American School for the Deaf opens in Hartford, Connecticut

Background. The founding was driven by the need for local education for deaf children, particularly Alice Cogswell, daughter of surgeon Mason Fitch Cogswell. British schools were deemed unacceptable substitutes. Gallaudet traveled to Europe in 1815 to find teachers, eventually recruiting Laurent Clerc from Paris after being rebuffed by Braidwood's Academy in Britain. This recruitment led to the incorporation of the asylum in May 1816.

Opening and Early Operations. The school opened on April 15, 1817, in the old Bennet's City Hotel in Hartford. It initially enrolled seven students, including Alice Cogswell. The institution was originally named the Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons. It became a state-supported school later that year and received federal aid in the winter of 1818–1819.

Legacy and Recognition. The school is recognized as the oldest permanent K-12 school for the deaf in the United States. Streets in Hartford, such as Asylum Street and Asylum Avenue, were named for the school. A memorial honoring Gallaudet's birth was erected in 1887. The founding date, April 15, was declared National American Sign Language Day in 2019.