UTAH DEAF HISTORY
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"Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is a mystery.
Today is a gift, that's why they call it the present."
~Eleanor Roosevelt~
Tomorrow is a mystery.
Today is a gift, that's why they call it the present."
~Eleanor Roosevelt~
Welcome to our Utah Deaf History and Culture website! I'm excited to have you join us as we explore the rich history that may have gone unnoticed nationwide. On October 21, 2012, I launched the 'Utah Deaf History and Culture' website, a crucial platform for preserving this exceptional legacy. Without your commitment to learning and our dedication to historic preservation, the Utah Deaf History Collection, which includes photographs, films, and historical documents, could have lost significant events and cultural heritage spanning decades. I have been researching, collecting, and writing about Utah Deaf History since 2006, and I am honored to share this journey with you.
Utah has several historical highlights,
including the following:
including the following:
- The Ogden Branch for the Deaf of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a large, well-organized religious group. In 1917, they constructed their own church building in Ogden, Utah. In 1977, the Deaf Latter-day Saint members' specific needs guided the construction of a unique Salt Lake Valley Ward building in Salt Lake City, Utah. The members played a crucial role in the design process, ensuring the creation of both churches with their needs in mind.
- In 1909, the Utah Association of the Deaf was founded in Ogden, Utah, at the Utah School for the Deaf. Elizabeth DeLong, a Deaf woman, became the first president of the Utah Association of the Deaf. This is significant because the 19th Amendment, which only applied to white women, did not grant women the right to vote for another decade until 1920. During that period, women belonging to the Deaf community could not cast their votes in the National Association of the Deaf elections until 1965. Later in the twentieth century, women of color gained the right to vote. Elizabeth DeLong was the first Deaf woman in the United States to lead a NAD state chapter association. Notably, in 1870, Utah women made history by being the first women in modern America to exercise their voting rights. Seraph Young Ford, a schoolteacher, became the first woman to cast her vote in the United States on February 14, 1870, which marked a significant milestone in the journey toward women's suffrage. Dr. Martha Hughes Cannon further advanced the cause of women's suffrage when she became the first female state senator in the United States 26 years later, in 1896. In 1965, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 marked a significant milestone in the fight for equality, as it allowed Deaf women to vote and provided Black Deaf individuals with the opportunity to join and vote in the National Association of the Deaf. Robert G. Sanderson, a renowned figure in his local community and nationwide, led this historic move as the organization's president at the time. These changes were a significant step towards a more inclusive community for all Deaf people, regardless of race, gender, and sexuality. Over time, members of the National Association of the Deaf became more diverse, with Deaf people of color serving on its board of directors. This was a significant step towards inclusivity and equality in the NAD's history. Since establishing the Utah Association of the Deaf in 1909, the Utah Association of the Deaf has been a leading voice, advocating for civil rights across various areas such as auto insurance, traffic safety, telecommunications, interpreters, education, early intervention, employment, rehabilitation, and more. The UAD was also the driving force behind establishing the Robert G. Sanderson Community Center of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, which is now a thriving hub for community activities. The UAD also helped establish the Jean Massieu School of the Deaf, a beacon of education for Deaf children. Additionally, the UAD championed expanding interpreting services and establishing Deaf Education at Utah State University, emphasizing ASL/English Bilingual (then Total Communication), thereby promoting bilingual education for the deaf.
- The founding of the Utah School for the Deaf took place in Salt Lake City, Utah. However, unlike other state schools for the deaf, the school moved to different locations several times in the Salt Lake area before finally settling in Ogden in 1896, after Utah became a state. In the 1960s, Dr. Grant B. Bitter, a staunch oral and mainstreaming advocate, was known as the "Father of Mainstreaming" when Utah's movement toward mainstreaming all Deaf children evolved steadily throughout his mainstreaming campaign. He continued to campaign for mainstreaming until the phrase became popular in 1975 with the passage of Public Law 94-142, now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. In 1962, the Utah School for the Deaf introduced the Dual-Track Program, also known as the "Y" system. Under this program, all students in the Primary Department began in the Oral Program and could only switch to the Simultaneous Communication Program if they had "failed" the Oral Program by the age of 10-12 or 6th grade. The school also started mainstreaming students in its program in 1959, and this movement continued to grow steadily throughout the 1960s. For almost a decade, the Utah Association for the Deaf (this is the name of the association between 1963 and 2012), along with supportive parents who advocated for sign language, battled against the "Y" system, but their voices went unheard, especially after the student protests in 1962. After another round of student protests in 1969, Ned C. Wheeler, a former president of the Utah Association of the Deaf, a graduate of the Utah School for the Deaf, and the chair of the Governor's Advisory Council of the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind, proposed a Two-Track Program to replace the "Y" system. This program allowed parents to choose between oral and total communication methods of instruction for their Deaf child between the ages of 2 and 21. In 1970, the Utah State Board of Education approved this policy under the direction of Dr. Jay J. Campbell, the Deputy Superintendent of the Utah State Office of Education and a key ally of the Utah Deaf community. However, the prevalent oral bias prevented parents from receiving clear information about their children's educational and communication options until 2010. In 2005, after receiving approval from the Utah Legislature and the Utah State Board of Education, the Utah School for the Deaf merged with the Jean Massieu School of the Deaf to provide parents and students with an ASL/English Bilingual option. Before the merger, the Utah School for the Deaf had refused to incorporate the ASL/English Bilingual Program into the school. So, in 1998, the Utah State Board of Education approved the Jean Massieu School of the Deaf as one of the state's first two charter schools. The Jean Massieu School for the Deaf began operations as a public charter school in 1999. Fast forward to August 2016: Michelle Tanner, Associate Superintendent of the Utah School for the Deaf, finally developed the Hybrid Program after more than fifty years of oral advocacy group dominance at the Utah School for the Deaf. This program makes it possible for the ASL/English Bilingual Program and the Listening & Spoken Language Program to work together without bias, giving Deaf students a more individualized educational placement. Within the Utah School for the Deaf umbrella, three deaf schools are named after prominent Deaf leaders: Jean Massieu School of the Deaf (Salt Lake City), Kenneth Burdett School of the Deaf (Ogden), and Elizabeth DeLong School of the Deaf (Springville).
