South Dakota School for the Deaf, 1954 - 1981

The South Dakota School for the Deaf (SDSD) was established in 1880 as the Dakota Territorial School for Deaf Mutes to serve children with hearing loss. When South Dakota became a state in 1889, the school was placed under the state's Board of Charities and Corrections and the name changed to its present form. In 1945, voters ratified an amendment to the state constitution which moved SDSD and the South Dakota School for the Blind (now the South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired) under the governance of the South Dakota Board of Regents. Since that time, SDSD has worked to provide educational programs and support services for deaf and hard of hearing children and their families. The school’s mission includes providing educational programs such as the Auditory Oral program in Brandon Valley Public Schools and the Bilingual program in the Harrisburg Public Schools, consultation to families and educational teams statewide, and comprehensive student evaluations including audiology and hearing screening. SDSD serves as a resource for families and local schools by providing a specialist in the education of deaf and hard of hearing children as a member of the educational team.