Victorian College for the Deaf
Encyclopedia
The Victorian College for the Deaf (VCD), located on St Kilda Road
in Melbourne, Australia, is Victoria's oldest deaf school, opening in 1860. It currently provides education in Auslan
, the language of the Australian Deaf community, from prep through to year 12. It has a significant role in the history of Australian Deaf culture
.
The Victorian College for the Deaf operates as a partnership between the Victorian Department of Education, Employment & Training (DEET) and an independent agency, Deaf Children Australia
(DCA) (formerly VSDC Services for Deaf Children).
, in a small house in Peel St, Windsor
. It began as a privately run boarding school
for deaf students and later became a public school. In 1866, it was re-located to a large bluestone building which was built by William Ireland on St Kilda Road.
The language of education was originally the deaf sign language of Frederick J Rose and his deaf students; F. J Rose's sign language background was the London dialect of British Sign Language
, which would heavily influence the development of Australia's own sign language, Auslan
, particularly the southern dialect. By 1891, the so-called "combined method" (manual and oral) was introduced.
In 1913, the State Government took over complete responsibility of the education programs of the Victorian Deaf and Dumb Institution.
St Kilda Road, Melbourne
St Kilda Road is a street in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is part of the locality of Melbourne which has the postcode of 3004 and along with Swanston Street forms a major spine of the city....
in Melbourne, Australia, is Victoria's oldest deaf school, opening in 1860. It currently provides education in Auslan
Auslan
Auslan is the sign language of the Australian deaf community. The term Auslan is an acronym of "Australian sign language", coined by Trevor Johnston in the early 1980s, although the language itself is much older...
, the language of the Australian Deaf community, from prep through to year 12. It has a significant role in the history of Australian Deaf culture
Deaf culture
Deaf 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...
.
The Victorian College for the Deaf operates as a partnership between the Victorian Department of Education, Employment & Training (DEET) and an independent agency, Deaf Children Australia
Deaf Children Australia
Deaf Children Australia is a charity that supports young deaf and hard of hearing people in Australia.Formerly known as Victorian Services for Deaf Children, Deaf Children Australia was founded in the Victorian capital of Melbourne in 1860. The offices are in an excellent Gothic Revival building...
(DCA) (formerly VSDC Services for Deaf Children).
History
On November 12, 1860, the school was opened by a Deaf Englishman, Frederick J RoseFrederick J Rose
Frederick John Rose was the Headmaster-Superintendent of Victorian School for Deaf Children from 1860 to 1891.- Biography :...
, in a small house in Peel St, Windsor
Windsor, Victoria
Windsor is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stonnington. At the 2006 Census, Windsor had a population of 6394....
. It began as a privately run boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
for deaf students and later became a public school. In 1866, it was re-located to a large bluestone building which was built by William Ireland on St Kilda Road.
The language of education was originally the deaf sign language of Frederick J Rose and his deaf students; F. J Rose's sign language background was the London dialect of British Sign Language
British Sign Language
British Sign Language is the sign language used in the United Kingdom , and is the first or preferred language of some deaf people in the UK; there are 125,000 deaf adults in the UK who use BSL plus an estimated 20,000 children. The language makes use of space and involves movement of the hands,...
, which would heavily influence the development of Australia's own sign language, Auslan
Auslan
Auslan is the sign language of the Australian deaf community. The term Auslan is an acronym of "Australian sign language", coined by Trevor Johnston in the early 1980s, although the language itself is much older...
, particularly the southern dialect. By 1891, the so-called "combined method" (manual and oral) was introduced.
In 1913, the State Government took over complete responsibility of the education programs of the Victorian Deaf and Dumb Institution.
Names
- 1862 - Victorian Deaf and Dumb Institution
- 1949 - Victorian School for Deaf Children (VSDC)
- 1995 - Victorian College for the Deaf (VCD)
Further reading
- Burchett, J.H. (1964). Utmost for the Highest - the story of the Victorian School for Deaf Children. Melbourne: Hall's Bookstore.