Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind

Authorities:

Acts of Ala. 1859/60, No. 253, pp. 344-347.

Acts of Ala. 1866/67, No. 490, p. 550.

Acts of Ala. 1869/70, No. 107, pp. 95-97.

Acts of Ala. 1886/87, No. 16, pp. 56-58.

Acts of Ala. 1886/87, No. 30, p. 70.

Acts of Ala. 1890/91, No. 209, pp. 458-459.

Acts of Ala. 1900/01, No. 15, pp. 24-30.

Acts of Ala. 1919, No. 442, Art. 35-37, pp. 661-666.

Acts of Ala. 1927, No. 615, pp. 711-712.

Acts of Ala. 1931, No. 61, pp. 125-127.

Acts of Ala. 1939, No. 467, pp. 680-181.

Acts of Ala. 1955, No. 542, pp. 1197-1199.

Acts of Ala. 1969, No. 425, pp. 829-831.

Ninth Annual Report of the Board of Commissioners of the Ala. Institution for the Deaf, Dumb, and Blind. Montgomery: John G. Stokes and Co., State Printers, 1869.

Tenth Annual Report of the Board of Commissioners of the Ala. Institute for the Deaf, Dumb, and Blind. Montgomery: John G. Stokes and Co., State Printers, 1870.

Twenty-sixth Annual Report of the Board of Commissioners of the Ala. Institute for the Deaf and the Ala. Academy for the Blind. Montgomery: Barrett and Co., 1887.

Annual Report of the Ala. Institute for Deaf and Blind. Talladega, 1977.

Code of Ala. 1940. Chapter 28, Art. 2, Sec. 519. Charlottesville: The Michie Company, 1941.

Markley, Anne Ethelyn. Author Headings for the Official Publications of the State of Ala. Chicago: American Library Association, 1948.

Ala. Government Manual, Sixth Edition. Atlanta: Darby Printing Co., 1982.

The Ala. Institute for the Deaf and Blind is a public corporation established to provide education and training for the deaf and blind and to develop, maintain, and supervise workshops and home industries for the blind. (Ala. Government Manual, p. 144)

Initially organized in 1858, the Legislature officially established the Ala. Institution for the Deaf and Dumb in 1860 Jan. The school was managed by a Board of Commissioners composed of the State Superintendent of Public Education and four persons appointed by the Governor and approved by the Senate. The Board of Commissioners was authorized to appoint from among their number a president of the board, and to appoint a principal of the school who was responsible for nominating teachers and other employees. Twenty thousand dollars was appropriated with which to purchase land and construct classrooms, workshops, and dormitories. An additional thousand dollars was appropriated to establish a mechanical department to provide indigent male students the vocational training to render them self-supporting. (Acts of Ala. 1859/60, No. 253, pp. 344-247; Markley, p. 62)

Thirteen acres in the town of Talladega, Talladega Co., Ala., and eighty acres of woodland outside of town were purchased, and a four story, twenty-three room brick structure was erected. (Ninth Annual Report of the Board of Commissioners of the Ala. Institution for the Deaf, Dumb, and Blind, 1869, p. 5)

The primary concern of the institution was to provide academic and moral education and vocational training to the indigent deaf and dumb of the state. Admission was secured by written application to the board stating the prospective student's name, age, place of birth and residence, length of residency in the state, verification that the applicant was indeed deaf and dumb, and that he or his family were unable to pay for the board and tuition. Transportation costs and clothing expenses were not included. Nonindigent students were accepted upon receipt on one year's board and tuition in advance.

The State Superintendent of Public Education served as treasurer. All orders of payment of expenditures for the school were signed by him and the secretary appointed by the Board and responsible for keeping a record of the Board's proceedings and the school's financial dealings. (Acts of Ala. 1859/60, No. 253, pp. 344-347)

In 1867 Feb., the Legislature established that a school for the blind be conducted on the premises of the Ala. Institute for the Deaf and Dumb and that such a school operate under the management of the Board of Commissioners. Half of the Institution's annual appropriation of five thousand dollars was designated for the education and maintenance of blind students. (Acts of Ala. 1866/67, No. 490, p. 550)

In 1870 Feb., the Legislature officially changed the name of the school to the Ala. Institution for the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind. The Governor was included among the Board of Commissioners, an additional five thousand dollars was appropriated for the annual maintenance of the school, and three thousand dollars was appropriated for the purchase of books and supplies. (Acts of Ala. 1869/70, No. 107, pp. 95-97)

During that time, industrial training at the Institution consisted of shoe and boot making by deaf boys, broom making and cane work by blind boys, household chores and sewing by deaf girls, and beadwork by blind girls. (Tenth Annual Report of the Board of Commissioners, 1870, p. 10)