- The Utah Association for the Deaf demonstrated unwavering dedication for 40 years, from 1962 to 1992, in their pursuit to establish a permanent community center. The planning process was initiated with the active involvement of Deaf individuals who were members of the association. In 1992, their efforts culminated in the opening of the Utah Community Center for the Deaf, a new permanent facility in Taylorsville, Utah. The state dedicated this facility, the first of its kind, to serving the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, DeafBlind, and DeafDisabled communities. On October 4, 2003, the Utah Deaf community paid tribute to Dr. Robert G. Sanderson with a significant renaming ceremony. The Robert G. Sanderson Community Center of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is the sole state-funded Deaf agency in the United States, providing crucial accessibility and communication services. The Deaf themselves played a pivotal role in constructing the Sanderson Community Center, ensuring its design met their accessibility needs.
- In 1968, the Utah Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf became Utah's first interpreting service for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities. They partnered with the Utah Association for the Deaf to develop the state's first interpreter training program and certification procedures. In 1965, Beth Ann Stewart Campbell, a Utah native, Child of Deaf Adults (CODA), and former director of the Utah Community Center for the Deaf, became the first nationally RID certified interpreter in Utah and the United States. Utah was also the first to pass Senate Bills (SB) 41 and 42. SB 41 focused on interpreting certification and training, while SB 42 recognized American Sign Language as a foreign language in secondary and post-secondary schools.
- Sorenson Communications, Inc., a company based in Salt Lake City, Utah, created the first videophone designed for Deaf and hard of hearing individuals in 2003. Nowadays, they offer a video relay system that is "functionally equivalent," allowing users to benefit from and enjoy its ease of use.
- In 1963, the Utah Association of the Deaf boldly broke with tradition, becoming the first to change its name from 'of' to 'for,' as in the Utah Association for the Deaf. This progressive move was a testament to their commitment to inclusivity and representation when including the first two hearing individuals, who were the Children of Deaf Adults (CODAs), on the board. Despite being the last organization to reverse the change in 2012, they returned to the Utah Association of the Deaf, and their initial step was a significant milestone in the history of Deaf advocacy.
- The Utah Association of the Deaf lobbied state legislators to pass Utah Code House Bill (HB) 60, which changed the term "hearing impaired" in state law to "deaf and hard of hearing." Utah Governor Gary Hebert signed HB 60 into law on March 17, 2017, making Utah the first state in the United States to achieve this goal. Governor Herbert signed House Bill 60 into law on April 11, 2017.
Furthermore, Utah boasts a rich history of notable firsts, and it is essential to acknowledge and remember the significant contributions made by many prominent leaders in the Deaf community. As the sole owner and operator of this website, I am committed to preserving the rich history of the Utah Deaf community.
A BIG LOSS IN DEAF HISTORY
Barry Strassler, the owner of DeafDigest, wrote about a self-taught Deaf historian he met in his article "A Big Loss in Deaf History." Despite not attending college, the historian was always fascinated by the history of the Deaf community. He conducted his studies at Gallaudet University's library and the Library of Congress and recorded his findings in notebooks. He kept several books on Deaf history, as well as his journals, at home. However, he never shared his discoveries with anyone and kept them to himself. He had no close friends or family members, so no one knew about this enormous treasure when he passed away. "A horrible waste in Deaf history," remarked Barry Strassler, DeafDigest Editor, on November 18, 2012.
Given Utah's changing demographics, it would be unfortunate if the state's Deaf heritage were lost. Thanks to digitization, anyone can now access the rich history of the Utah Deaf community for historical preservation, genealogy, and research. Virginia C. Borggaard, the author of Celebrating A Rich Heritage 1901–2001, states, "Utah has always been a forerunner in promoting the history of the state's Deaf community." For this reason, we are committed to keeping up with and preserving Utah's Deaf history.
Thank you for visiting our website; we hope you find it entertaining and informative!
Cheers!
Jodi Becker Kinner
Given Utah's changing demographics, it would be unfortunate if the state's Deaf heritage were lost. Thanks to digitization, anyone can now access the rich history of the Utah Deaf community for historical preservation, genealogy, and research. Virginia C. Borggaard, the author of Celebrating A Rich Heritage 1901–2001, states, "Utah has always been a forerunner in promoting the history of the state's Deaf community." For this reason, we are committed to keeping up with and preserving Utah's Deaf history.
Thank you for visiting our website; we hope you find it entertaining and informative!
Cheers!
Jodi Becker Kinner
Copyright © Jodi Becker Kinner, 2012 - 2024. All rights reserved. No part of this website may be reproduced or published without the express consent of the author. If you have additional information about Utah Deaf history, or photos/materials that you would like share, please contact Jodi Becker Kinner via email at jodibeckerkinner@gmail.com