5 U.S. and International Colleges for the Deaf
Major U.S. In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill authorizing the school to grant college degrees. The university is named for Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet (1787-1851). Illustration by Mira Norian for Verywell Health His son, Edward Miner Gallaudet, was the university’s first president. (In fact, Rochester is known for itsdeaf community.) There are 200 programs of study for deaf students to choose from. This ensures that deaf students will choose a college based on educational need rather than cost....