The NSD was founded in 1869 by a
deaf man named William DeCoursey French on in
North Omaha. NSD was long a site for educational innovation. In 1893 the school's superintendent was cited for his commitment to encouraging teachers to use innovative techniques for classroom teaching, including gender integration and age-level isolation. The Nebraska School for the Deaf basketball team was the first deaf school to have won an all-classes state championship in 1931, defeating teams from hearing schools to win the title. The team was coached by Nick Petersen, a graduate of the school.
American Sign Language controversy In 1911 the school was the target of the
Nebraska Legislature, which passed a bill that year that banned the use of
American Sign Language at the school after intensive lobbying for the ban by the
National Education Association and
Alexander Graham Bell. Bell bankrolled the activities of an organization called the
American Association to Promote the Teaching of Speech to the Deaf during this period. Using a rationalization that cited successes of the integrated style of combined signing and speech used in instruction at
Gallaudet University, state legislators faced immediate opposition from students and alumni who argued for an identical system at NSD. After four years and several attempts to repeal Nebraska's law, there was no change, and the rule remained in force. Today this case is viewed as a rallying point for the deaf community in the
United States.
Later years In the 1970s, George Propp, a school faculty member, examined the spending practices of the school and predicted the school's coming financial difficulties. Discussing the current concepts of
deaf education, Propp stated that deaf schools "will require a massive application of the resources that exist, as well as the development of technology that lies beyond our present dreams". In 1985 there was a proposal to merge this school with the
Nebraska School for the Visually Handicapped. In the 1990s the school was the location of an innovative program that engaged high school students as
storytellers with primary grade students at the school. The younger children became more involved with literature and the older students learned to select appropriate stories, prepare for storytelling, and select the appropriate communication mode.
Closure Starting in 1984, state authorities at the
Nebraska Department of Education attempted to close the NSD. The state was the target of much criticism from Nebraska's Deaf community, including a historic rally in which members of local, regional and national Deaf advocacy organizations descended on the
Omaha Association of the Deaf Hall to devise strategies for keeping the school open. After the 1997-98 school year the NSD closed due to diminishing enrollment and increasing per-student costs. That year, the school had fewer than 40 students enrolled. The State of Nebraska has since established regional programs providing services once conducted by the school. The state also helps local school districts pay tuition and residential costs at nearby states’ schools for the deaf for students who require a residential program according.
Iowa School for the Deaf since 1998 admits deaf students from Nebraska. ==Campus==