Indiana Deaf History Museum

Indiana Deaf History Museum The museum is located on the campus of the Indiana School for the Deaf. The museum will be open during most campus events, or by appointment.

06/30/2022

Hello everyone!

We are doing research about the National Fraternal Society of the Deaf, and want to connect with former members of the Indianapolis Divisions 22 and 153. There was also Division 102 in South Bend, and Division 104 in Fort Wayne. If anyone has stories, photos, or memoribilia, please contact the museum director: Kris Johnson
[email protected]

Thanks!

Does anyone have an extra copy of this book for donation to our museum?National Fraternal Society of the Deaf"Celebratin...
06/27/2022

Does anyone have an extra copy of this book for donation to our museum?

National Fraternal Society of the Deaf
"Celebrating a Rich Heritage 1901-2001"

Items from the "mystery box" we opened last week!Booklets, gavels, and officer badges of the Indiana Chapter of the Nati...
10/13/2021

Items from the "mystery box" we opened last week!

Booklets, gavels, and officer badges of the Indiana Chapter of the National Fraternal Society of the Deaf!

Hello everyone!  This page has been quiet, and the museum has been closed because of covid-19.But good news!  We will op...
10/07/2021

Hello everyone! This page has been quiet, and the museum has been closed because of covid-19.

But good news! We will open and have new exhibits in January!

One of the topics that you will see in the new exhibits is the National Fraternal Society of the Deaf. The museum has a large collection of artifacts from the Indiana chapter of NFSD, and we're excited to display them soon!

We also have these two mystery boxes that we're opening today. Next week, we'll post some pics of what we find inside!

Hello everyone!  I know this page has been quiet for a while, but we've been doing a lot of "behind the scenes" work to ...
04/19/2021
User Account

Hello everyone! I know this page has been quiet for a while, but we've been doing a lot of "behind the scenes" work to make a new digital archive. We now have four "Special Collections" available online: Raymond Nelson Collection, ISD Basketball, ISD Student Clubs, and The Silent Hoosier. There are MANY more that we will continue to add, so please be patient and enjoy browsing these! We'll let you know when new collections are created.
https://archive.org/details/?tab=collections

Any ISD alumni from 1970s know what this group photo is?  Was it a club?  Athletics?  Photo is maybe from 1977.
10/21/2020

Any ISD alumni from 1970s know what this group photo is? Was it a club? Athletics? Photo is maybe from 1977.

https://archive.org/details/king-william-jr-thesis-1952Our first Black-Deaf history item uploaded to our digital archive...
10/20/2020
William King Jr Master's Thesis 1952 : William King Jr : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

https://archive.org/details/king-william-jr-thesis-1952

Our first Black-Deaf history item uploaded to our digital archive: Bill King's master's thesis report 1952

Click the PDF option at lower right, and the file will open.

There will be more images and documents uploaded soon!

A Study of the Health Programs Offered in Schools for the Negro DeafThesis paper written at Hampton University 1952

09/04/2020

We are pleased to announce the opening of "Black is Black: Blackity AF," an online exhibit from four curators: Teraca Florence, Najma Johnson, Earl Terry, and Felicia Williams. This exhibit is a response to the continued killings of unarmed Black Americans at the hands of law enforcement, catalyzed by the death of George Floyd in late May and given further urgency by the recent revelation of the death of Daniel Prude here in Rochester, New York.

In the midst of this ongoing horror, the curators felt it was important to reexamine Black Deaf art after the Dyer's previous exhibit several years ago. An unapologetic celebration of Blackness and also a recognition of the need for survival and happiness, "Black is Black" demands that attention and honor be paid to the lived experiences of Black Deaf people, and its four curators invite you to do just that at: https://dyerartscenter.omeka.net/exhibits/show/blackisblack/intro

A Zoom-based reception will be hosted on Saturday, September 19, from 7-8:30 p.m. (Eastern). Register at: bit.ly/blackitydeaf

[ID: On a black rectangle, Serge Kiswensida Doamba's Debout, a black-and-white lithograph of an upraised fist, stands in the center, surrounded by an aura made of the Pan-African colors of red, black, and green. On the left side, "Black is Black" rises vertically in the same colors, while on the right side, "BLACKITY AF," also vertical stands in bold white. Along the bottom on the right side is the text "Opening September 4, 2020 Reception: Saturday, September 19, 2020 7:00-8:30 p.m. (Eastern) via Zoom This exhibit was curated by Teraca Florence, Najma Johnson, Earl Terry, Felicia Williams" above the Dyer Arts Center's logo. At the very bottom left in small white text is the image credit: Debout, Serge Kiswensida Doamba, 2019.]

