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Education of the deaf in Canada

University of British Columbia

The field of education of the deaf is a relatively new one, particularly in Canada. Little information on the Canadian schools for the deaf has been compiled or published. This paper was written, therefore, to survey the facilities that are being provided by the provinces of Canada for the education of deaf children. It covers all the schools for the deaf, residential and day, and deals briefly with several day classes that some of the public school boards in the larger Canadian cities have started. A brief survey of the historical background of early deaf education in Europe and the United States and of the meaning of the various methods of instruction and communication has been included to show their influence on the Canadian schools and to help explain why certain methods are used in these schools. This is followed by an historical account of the various Schools for the Deaf in Canada. A section on "Instruction" sets forth the principles and practices in respect to academic, vocational, social, and religious instruction at present given in each school. Problems, regarding teacher training facilities, pre-school and clinics, parent education programs, and some common misconceptions about the deaf and their education, are dealt with in separate chapters. The final section summarizes present trends and looks forward to possible future development. Initial work involved consideration of British and American relevant literature. Information relating directly to the schools themselves was obtained chiefly by questionaires sent to the school superintendents and to the superintendents of the public school boards involved. This information was supplemented by data from the Provincial Education Reports and the American Annals of the Deaf. Interviews and correspondence with a large number of people who had worked or were still working in the field were invaluable in filling out the picture. It is hoped that the data accumulated will be of benefit: first, to the staffs and schools for the deaf in Canada; secondly, to educational institutions and related fields; thirdly, to parents of deaf children and all others concerned.

Text

2011-12-16

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/39760

Education

University of British Columbia

Graduate