This lecture will take us back to the nineteenth century, and introduce us to the first deaf people from Nantucket to receive a formal education. The American School for the Deaf, in Hartford, Connecticut, opened in 1817. Nantucketers were quick to invest in this educational opportunity. The first student from Nantucket arrived at the school in 1825, the second in 1826. Going to the school allowed these young deaf people to connect to the wider deaf community of New England. It also allowed hearing people, including Maria Mitchell, to make unexpected connections to the deaf community.

Join Rebecca Edwards, professor of history at the Rochester Institute of Technology, to explore Nantucket’s place in the early history of the American deaf community.