International Program

Before 1817, deaf children in America did not have access to an education. That changed when a few dedicated community leaders came together to establish what is now the American School for the Deaf. To help establish the school, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet traveled to Europe in search of methods for teaching deaf students. During his journey, he met Laurent Clerc, a teacher at the French Institute for the Deaf in Paris. Clerc came to America - bringing with him French Sign Language - and helped to found the American School for the Deaf. Clerc became ASD’s first teacher, and American Sign Language was born.

The premier leader in deaf education, ASD offers international students a comprehensive educational program with mainstream opportunities both on- and off-campus.

We focus on helping our international students to strengthen their:

• English language development and application;
• Mathematical studies; and,
• American Sign Language skills.

Challenging academic courses for college-bound students, comprehensive transitional services training for job-oriented students, and functional academics for students with special needs reflect the wide range of educational opportunities availiable through ASD's Middle and High School programs.

In addition to our rigorous academic program, led by certified educators and specialists in the fields of deafness and special education, we offer students the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities and explore and engage with the local community.

We offer a communicatively accessible campus that utilizes an American Sign Language/English Bilingual Approach to provide students with a dual language foundation in both American Sign Language and written and spoken English. This approach integrates American Sign Language, speech, auditory training, reading, writing, and the use of assistive learning devices. Our small class sizes allow us to meet the needs of each individual student using specially designed instruction for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

At ASD, we offer:

• Middle School education for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students
• High School education for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students
• PACES (Positive Attitudes Concerning Education and Socialization), a special education program for Deaf and Hard of Hearing children with educational or behavioral challenges. Teachers for the PACES Program are trained in Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS) and have received Physical/Psychological Management Training (PMT).

• Enhanced Security/Facility Commander System, offering optimal security for student and staff safety;
• MessageNet Systems Emergency Management and Communication Systems (EMADS), to meet the security alert, information, and communication needs of our Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students;
• Phonak Amplification System, to automatically synchronize a student's DM ear-level worn receiver with the transmitter/microphone of the individual classroom teacher; and,
• SMART Interactive Whiteboards and SMART Software to support visual instruction.