Clarke School for the Deaf in Northampton changes name to Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech

From: MassLive.com - Mar 30, 2010

By Fred Contrada, The Republican

NORTHAMPTON – For more than a century, the name Clarke School for the Deaf was instantly recognizable to nearly everyone in the deaf community throughout the country. Now they will have to get used to another name.

The landmark school atop Roundhill Road, along with its four satellite campuses, will henceforth be collectively known as the Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech. The change was approved by the Board of Trustees late last year and is now being implemented, according to Clarke President William J. Corwin. He said the wording better reflects the school’s mission.

“We had done a lot of research with constituent groups and one of the strongest messages was the idea of our school helping children learn to listen and talk,” Corwin said.

There has long been a divide in the deaf community between those who advocate maximizing what auditory ability the hearing-impaired have and those who favor the use of sign language. Clarke has emphasized the former and does not teach sign language. Corwin said the new name is consistent with those who are attracted to Clarke’s system.

“The name appeals to the families of the people we’re trying to attract,” he said.

He added that dropping the word “deaf” from the title should not be construed as a rejection of the term.

“I don’t think the word itself is not positive,” he said. “It’s part of their identity and we’re not seeking in any way to deny it.”

Corwin acknowledged, however, that some alumni are not happy about the change.

“Some don’t like the (new) name,” he said. “Others do.”

Founded in 1867, the school was originally called Clarke Institution for Deaf Mutes. It did not become Clarke School for the Deaf until 1896.

Over the last decade, Clarke School has cast its net more widely around the country, opening campuses in Jacksonville, Fla., Philadelphia, Pa., New York City and Boston to supplement its cornerstone campus in Northampton. At the same time, it has moved away from the dormitory model it long employed to a largely commuter model. Deaf students also mainstream into local schools at an earlier age and Clarke does a lot of its work at those schools.

The Northampton campus was once bustling with live-in students, but only about a dozen now live on campus and the school has sold some of the former dormitories. Corwin said more than 500 deaf students attend the five campuses, the majority of them under the age of 7. About 70 students attend school at the Northampton campus.

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