Gallaudet University, << `gal` uh DEHT, >> in Washington, D.C., is a private liberal arts university for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. It also admits some hearing students in areas of study related to deafness. The university operates tuition-free demonstration preschool, elementary, and secondary school programs for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. In addition, Gallaudet conducts research programs on topics of concern to people with hearing loss. Gallaudet has a number of regional centers throughout the United States. In the early 2000’s, the school struggled with its role within the deaf community, as more deaf students chose to attend mainstream universities.
The school began in 1857 as the Columbia Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind. In 1864, the United States Congress authorized the institution to grant university degrees. In 1893, the school was renamed in honor of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, a pioneer in the education of deaf people.
The university’s website at https://gallaudet.edu/ offers additional information.
