memorabilia and older communications devices.

The Kansas School for the Deaf provides an educational environment that includes classes, extracurricular activities and boarding allowing each student to develop socially, emotionally and academically. The current curriculum corresponds very closely to public schools in Kansas. Students have classes in English, literature, math, science, computers, as well as deaf studies and vocational training.

Beyond this basic role, the institution continues to be an integral part of the deaf culture and maintains its voice for the deaf community at large.

View our Kansas School for the Deaf photo collection

--ALBUM vol. 16, no. 1 (winter 2003)

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