New York K 1483: Commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Rochester School for the Deaf

Bill Text

Bill Search and Legislative Information | New York State Assembly 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

 Skip to main content 

 New York State Assembly

 Speaker Carl E. Heastie

 --> 
 --> 

 --> 

• 
 Assembly Members 

• 
 Legislative Info 

• 
 Public Hearings 

• 
 Speaker's Press 

• 
 Assembly Reports 

• 
 Committees & More 

• Bill Search Home
• Laws
• Legislative Calendar
• Public Hearing Schedule
• Assembly Calendars
• Assembly Committee Agenda 

 Javascript must be enabled to properly view this page. 

 Bill No.: 

• Summary 
• Actions 
• Committee&nbspVotes 
• Floor&nbspVotes 
• Memo 
• Text 
• LFIN 
• Chamber&nbspVideo/Transcript 
K01483 Summary:

BILL NOK01483 

&nbsp

SAME ASNo Same As

&nbsp

SPONSORClark

&nbsp

COSPNSR

&nbsp

MLTSPNSRBailey, Bronson, Jensen, Lunsford, Meeks

&nbsp

&nbsp

Go to top K01483 Actions:

BILL NOK01483 

&nbsp

05/28/2026introduced

05/28/2026adopted

Go to topK01483 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topK01483 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topK01483 Text:

Assembly Resolution No. 1483

BY: M. of A. Clark

 COMMEMORATING the 150th Anniversary of the
 Rochester School for the Deaf

 WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize and
commemorate those enduring institutions whose commitment to education,
service, and community enrichment has contributed significantly to the
quality of life in the State of New York; and

 WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Rochester School for the Deaf,
to be celebrated with a Gala on Saturday, October 24, 2026; and

 WHEREAS, Founded on February 3, 1876, and opened to students on
October 4, 1876, the Rochester School for the Deaf was originally
established under the name Western New York Institution for Deaf Mutes;
in April of 1920, the institution officially became known as the
Rochester School for the Deaf; and

 WHEREAS, Located at 1545 St. Paul Street in Rochester, New York, the
Rochester School for the Deaf is a private, tuition-free school serving
deaf and hard-of-hearing students from pre-kindergarten through 12th
grade, and stands today as one of the oldest and most respected schools
of its kind in the United States; and

 WHEREAS, The origins of the Rochester School for the Deaf are deeply
rooted in the compassion and vision of the Perkins family, particularly
Mr. and Mrs. Gilman Perkins, whose concern for their deaf daughter,
Carolyn, and for other children in the community with hearing loss
inspired the establishment of the school; and

 WHEREAS, Through the efforts of Zenas Westervelt, then a teacher at
the Maryland School for the Deaf, who identified deaf and
hard-of-hearing children throughout Western New York who lacked access
to education, and with the encouragement and support of Mrs. Perkins and
other civic-minded citizens, the school was founded to provide
educational opportunities to children who had long been underserved; and

 WHEREAS, After initially operating in downtown Rochester, the school
relocated in 1878 to its present campus on the east bank of the Genesee
River, where it has remained a cornerstone of deaf education for nearly
a century and a half; and

 WHEREAS, From its earliest years, the Rochester School for the Deaf
established itself as a pioneer in educational innovation;
Superintendent Zenas Westervelt developed the "Rochester Method,"
combining the manual alphabet with speech to strengthen students'
engagement with the English language; and

 WHEREAS, Further advancing the field of deaf education, Edmund Lyon,
a friend of the Perkins family, developed the Lyon Phonetic System, a
manual phonetic finger alphabet representing the sounds of speech, which

was unveiled in 1891 before what is now known as the Alexander Graham
Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing; and

 WHEREAS, Today, the Rochester School for the Deaf serves students
from a 21-county region of New York State and provides comprehensive
educational services for deaf and hard-of-hearing children from birth
through age 21, including an Early Childhood Center, K-12 Regents-level
academic instruction, residential life programming, athletics, and
family support services; and

 WHEREAS, Committed to academic excellence and accessibility, the
Rochester School for the Deaf provides bilingual instruction in both
American Sign Language and English, maintains an approximate
student-to-teacher ratio of 5:1, and serves a diverse student body
representing a broad spectrum of racial and ethnic backgrounds; and

 WHEREAS, Through programs such as Signs for All, the school extends
its mission beyond the classroom by offering American Sign Language
instruction and outreach opportunities to families and members of the
broader community; and

 WHEREAS, The school's sesquicentennial celebration will include an
Anniversary Gala on Satu