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History Through Deaf Eyes – Segregated Schools

Before the Civil War, most southern states provided no formal education for African American deaf students. After the war, during the period known as Reconstruction, the federal government began to force social changes in the South. In 1868, North Carolina created a “Colored Department” alongside the main state school for deaf students. Other southern states soon followed, creating separate schools or departments.

male black students from Kentucky School for the Deaf in 1884

Kentucky School for the Deaf c. 1884

female black students from the Kentucky School for the Deaf in 1884

Kentucky School for the Deaf c. 1889 – 1890

Kentucky School for the Deaf african american students

Black and white students were taught on the same campus at the Kentucky School for the Deaf, but they had separate classrooms and dormitories. Kentucky School for the Deaf c. May 1920