Alice Cogswell, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetAlice Cogswell
The first student of an official deaf school in the United States of America
Date of Birth: 31-Aug-1805
Place of Birth: Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Date of Death: 30-Dec-1830
Profession: student
Nationality: United States
Zodiac Sign: Virgo 
About Alice Cogswell
- Alice Cogswell (August 31, 1805 – December 30, 1830) was the inspiration to Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet for the creation of the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut. At the age of two, Alice became ill with "spotted fever" (cerebral-spinal meningitis).
- This illness took her hearing and later she lost her speech as well.
- At the time, deafness was viewed as equivalent to a mental illness, and it was widely believed that the deaf could not be taught.
- Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet moved into the house next door to hers when she was nine years old.
- He soon noticed that she wasn't interacting with the other children, and when he asked why, he was informed that she was deaf.
- Intrigued, he decided to teach her to communicate through pictures and writing letters in the dirt.
- He and Alice's father, Dr.
- Mason Cogswell, decided that a formal school would be best for her, but no such school existed in the United States.
- Gallaudet went to Europe for 15 months, bringing Laurent Clerc back with him upon his return.
- During the time of his absence, Alice attended a hearing school and somewhat furthered her education, though the situation was not ideal.
- She was very lively, and enjoyed reading, sewing, and dancing.
- She was reportedly very good at mimicking others, and was fascinated by the concept of music.Alice Cogswell and six other deaf students entered the school that would become the American School for the Deaf in April 1817. Cogswell died at the age of twenty-five on December 30, 1830, twenty days after the death of her father.
Read more at Wikipedia