Signing Black in America promo
06/27/2020
Signing Black in America promo

Signing Black in America promo

-------------------- Promo for the forthcoming Talking Black in America episode: Signing Black in America. Music: '2 Above Zero' by Jason Shaw (CC) For more ...

Resources guide for Black Deaf history, media, literature, etc.
06/21/2020
Resources guide for Black Deaf history, media, literature, etc.

Resources guide for Black Deaf history, media, literature, etc.

Here is a guide to various resources related to the Black Deaf experience, Black ASL, Black Deaf history in America, current organizations and leaders of the Black Deaf community, racism in the Deaf community, etc. This is an ONGOING list- if you have anything you’d like to add, please email...

06/14/2020
Signing Black in America
06/11/2020
Signing Black in America

Signing Black in America

Just like spoken languages, sign languages have dialects. Black ASL is the unique dialect of American Sign Language (ASL) that developed within historically segregated…

06/11/2020

Indiana Deaf Heritage is the 501(c)3 non-profit organization that owns and operates the Indiana Deaf History Museum at ISD. Our duty is to preserve the history of our beautiful Deaf community that includes people of all races, nationalities, genders, sexual orientation, and religions. The Museum stands in support with the Black Lives Matter movement, and we are committed to expand our museum's exhibits and programs to include diverse perspectives about Deaf history. Our museum director is working with summer interns to establish a new "Black Deaf Hoosier Collection" that will include photos, documents, and artifacts related to the life experiences of the Indiana Black Deaf community. This collection will be uploaded online in the next few weeks. We are seeking new donations because we need more Black Deaf history in our archive. Please contact Kris Johnson to discuss donations: [email protected]

Because of COVID-19 risks, the museum is currently closed, but donations can be made by appointment.




ISD's esteemed alumna, Laurene Simms shares important ideas to think about
06/09/2020
3R: White Savior or Ally: What is the Difference?

ISD's esteemed alumna, Laurene Simms shares important ideas to think about

Here is my so-called workshop presentation titled: "White Savior or Ally: What is the Difference?" Since the video lasts about 34 minutes, you may need a cup...

06/08/2020

Artwork by Fred Michael Beam 2020

"Black (Deaf) Lives Matter"

In honour of the Black victims of police brutality.

Acrylic painting

18 inch by 24 inch

****FYI, if you want to share, Fred asked that no one copies his image. and to make sure you credit his name. **** THANK YOU

Pretty sure this is the oldest graduation program in the archive--1880!  Will double check when ISD campus re-opens for ...
05/22/2020

Pretty sure this is the oldest graduation program in the archive--1880! Will double check when ISD campus re-opens for staff.

Notice on page 2...William Willard gave the prayer during the ceremony.

We are currently scanning ISD basketball history!  The archive has these two tickets from the 1929 CSSD tournament in Oh...
05/19/2020

We are currently scanning ISD basketball history! The archive has these two tickets from the 1929 CSSD tournament in Ohio.

A college intern from IUPUI is working on uploading photos and souvenir programs from the early years of basketball at ISD, and the first CSSD tournaments. We'll post the link when that online album is ready for you to browse and enjoy 😎

Some VERY old photos from the archive.  Anyone recognize the people?  The girl on the swing and girl standing in front o...
05/07/2020

Some VERY old photos from the archive. Anyone recognize the people? The girl on the swing and girl standing in front of dorm are same person, but face is blurry.

Mystery Photos!  Many of the photos in our archive are not labeled with dates or names.  If you know the year, or teache...
05/06/2020

Mystery Photos! Many of the photos in our archive are not labeled with dates or names. If you know the year, or teacher's names, please comment to help us sort them into the right folders. Thanks!

 Recognize these teachers from ISD???
05/05/2020


Recognize these teachers from ISD???

Hi everyone!  Even though the ISD campus is closed, our museum work is still happening!  Today, our museum director foun...
04/22/2020

Hi everyone! Even though the ISD campus is closed, our museum work is still happening! Today, our museum director found a very old, and brittle, football poster mixed up in a box with photos. She repaired the ripped edges, then used our digital archive to figure out which year the game was played: 1924! The poster is 96 years old 😱

Image 1 description: faded red rectangular sign that says Broad Ripple vs Silent Hoosiers football. Thurs Oct 30, game called at 2:30 at State School for the Deaf. Text is printed on top of drawings of football players.

