Canada: Deaf Community

Education for the Deaf Community

Prior to the establishment of schools for Deaf students, most Deaf individuals were isolated and had limited access to a formal education. The first school for the Deaf in Canada was established in Quebec in 1831. Two years after its establishment, Antoine Caron (1813–1847), one of the school’s students, became the first Deaf teacher in Canada. Several other schools designed specifically for the Deaf followed in the late 1800s and early 1890s, including two francophone schools in Montreal: the Institution Catholique des Sourdes-Muettes (for girls) and the Institution Catholique des Sourds-Muets (for boys).

In the following decades, several institutions were also established in English-speaking Canada, many of which closed after three or four decades of operation. Schools still in operation for the Deaf population in Canada include the Newfoundland School for the Deaf in St. John’s (established in 1964), the Sir James Whitney School for the Deaf (1974), the Ernest C. Drury School for the Deaf (1963), and the Robarts School for the Deaf (1974).

[Page 97]The use of sign language was forbidden in Canadian schools from the late 1800s through the 1960s, because educators believed it would impair students’ speech development. In the 1970s and early 1980s, the structure of ASL was revealed and considered, but it was not used widely in Canada.

Since the late 1980s, the Deaf community in Canada has been more adamant in its use of ASL and LSQ. Some schools have chosen to adopt ASL and English as their official languages, whereas others have chosen a bicultural (Deaf and hearing) method. In 1988, Manitoba became the first Canadian province to adopt ASL as the official language of the Canadian Deaf community. Alberta joined in 1990. Ontario passed the Ontario Education Act law regarding the use of ASL and LSQ for Deaf students in 1993.

Today’s Canadian students with hearing challenges are often outfitted with various technological devices and other forms of assistance, such as professional note-takers, captioned films/videos, and amplification systems, to integrate them into traditional classrooms.

Deaf Organizations in Canada

As the Deaf community in Canada gained greater access to education, organizations for the Deaf were established. The Canadian Association of the Deaf (CAD) was established in 1940. Known as the national consumer organization for 300,000 Deaf people, CAD campaigns for key Deaf issues, such as cochlear implants and ASL education. The CAD has also challenged Canadian governmental organizations focused on statistics, following several surveys that had inconsistent findings regarding how many people have hearing issues in the country. (By its own estimates, the CAD asserts that there are approximately 350,000 profoundly deaf and deafened Canadians and up to 3.15 million Canadians who are hard of hearing.)

Another prominent organization, the Canadian Cultural Society of the Deaf (CCSD), was formed in 1970. Recognized as a nonprofit in 1973, the society represents over 450,000 Deaf Canadians and focuses predominately on areas of Deaf culture, including the arts. One example of CCSD’s support is its Deaf culture center in Toronto. The center features archives, which is available for research, and a museum, which can also be viewed online. The center holds events and programs on the arts, history, and other aspects of Deaf culture. The CCSD has also produced several websites and television shows specifically for Deaf Canadians, as well as learning guides.

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