Soldier style: Some Deaf schools adopt dress code to eliminate socio-economic barriers

History Through Deaf Eyes – Soldier Style

War had an impact on deaf children as well, as some schools patterned routines and dress codes in military fashion. Boys wore uniforms and carried rifles during marching drills. Uniforms allowed boys from wealthy and financially struggling families to dress alike. Just as in the Army, instructors sometimes bounced a coin off a student’s bed to make sure the sheets and blankets were tucked tight.

In 1931, Ernest Marshall waved good-bye to the New York School for the Deaf in Washington Heights, (Fanwood). On graduation day, he looked like a young soldier. Gallaudet University Archives, Ernest Marshall Collection

Award ceremonies modeled after those in the military were part of the academic experience at the New York School for the Deaf. Gallaudet University Archives

Gallaudet University Archives

Students pose for their class pictures in uniform at the 1937 graduation ceremonies of the Missouri School for the Deaf. The graduates were separated by race. Missouri School for the Deaf