In 1887 Feb., the Legislature changed the name of the school to the Ala. Institute for the Deaf when a separate institution for the blind was established. The Governor was authorized to appoint two additional members to the Board of Commissioners, whose term of office was fixed at six years. The sum of two hundred seventeen dollars and fifty cents was allocated as the annual cost of maintenance of each student, and all other appropriations were repealed. (Acts of Ala. 1886/87, No. 30, p. 70)

The school for the blind, called the Ala. Academy for the Blind, was also located in Talladega, Talladega Co., Ala., and continued to function under the supervision of the Board of Commissioners of the Ala. Institute for the Deaf. Twenty thousand dollars was appropriated for construction purposes and two hundred thirty dollars was specified as the annual maintenance cost per pupil. (Acts of Ala. 1886/87, No. 16, pp. 56-58)

Benjamin James Baldwin, M.D., was appointed Occulist to the Institution in 1886, Oct. Serving without fee or salary, Baldwin visited the Academy at least twice each year, conducting diagnostic examinations. Finding the majority of the cases to be the result of congenital cataracts, he frequently performed eye surgery, and nearly fifty percent of the time was able to restore at least partial vision. (Twenty-sixth Annual Report of the Board of Commissioners of the Ala. Institute for the Deaf and the Ala. Academy for the Blind, 1887, p. 31)

In 1891 Feb., the Legislature established the Ala. School for Negro Deaf Mutes and Blind, to be located in Talladega, Talladega Co., Ala., and to operate under the management of the Board of Commissioners or, as they came to be known, the Board of Trustees of the Ala. Institute for the Deaf. The principal of the Ala. Institute for the Deaf served as chief executive officer and was authorized to nominate assistants and employees at the school.

All negro deaf, mute, and blind children between the ages of ten and twenty years who were legal residents of the state were eligible to receive free board, tuition, schoolroom expenses, and medical attention for up to six years. Twelve thousand dollars was appropriated for the construction of classrooms and dormitories, and six thousand dollars was allocated for the annual maintenance of the school until the enrollment exceeded thirty students at which time the school was maintained on the same per capita plan as the Ala. Academy for the Blind. (Acts of Ala. 1890/91, No. 209, pp. 458-459)

In 1900 Nov., the Legislature changed the name of the Ala. Institute for the Deaf to the Ala. School for the Deaf. The Governor, the State Superintendent of Education, and an eleven-member Board of Trustees were responsible for the management of the school. The trustees represented the state's nine congressional districts, serving six-year terms. The name of the Ala. Academy for the blind was changed to the Ala. School for the Blind and the Ala. School for Negro Deaf, Mutes, and Blind became the Ala. School for Negro Deaf and Blind.

Any deaf or blind child between the ages of seven and twenty-one years was eligible for admission to the schools. No student, however, could remain at the school for more than ten years or beyond his twenty-fifth birthday. Two hundred forty dollars was the annual apportionment for a student at any of the schools. (Acts of Ala. 1900/01, No. 15, pp. 24-30)

The comprehensive education act of 1919 increased to twelve the number of trustees of the schools. Three trustees had to be residents of the congressional district in which the schools were located, and one from each of the other congressional districts of the state. Trustees served six-year staggered terms. A majority of the twelve trustees and the Governor and State Superintendent of Education was required for the Board to act.

The Board was authorized to appoint a treasurer, who could not be a trustee. The treasurer could only dispense funds on the written order of the principal of the schools and the secretary of the Board, both of whom were appointed by and subject to the Board of Trustees.

The annual legislative appropriation for the support and maintenance of the schools was based on the number of pupils enrolled on the first day of Jan. of each year, and was drawn quarterly in advance by the treasurer and disbursed as directed by the Board. (Acts of Ala. 1919, No. 442, Art. 35-37, pp. 661-666)

The Ala. School Code of 1927 consolidated the three schools under the name of the Ala. Institute for Deaf and Blind. (Code of Ala. 1940, Chapter 28, Art. 2, Sec. 519)

In 1927 Sept., the Legislature authorized the State Board of Education to maintain a register of all blind persons living in the state, describing the condition, cause of blindness, capacity for education and industrial training for each blind person registered. The State Board of Education was directed to organize a Bureau of Information for the Aid of the Blind, to provide training for those for whom no other provision had been made. The bureau worked to secure employment, develop home industries, furnish tools and materials, and market the products of the blind. A report of the bureau's work was included in the annual report of the State Board of Education. (Acts of Ala. 1927, No. 615, p. 711-712)

