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The Vermont Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, a non-profit organization, is the primary educational and support services resource for Deaf and Hard of Hearing residents in Vermont and surrounding areas. Headquartered at Brattleboro's Austine school for the Deaf, the Vermont Center was launched by the Austine School in 1998 and continues to operate it today. The Austine School is one of four independent schools and twelve outreach programs through which the Vermont Center assists thousands of Vermonters who have hearing loss. ==History== In the late 1800s, U.S. Army Colonel William Austine retired to Brattleboro, Vermont. In his will, the Colonel specified a sum of $50,000 to establish a hospital for the treatment of strangers or local residents with extraordinary circumstances. Complying with this wish and under trusteeship, five local citizens incorporated the Austine Institution in 1904. About this same time, the Brattleboro Memorial Hospital opened and alleviated the need for another medical facility. After debate, the then Vermont Attorney General, who was also the administrator of the Colonel's will, prevailed with his suggestion to open a school for blind and deaf students. Support was gained from the Vermont General Assembly to purchase a farm and in the fall of 1912 the Austine School opened with sixteen students. In 1914, Alexander Graham Bell delivered Austine School's first commencement address. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, the school grew. A new elementary school was added followed by a new high school wing. Soon after, a high school boys dormitory and a high school girls dorm were completed. In 1970, the construction of Vermont Hall upgraded the dormitories for the younger children, added administrative offices, a modern kitchen, dining room and health facility. In 1975 the Education for All Handicapped Children Act was passed. This legislation impacted how persons with special needs are educated. The Vermont Center was created to provide statewide, location-based support for deaf education through a statewide consulting network. Additional programs the Austine School had founded over the years to meet the needs of the deaf community beyond the classroom were now grouped under the umbrella of the Vermont Center. With mainstreaming underway, Austine School saw a marked increase in the percentage of its students who face multiple physical and educational challenges. In response, the William Center was created as a separate school licensed by the Department for Children and Families and housed on the Austine Campus as a residential facility for emotionally disturbed deaf children. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Vermont Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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