Evangelical School for the Deaf
Encyclopedia
This article discusses the Evangelical School for the Deaf in Luquillo, Puerto Rico.
The Evangelical School for the Deaf (ESD) is in Luquillo, Puerto Rico
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school for deaf children founded by missionaries in 1959. The school was originally known as Evangelical Mission to the Deaf and for a time was under the mission board United Mission Fellowship. In 1971, the ministry settled on the current name. ESD is under the administration of the World Mission to the Deaf, a Canadian organization that channels resources to the school and provides counsel.
ESD opened its doors to a class of five students (three boys, two girls) in September 1960.
(TC) approach to provide academic instruction. Under this philosophy, teachers use whatever means of communication is most readily understood by the student to provide him/her with an appropriate and stimulating level of academic instruction.
used at the school varies due to the diverse population of students and staff. The types of sign language includes the following: American Sign Language
(ASL), Puerto Rican Sign Language (PRSL), signed English, and pidgin
signed English (PSE), known as contact signing. This is not a definitive list as research in the field of sign language linguistics
is constantly making new discoveries and these categories of language frequently overlap.
The handbell choir has performed at the Puerto Rican Senate and many local churches and universities.
The school director, Elisabeth Hoke, directs the choir.
The Evangelical School for the Deaf (ESD) is in Luquillo, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
.
History
The Evangelical School for the Deaf is a ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
school for deaf children founded by missionaries in 1959. The school was originally known as Evangelical Mission to the Deaf and for a time was under the mission board United Mission Fellowship. In 1971, the ministry settled on the current name. ESD is under the administration of the World Mission to the Deaf, a Canadian organization that channels resources to the school and provides counsel.
ESD opened its doors to a class of five students (three boys, two girls) in September 1960.
School directors
School directors at ESD have traditionally assumed a multi-faceted role. In addition to administrative and supervisory duties, directors have often taught academic and technical classes, ran ministries outside of the school, taught religious classes at local churches, and even served as pastors.- Gene Orcutt served as the school director from 1959 until the 1970s.
- Roger Rawlings served as school director from 1970 to 1989. While serving at ESD, Roger and his wife Pamela continued a church for the deaf in San Juan. In 1985, the church bought a building in Hato Rey and began the Evangelical Church and Center for the Deaf.
- Pam Mobray served until 1998.
- Elisabeth Hoke began working at ESD in 1984 after graduating from Penn State University with a B.S. in deaf education. In 1989, Hoke returned to college and graduated with a M.S. in deaf education from Western Maryland College in 1991. She took over the position in 1998 and is now working as an administrator and as a teacher.
Educational philosophy
The Evangelical School for the Deaf uses the Total CommunicationTotal Communication
Total Communication is an approach to deaf education that aims to make use of a number of modes of communication such as signed, oral, auditory, written and visual aids, depending on the particular needs and abilities of the child.-History:...
(TC) approach to provide academic instruction. Under this philosophy, teachers use whatever means of communication is most readily understood by the student to provide him/her with an appropriate and stimulating level of academic instruction.
Sign language at ESD
The kind of sign languageSign language
A sign language is a language which, instead of acoustically conveyed sound patterns, uses visually transmitted sign patterns to convey meaning—simultaneously combining hand shapes, orientation and movement of the hands, arms or body, and facial expressions to fluidly express a speaker's...
used at the school varies due to the diverse population of students and staff. The types of sign language includes the following: American Sign Language
American Sign Language
American Sign Language, or ASL, for a time also called Ameslan, is the dominant sign language of Deaf Americans, including deaf communities in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico...
(ASL), Puerto Rican Sign Language (PRSL), signed English, and pidgin
Pidgin
A pidgin , or pidgin language, is a simplified language that develops as a means of communication between two or more groups that do not have a language in common. It is most commonly employed in situations such as trade, or where both groups speak languages different from the language of the...
signed English (PSE), known as contact signing. This is not a definitive list as research in the field of sign language linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
is constantly making new discoveries and these categories of language frequently overlap.
Handbell choir
Since 2002, the Evangelical School for the Deaf bell choir has been performing in venues around Puerto Rico. Initially conceived and directed by Marisol Matos, the bell choir has grown in popularity and skill. The students are directed using sign language instead of audible cues and rely on sheet music to know when to play their parts.The handbell choir has performed at the Puerto Rican Senate and many local churches and universities.
The school director, Elisabeth Hoke, directs the choir.
See also
- Deafness
- Education in Puerto RicoEducation in Puerto RicoEducation in Puerto Rico is overseen by the Department of Education of Puerto Rico under the Government of Puerto Rico, which provides primary and secondary school education....
- Puerto RicoPuerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
- American Sign LanguageAmerican Sign LanguageAmerican Sign Language, or ASL, for a time also called Ameslan, is the dominant sign language of Deaf Americans, including deaf communities in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico...
- Deaf CultureDeaf cultureDeaf culture describes the social beliefs, behaviors, art, literary traditions, history, values and shared institutions of communities that are affected by deafness and which use sign languages as the main means of communication. When used as a cultural label, the word deaf is often written with a...
External links
- Evangelical School for the Deaf homepage: ESD
- More thorough history of ESD: ESD History
- Puerto Rico Chapter of Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf: Puerto Rico RID