Deaf Education in WA

William Thomson is widely credited as the founder of Deaf education in WA. It is thanks to his efforts that teachers of the deaf came to the colony, and that funds were raised for both the school building and the continued running of the school. Deaf education officially began in Western Australia in 1896 with 1 Deaf student, Elsie Jecks, tutored by William's sister, Eleanor Thomson in their home. Over the course of the year more students joined, and larger and larger premises were needed. Initially the school was in a family home in Moore Street, North Perth; then to 'Belvidere' on Trafalgar Road, East Perth, and finally to the 'House on the Hill' in Cottesloe with the foundation stone laid on Thursday 2 November, 1899 and the building formally opened on 22 March 1900 by WA Premier Sir John Forrest.

While the infamous Milan Conference in 1880 had 'banned' the use of sign language in deaf education, the Superintendent of the school, Henry Witchell, continued to use fingerspelling and 'signs' to reinforce speech and lipreading. He understood that there was a limit to the usefulness of speech and lip-reading in the classroom and he emphasised reading and writing English as well as vocational training programs, so that Deaf students would leave school with a trade. During this time, some Deaf people were employed around the school, although not as teachers. This allowed the children to interact with Deaf adults, acquiring and sharing sign language, regardless of it's official use and status in the classroom.

John Love became the Superintendent from 1927 until 1955, after Witchell's death. He continued to use a combined method and focusing on student's 'awakening and development of intelligence rather than correct enunciation of every word'. May Wallace was an instrumental part of the school during this time and beloved by those who still remember her. May (pictured below) had Deaf parents and shared her knowledge and sign language skills to bridge the gaps for Deaf students.

While Deaf Education in WA had been reasonably resistant to the declaration from the Milan Conference and continued to use fingerspelling and 'sign' in various ways, things changed during the 1950s. By the time Love retired, several reports had been published that were critical of the lack of oral methodology. A new Superintendent, who specialised in oral methods was appointed and use of sign language was restricted to one class of children, often with additional disabilities, who had 'failed' in their other classes. Luckily for these children, they were taught by May Wallace. Additionally, all of the children boarded together in the residential areas of the school, and so sign language was still used outside of class, bonding all of the children together.

In the 1970s further changes occurred, including a complete separation of the 'oral' and 'manual' students, severing the connections between the children. For the manual students, 'total communication' was introduced, where teachers spoke and signed at the same time, using an invented sign language called 'Signed English'. This methodology proved no more successful, and as research legitimising Auslan was published, Deaf children increasingly had access to Auslan in the classroom, largely thanks to the influence of Carol Chittleborough.

Educational policy changed in the late 1990s, with a move towards mainstreaming rather than segregation for all students in state schools. This included the use of specialised education assistants in classrooms and visiting teacher services from Teachers of the Deaf for Deaf students, and families started to make the choice to enrol their Deaf child in their local school. In 2002, Mosman Park School for Deaf Children moved to the grounds of Mosman Park Primary School, where the two schools continue to work together. Today many Deaf children attend their local schools with educational interpreters facilitating their access to the curriculum.