New Museum Unveiled by Atlanta Area School for the Deaf

The Atlanta Area School for the Deaf opened its new museum on August 3, joining at least 20 other museums housed at schools for deaf and hard of hearing students in the United States. Gallaudet University had several roles in the genesis of this museum, which tells the history of the school and showcases its students.

AASD superintendent J. Jack Johnson, in his first year leading the school, applied for a School Crashers grant from the Georgia United Credit Union Foundation. Wrote Kim Wall, the Foundation's director of community development, "In the eleven years that the Foundation has offered the School Crashers program, we have completed 76 school improvement projects, valued at over $2.4 million - but had never received a request for a museum space or worked with the deaf community. AASD's request stood out to our judges and was one of six schools selected from this year's 224 applicants."

Gallaudet University Board of Trustees member Mindi Greenland, '05, a senior vice president at GUCU, helped forge connections with the university during the lead-up to the museum's opening. Tabitha Jacques, '05, Director of Placemaking, provided consultative support. The Gallaudet University Archives loaned AASD the torch that President Emeritus I. King Jordan, '70 & H-'14, carried during the Olympic Torch Relay before the 1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta. Provost Khadijat K. Rashid, '90, represented the university at the museum's ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Museums such as this one preserve deaf history, culture, arts, and language. There are three known museums with a national scope: the National Deaf Life Museum in Chapel Hall; the Museum of Deaf History, Arts, and Culture in Olathe, Kansas; and the Joseph F. and Helen C. Dyer Arts Center at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology. The National Deaf Life Museum maintains a list of school-based museums, museums in other countries, and online exhibitions.

Atlanta Area School for the Deaf is located in Clarkston, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta known for its diverse population. Founded in 1972, the school is operated under the auspices of the State Department of Education. According to the school website, AASD serves over 140 deaf and hard of hearing students, ages 3 to 21, from more than 30 local school districts surrounding Atlanta. Like Gallaudet, AASD provides instruction in American Sign Language and English, and prepares its students for a variety of higher education and employment opportunities.