The Learning Center for the Deaf (TLC) is a school for deaf and hard-of-hearing children located on 14 acres in Framingham, Massachusetts. TLC offers a program for deaf and hard of hearing students from infancy through high school, while also serving students who have different mental and emotional challenges. The curriculum fosters knowledge and respect for both American Sign Language (ASL) and English, a bilingual education, and for deaf and hearing cultures, a bicultural education.
TLC consisted of three separate campuses located in Massachusetts: the main campus in Framingham, Massachusetts, the Walden campus, and the Randolph campus, which is no longer open.
While supporting the children, TLC also provides support to the communities surrounding it by offering such things as ASL classes, instruction to other schools, and interpreting services. The mission of TLC includes "competence, character, and community".Â
History
The Learning Center for the Deaf - Our mission is to ensure that deaf and hard of hearing students achieve their full potential in an educational environment where language and communication ...
In 1970, Warren Schwab established The Learning Center for the Deaf (TLC) in Massachusetts as an educational system that focuses on providing language and access to communication for deaf and hard of hearing students. As the first school for the deaf in Massachusetts to use an bilingual approach of education focusing on both ASL and English, the TLC deviated from the "oral method" of education. During the 1970s, the school created a student-centered curriculum with "open classroom" formats. An initial enrollment of 22 students quickly grew and the school expanded in 1975, with the addition of a preschool program, in 1978, with the establishment of a special needs program for deaf children who have cognitive or behavior disabilities, and in 1976, with the addition of a parent-infant program, one of the first programs to provide deaf infants exposure to signs in addition to spoken English and to offer parents instruction in the use of signs. A high school began in 1980, and a group residence for high school students began the following year. In 1987, TLC opened "Walden House", a comprehensive residential treatment program for deaf youth between the ages of 8 and 22 years who are challenged by severe social and emotional difficulties. A new facility for these students was completed and occupied in December 1995, with a capacity of 30 students and is now called the Walden School. In 1994, TLC opened a satellite campus (preschoolâ€"elementary program) in Randolph, Massachusetts. In 2011, after seventeen years, this campus closed and services were consolidated on the main campus.
Notable people
Chuck Baird
Chuck Baird is a well-known artist in the deaf community. He is also known as an actor, teacher, and storyteller. In 1989, he helped established De'VIA, an expression of deaf visual arts that allowed deaf and hearing artists to have a way of expressing their own deaf experiences. This continued to lead him in becoming a very successful artist and contributing to a number of deaf communities schools over the years, including TLC. In 1994, Baird lived in the school for a year, as an artist in residence, working to create a mural that was a "visual interpretation of Deaf History". His collected information from different sources relating to deaf history helped him create a 150-foot-long mural that was placed on the walls of the Schwab Athletic Center of the Framingham, Campus for the community to experience. In parts,TLC's staff and students were able to help create frames for the mural and their hands on the frames were included as part of the mural. The mural called A Panoramic View of the History of American Sign Language shows in three divided sections: the Golden Ages, the Dark Ages, and American Sign Language Revival.
Joseph Thomas Kopas
Joseph Thomas Kopas was a member of the deaf community who gave his time as a storyteller, teacher, and pioneer. He was known in Massachusetts as the first deaf teacher of deaf students, helping lead more schools to hire deaf teachers over the years. Kopas was an advocate and helped made a connection between the hearing world and deaf world by supporting the deaf community, as well as explaining to others that the differences between the hearing world and deaf world are very small. He committed his time as a teacher in five different educational systems, including TLC, where he spent 30 years teaching and educating deaf and hard of hearing students. When TLC was first established, Kopas, contributed to the school by being a part of the growth of the school in the deaf communities in both the city of Boston and throughout the nation. Kopas had been a teacher for over 50 years before his retirement in 2001, at TLC. Kopas died in 2014.
Marie Jean Philip
Marie Jean Philip was an educator, advocate, storyteller and friend in the deaf community. She educated children using both American Sign Language (ASL) as well as written English in the classroom, while also campaigning for ASL to be accepted as a language in America. Philip served as a variety of different important positions over her lifetime that helped promote and support the deaf community and deaf education including her position as the Bilingual Bicultural Coordinator at TLC. This is where she was able to advance the curriculum of instruction and education by establishing the use of both ASL and written English. Her contributions to TLC was able to give hope to the many who questioned incorporating ASL and written English into educational instruction. Philip died in 1997.
On May 30, 2002, TLC decided to commemorate Philip by naming a part of the school after her. The new elementary school at TLC became named as the Marie Jean Philip Elementary School. In September 2015, TLC named its Pre-K through 12 grade program as the Marie Philip School at The Learning Center for the Deaf.