In 1931 Feb., the Legislature required all blind and deaf children in the state between the ages of seven and sixteen years to be enrolled in the Ala. Institute for Deaf and Blind or in a private school qualified to give instruction to deaf or blind students. The county superintendent of each county was required to furnish the Attendance Officer of his county and the President of the Ala. Institute for the Deaf and Blind a list of all deaf and blind children. The parents or guardians of any deaf or blind child not receiving special instruction in a state or private school were subject to a fine of one hundred dollars or ninety days at hard labor for the county. Prosecution could be initiated by the county superintendent of education, the Attendance Officer, the Superintendent of Child Welfare, or the President of the Ala. Institute for Deaf and Blind. (Acts of Ala. 1931, No. 61, pp. 125-127)

In 1939 Sept., the Legislature transferred to the President of the Ala. Institute for Deaf and Blind the supervision of the Bureau of Information for the Aid of the Blind, and established at the Ala. Institute for Deaf and Blind an Adult Blind Department. The President was authorized to cooperate with other state agencies interested in blind relief in establishing a sales agency for products made by the blind. He was authorized to nominate, for the approval of the Board of Trustees of the Institute, such teachers, assistants, and agents as he deemed necessary for the vocational education of the adult blind and the just marketing of their products. (Acts of Ala. 1939, No. 467, pp. 680-681)

In 1955 Sept., the Legislature authorized the Adult Blind Department of the Ala. Institute for Deaf and Blind to maintain workshops on the Talladega campus and other locations in the state for training and employing the blind and the visually handicapped to produce brooms, mops, sheets, mattresses, and other items used by departments, agencies, and institutions of the state.

The State Director of Finance, the Attorney General, and the president of the Ala. Institute for Deaf and Blind constituted a board to fix a fair market price for all articles offered for sale by the Adult Blind Dept. (Acts of Ala. 1955, No. 542, pp. 1197-1199)

In 1969 Aug., the Adult Blind Dept. became known as the Dept. of Adult Blind and Deaf, consolidating in one body vocational training, job placement, and products marketing of blind and deaf adults. The Dept. was authorized to establish and operate a library service for blind, visually handicapped, deaf, or severely handicapped persons, and the department was designated as the official agency to operate a regional library for the blind, visually handicapped, deaf, and severely handicapped. (Acts of Ala. 1969, No. 425, pp. 829-831)

According to the annual report of 1977, the Ala. Institute for Deaf and Blind is composed of the following divisions;

Authority: Annual Report of Ala. Institute for Deaf and Blind, 1977.

Alabama. Institute for Deaf and Blind. School for the Blind.

The school provides instruction for grades K-12, awards standard high school diplomas, and conducts a Low Vision Aides Program in cooperation with George Peabody College and the American Printing House for the Blind. The faculty is accredited by the National Accreditation Council for Agencies Serving the Blind and Visually Handicapped, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the Ala. State Dept. of Education.

Alabama. Institute for Deaf and Blind. Deaf-Blind Dept.

The department provides vocational training and independent living skills to deaf-blind children. In 1977, nearly seventy percent of the students enrolled in the Deaf-Blind Dept. were residents of states other than Ala. The dept. receives federal funds from the Southeast Regional Center for Services to Deaf-Blind Children.

Alabama. Institute for Deaf and Blind. Special School for the Deaf.

The school concentrates on readiness training to prepare students for admission to the School for the Deaf, especially in the areas of sports, language skills, and academic preparedness.

Alabama. Institute for Deaf and Blind. School for the Deaf.

The school provides academic and vocational training, with a strong emphasis on competitive athletics. Extracurricular activities include varsity football, basketball, track, and girls' volleyball; Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Brownies, Girl Scouts (Cadette and Senior), Junior National Association of the Deaf, Pep Squad, Drama Club, and Literary Society.

Alabama. Institute for Deaf and Blind. Dept. of Adult Deaf and Blind.

The department is considered a resource to local school systems, and operates in close cooperation with the State Dept. of Education, Vocational Education Division, and the Vocational Rehabilitation Service. The department operates a Business and Finance Division which is responsible for accounts received and paid by Industries for the Deaf and Blind.

The Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped operates as a unit within the Dept. of Adult Deaf and Blind. In 1977 it was serving almost four thousand blind and physically handicapped individuals in forty-two counties. An additional three thousand readers are served through seven subregional libraries located in Anniston, Birmingham, Dothan, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, and Tuscaloosa.

The Dept. of Adult Deaf and Blind also operates Industries for the Blind and Deaf. An activity shop and production shop provide transitional and permanent employment for deaf and blind adults.

The Ala. Institute for Deaf and Blind is financed by appropriations from the Ala. Special Educational Trust Fund, income from sales of blind-made products, and other sources. (Ala. Government Manual, p. 144)