Victorian College for the Deaf

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).

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History

On November 12 1860, the school was opened by a Deaf Englishman, Frederick J Rose, 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.

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.

See also

• Frederick J Rose
• Deaf Children Australia