The deaf education movement started
in 1807 in Connecticut when the daughter of Mason Fitch Cogswell became deaf due to illness. Dr. Cogswell was worried
about his daughter’s education. So he started the movement talking to the people he knows asking them to financially support him. At that time they made a survey which concluded that the
amount of deaf people who don’t have education is 84. In 1813, Dr. Cogswell
collected $2133 from donors in his town. Dr. Cogswell had a meeting with
nine prominent men to take a step towards establishing the school. Dr. Cogswell
appointed Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet a director of the school. Mr. Gallaudet who
was interested on teaching deaf people because he was teaching Dr. Cogswell’s
daughter. Before the school opens Mr. Gallaudet spent six months in deaf school
in France to learn teaching methods. When he return the states he brought few
French experts to teach in the school. In 1817, the American School for the
Deaf is finally opened. Nowadays there are many options for Deaf people, they
can attend public schools and use interrupter or they can attend any Deaf
school across the U.S.