Image 2 description: screencap of newspaper article about the game (full text in comment section)

Happy Friday everyone!  We hope you are finding ways to keep your mind active during this important stay-at-home time.  ...
03/27/2020
User Account

Happy Friday everyone! We hope you are finding ways to keep your mind active during this important stay-at-home time. Today, we're announcing a new plan to digitize and upload much more of our Indiana history, so you can enjoy it online for free at Internet Archive. We still have A LOT of scanning to do, but we've uploaded several issues of the 2nd version of the Silent Hoosier newspaper which continued to publish deaf community news when ISD changed format to a monthly magazine of school news.
We'll keep adding new uploads, so check back often!

Mystery Photo:  Anybody know where this photo was taken in 1995?  What was the purpose of the plane ride? Who was there?
03/26/2020

Mystery Photo: Anybody know where this photo was taken in 1995? What was the purpose of the plane ride? Who was there?

What happens to the museum during stay-at-home order from the governor???  The museum comes to my house!  I'm continuing...
03/24/2020

What happens to the museum during stay-at-home order from the governor??? The museum comes to my house! I'm continuing to work, even though ISD is closed. This week, I'm doing A LOT of scanning!!!
As much as possible, stay safe at home for the next couple of weeks!

Kris Johnson, Museum Director

Image description:
View of a livingroom, computer table and desk chair near large window, file boxes lined up on sofa, piles of photos and documents on small folding tables

A relevant message from March 1948.  If you are able to donate blood, the Red Cross needs you now!We hope all of you are...
03/20/2020

A relevant message from March 1948. If you are able to donate blood, the Red Cross needs you now!

We hope all of you are staying safe and healthy!

Hello everyone!  A reminder that our digital archive of ISD's publications are available free online!  There is over 100...
03/19/2020
Indiana School for the Deaf | University Library

Hello everyone! A reminder that our digital archive of ISD's publications are available free online! There is over 100 years of history and culture that you can learn about with kids who are home from school or for your own enjoyment.

Please share, especially with teachers needing resources to use with their students online.

Courses at IUPUI will be taught remotely for the duration of the Spring 2020 semester. Read more about this and other University coronavirus protection measures. Learn how library services will be affected.

Embossed Bibles given to ISD graduates in 1892!John Horney and Hattie Kelley were later married, and we have some exciti...
03/17/2020

Embossed Bibles given to ISD graduates in 1892!
John Horney and Hattie Kelley were later married, and we have some exciting documents and photos of theirs in our collection.

Hi everyone!  Since ISD is closed for three weeks, we have plenty of time to reorganize our collection storage room, and...
03/17/2020

Hi everyone! Since ISD is closed for three weeks, we have plenty of time to reorganize our collection storage room, and we're finding a lot of cool stuff! Like this application for admission 1870s!!!

Another interesting find in our archive!  Former student and long-time teacher, Albert Berg's memoire of going to Gallau...
03/09/2020

Another interesting find in our archive! Former student and long-time teacher, Albert Berg's memoire of going to Gallaudet College.

We're working in the museum's collection room today, and found this program from a play performed at ISD in 1914!Link to...
03/09/2020

We're working in the museum's collection room today, and found this program from a play performed at ISD in 1914!
Link to the story:https://andersen.sdu.dk/moocfiles/redshoes.pdf

Call for volunteers!  We have A LOT of these print blocks from the old print shop.  We need some volunteers to help rese...
02/21/2020

Call for volunteers! We have A LOT of these print blocks from the old print shop. We need some volunteers to help research where they were made, what years they were used, and also match the designs to The Hoosier. You will need internet access to do the research. Anyone interested???

Please contact our director, Kris Johnson [email protected]

These images are a copper metal design attached to a wood block.

Can anybody help us with this mystery artifact??? Sewing project from maybe 1970s or early 1980s?  Anybody know who made...
01/27/2020

Can anybody help us with this mystery artifact??? Sewing project from maybe 1970s or early 1980s? Anybody know who made this fabric collage of vocational education?

01/18/2020

Good morning all,

Unfortunately, the museum will not be open today during the Clerc Classic.

01/13/2020

ISD is hosting the Clerc Classic basketball tournament Thurs-Sat this week!

The museum will be open during the tournament.
Thurs: 10:00AM-3:00PM
Fri: 10:00AM-3:00PM

Address

1200 E 42nd Street
Indianapolis, IN
46205

General information

Hours: Contact Kris Johnson to schedule a visit during summer when ISD is closed. [email protected] Admission: FREE Donations are appreciated and will help us preserve the museum collection and develop new exhibits.

