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WV Schools for the Deaf and Blind
WV Schools for the Deaf and Blind
A Rich History
Michael Bell
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West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind |
WVSDB were established by an Act of the Legislature on March 3, 1870 |
The West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind, established in 1870, provide educational programs for hearing impaired and visually impaired students. Located in Romney, West Virginia, the schools offer specialized units for deafblind and multihandicapped children. Enrollment is open to state residents with hearing or visual loss. Supervised by the West Virginia Board of Education, the schools are accredited at elementary and secondary levels. Professor Howard Hille Johnson played a key role in founding the schools. The campus, initially comprising thirty students, has expanded over the years. Notable figures associated with the schools include Helen Keller and various administrators. |
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History
The idea to establish a school in West Virginia for the deaf and blind began in 1869 or early 1870. Professor Howard Hille Johnson of Franklin, himself blind, was instrumental in bringing a school for the deaf and blind to West Virginia. During his youth, Johnson had attended the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind in Staunton, Virginia.
Shortly after West Virginia's statehood, Johnson recognized the need for such a school in the state and he began canvassing the state, gathering support for his project. Several towns including Romney, Clarksburg, and Parkersburg all lobbied to have the school located there, but Romney was selected following an offer consisting of the buildings and grounds of the Romney Literary Society's Romney Classical Institute. The Romney Classical Institute had lain dormant since the American Civil War when its libraries' volumes were destroyed and its campus was left beyond repair.
On March 3, 1870, H. H. Johnson's dreams became a reality when the West Virginia Legislatureapproved a measure calling for the creation of the West Virginia Institution for the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind. The school opened on September 29, 1870, with thirty students, twenty-five deaf and five blind students. |
Through the years, additional buildings and grounds have been added to accommodate increasing enrollment. Currently, the main campus consists of sixteen major buildings, containing approximately 302,000 square feet (28,100 m2), situated on seventy-nine acres of land.
On May 17, 1916, Helen Keller visited the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind.
The historic administration building of the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind was destroyed by fire on the morning of February 26, 2022 |