Logo change
On May 14, 2016, TLC introduced a new logo for the school. The new logo was created as a way to show TLC as a place where the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community are served and provided in a way that meets their needs educationally, as a community, and in a therapeutic way. The new logo consists of seven different concepts that contributed to the logo change:
- The color green was picked because of the beauty of the green grass on the campus.
- Butterfly (a symbol of the Deaf community and are possibly known for being Deaf)
- Ghosts of fire (the school's mascot)
- Books (as a way to enter into the English language and the way to support a bilingual/bicultural education)
- Inspiration (TLC's way of inspiring students, parents, staff and community)
- Hands Waving (the sign for applause)
- TLC Sign Name (also represents the sign for I Love You)
In fall of 2016, TLC started to incorporate this new logo into the school and on marketing materials as well.
Campuses
Framingham
TLC's main campus sits on 14 acres located in Framingham, Ma. It has 16 buildings located on its campus that consist of different classrooms, kitchen/dining areas, administrative offices, a gymnasium/auditorium, therapeutic units, audiology services, a library, student residence, maintenance workshop, and fine arts facilities. The Framingham campus includes the Early Childhood Center focused on infants through five years of age, the Elementary school, ages six to twelve, and Secondary Education, middle through high school.
Walden School
The Walden School is an educational institution and program of TLC that provides housing, support, and educational services for deaf students, between the ages of 8 to 22, that are faced with different emotional and social challenges. The staff who work in the Walden school all have degrees in special education and/or Deaf education and receive trainings to better engage and provide supports for the students in the program. Services provided are supportive and student-centered. The Walden School offers a 12-month residential services for their students to be able to live in a private room.
Randolph Campus
In 1994, TLC opened the Randolph Campus in order to provide services to students from infancy through fifth grade. After seventeen years, in 2011, the Randolph Campus closed in result to a consolidation of the Early Childhood Programs to the main, Framingham Campus.
Community programs
American Sign Language program
TLC offers an ASL program where people in the community can take ASL classes. The classes teach a wide range of ASL vocabulary, deaf history and deaf culture. This program has been offered to the community for over 40 years and serves as a way to help the community who wants to learn ASL.
Outpatient audiology clinic
The outpatient audiology clinic is a medical audiology clinic located on Framingham campus of TLC that serves the community as well as the students by providing hearing aids and audiological testing services. It is a non-profit organization that helps support TLC. All the funds that the clinic receives are placed in the education of the students at TLC while also providing for the underfunded programs.
Center for Research and Training (CRT)
The Center for Research and Training (CRT) at The Learning Center for the Deaf actively supports culturally and linguistically accessible education for deaf and hard of hearing students by consulting with schools, districts, and states on effective dual language instructional practices in ASL and English. CRT develops STEM-specific educational resources in ASL, consults on bilingual K-12 instruction, and administers bilingual assessments for students ages 4â€"18. Deaf and ASL-fluent experts provide customized services to schools, programs, districts, and state educational agencies in order to enhance their capacity for rigorous, student-centered instruction and assessment in American Sign Language and written English. CRT participates in partnerships with researchers and educators to develop and implement research-based tools and strategies to advance bilingual instruction and assessment. The American Sign Language Assessment Instrument (ASLAI), originated by Bob Hoffmeister, is designed to track the yearly progression of ASL and English print literacy over time for students ages 4â€"18. Through The Center for Research and Training at The Learning Center for the Deaf, the ASLAI is available to schools, programs, and states throughout the country on a contract basis. CRT provides on-site consultation and administration of the ASLAI as well as customized reports. With support from The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, The Center for Research and Training has partnered with Boston University to develop the online American Sign Language STEM Concept Learning Resource, ASL Clear.
Interpreting services
TLC includes an interpreting service located on the Framingham campus that serves a wide variety of different needs within the Metro West and Central Massachusetts areas by providing ASL/English translations.
Public School Partnerships
This program was previously known as The Outreach Partnership Program (TOPP). TLC changed the name in September 2015, to the Public School Partnerships at The Learning Center for the Deaf. This program is design for students who are in public schools and use a hearing aids or cochlear implants. The goal of this program is to offer consultation, support for the teachers, family, and students, and provide workshops that will give more insights in what could be done in order to support the academics and development of the students.
Walden Community Services
This program was previously known as the Walden Wraparound Program. TLC changed the name is September 2015, to the Walden Community Services at The Learning Center for the Deaf. This program serves for providing support to deaf and hard of hearing children's families through two programs that included the Children's Behavioral Health Initiative through MassHealth and the Family Support and Stabilization for families working with Department of Children and Families (DCF) Family Networks program.
References
External links
- TLC's website
- Walden School website
- TLC Outpatient Audiology Clinic website