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NEW BOOK RELEASE

Book Honors 1,791 Athletes and 50 Coaches of U.S. Delegations, 1935-2022

First Ever Book in 87 Years About U.S. Athletes' Participation at Games Since 1935

In the book pages, which has the following five parts such as,

Part One: Summer Games,
Part Two: Winter Games,
Part Three: Summaries,
Part Four: 50 Outstanding U.S. Deaflympic Coaches, and
Part Five: 50 Top Schools for the Deaf – U.S. Deaflympic Athlete's Producers,

the reader will learn the name of every U.S. athlete who was a Games – Summer and/or Winter – participant between the years of 1935 and 2022. Individual photo of an athlete and his/her Games performance results are also featured in the book pages.

By the way, statistically, the book lists the names of 1,791 U.S. athletes-nation's representatives in 30 different sports -at the Games held between 1935 and 2022. Between these Games years the U.S. athletes produced an amazing medal win record: a total of 1,119 medals, including 396 gold, 339 silver and 384 bronze, were awarded to them.

The publication of this book shall allow the reader to have accurate information about the participation of every U.S. athlete, about athlete's unforgettable personal exploits that have taken place in his/her life at a major and premier worldwide sporting event for the Deaf people - the Deaflympic Games.

The book pages also contain significant and interesting stories about the randomly selected notable personalities – athletes, coaches and leaders - who contributed a great deal to the progress and well being of the national sports program, in general, and the Deaflympic movement, in particular. Their photos are, too, presented in the book pages.

This book is a long-awaited and very useful one for a wide range of our readers and sports historians.

This rarely-themed book will educate and enlighten every reader about the rich, long and glorious history, in which many individuals - Games participants – brought honor and fame, prestige and pride to the greatest nation on the earth - the United States of America.
298 pages
2,500+ photos

For details, contact:

[email protected]
Hello Indiana School for the Deaf alums!

I am an author and lecturer, and am currently working on a new book that will honor all athletes - members of the U.S. teams at the Deaflympic Games between 1935 and 2019.
I am asking you for a list of the names of all athletes from your school who competed for the USA teams at the IGD/WGD/Deaflympic Games, including Summer and Winter IGD/WGD/Deaflympics from 1935 to 2019.
I am specifically requesting a list of those who attended a deaf school rather than a mainstream school.
For your information, in last few years I have written and published several books on the subject of the history of the Deaflympic Games, including the first book called, "The History of the Deaflympic Games Book, 1924–2014."
https://www.amazon.com/HISTORY-DEAFLYMPIC.../dp/9655590321
So far, there are now 29 deaf schools that have already submitted their lists with the names of their respective school's Deaflympians.
I'm hoping to acquire the names of your school's Deaflympians so that I will include them in my upcoming book.
Many thanks!
Rafael Pinchas
Hello Indiana School for the Deaf alums!
I am an author and lecturer, and am currently working on a new book that will honor all athletes - members of the U.S. teams at the Deaflympic Games between 1935 and 2019.
I am asking you for a list of the names of all athletes from your school who competed for the USA teams at the IGD/WGD/Deaflympic Games, including Summer and Winter IGD/WGD/Deaflympics from 1935 to 2019.
I am specifically requesting a list of those who attended a deaf school rather than a mainstream school.
For your information, in last few years I have written and published several books on the subject of the history of the Deaflympic Games, including the first book called, "The History of the Deaflympic Games Book, 1924–2014."
https://www.amazon.com/HISTORY-DEAFLYMPIC.../dp/9655590321
So far, there are now 29 deaf schools that have already submitted their lists with the names of their respective school's Deaflympians.
I'm hoping to acquire the names of your school's Deaflympians so that I will include them in my upcoming book.
Many thanks!
Rafael Pinchas
I have my parents old TTY machine probably from the 1970s. I want to donate it to the deaf museum on behalf of my parents Robert and Sandra Williams. What do I need to do to make this happen?
Indianapolis Shakespeare Company is offering an ASL interpreter on Thursday August 2, 2018 for the FREE, PROFESSIONAL performance of Coriolanus! www.indyshakes.com
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QwqUqNXXljDTFS13pTXoN8tRzhaoqPCn/view?usp=drivesdk

Iconic sign TO INTERPRET?
Wow!!!

The history of different signs.

I hope you like it 😉✌
I am HOH & know sign (PSE) & live in Indy & would like to know what events/activities/places that are in Indy for me to go to to meet other HOH or Deaf individuals...?! Please & thank you!
#}