Beverly School for the Deaf (BSD) serves students ages 3-22 who are Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing and/or have cochlear implants by providing language that is visually accessible.  At BSD our educational philosophy embraces a model based on best practices and current research within Deaf education.  Communication comes first, and language skills are systematically targeted throughout each day in order to build a foundation for the development of literacy.  Beverly School for the Deaf is committed to helping children with hearing loss maximize his/her potential and become independent communicators.

BSD specializes in meeting the needs of all Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing students by providing access to language and information in a safe and supportive learning environment. The philosophy at BSD is based on the Center for ASL/English Bilingual Education and Research (CAEBER), in collaboration with the Gallaudet Leadership Institute for Deaf education.  This approach enables the development of linguistic competencies in both ASL and English by supporting reading and writing English, speaking, listening, lip-reading and mouthing, and also developing skills in expressive and receptive ASL.

BSD's therapeutic environment is highly supportive and educates students with hearing loss who may present with other developmental, physical, or cognitive needs.  We are committed to working collaboratively with parents to meet our students' needs.  Each child's individual educational programming team determines the necessary supplemental services including consultation, individual and/or group treatment by BSD physical, occupational, and speech therapists, as well as educational audiologist, behavior specialist and school psychologist.

Academic Program

The academic program includes preschool, elementary, middle, and high school aged children.  Each child is provided with a challenging, stimulating and language-rich program using ASL, spoken English and print.  Communication skills are integrated into all academic and social situations and learning occurs from a whole language approach. A full range of academic subjects, goals and concepts are aligned with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks are presented through structured teaching of integrated thematic units and specialized curricula.  Concepts are taught through a model that uses preview, view, review for learning.  Both small group and 1-1 instruction are provided through a combination of teacher presentations, experiential activities, technology and printed material.  Each classroom is equipped with touch screen computers and access to Smart Boards.  

The Adapted Academic Program

The Adapted Academic Program includes preschool, elementary, middle, and high school aged children who, in addition to being Deaf, have a cognitive delay or developmental disability.  Communication skills are integrated throughout all academic and social situations throughout the day and each student is held to high individual standards.  Educational staff work closely with highly trained therapists to become familiar with a child's physical, occupational, or speech/language needs to carry over and continue developing skills within the classroom.  The academic program is modified as needed, and augmented with additional activities to develop functional language, social pragmatics and independent living skills.  At age 14, a Transition Plan is developed as part of each student's IEP.  Students are given vocational opportunities on our full campus and in the community to practice appropriate work and independent living skills.  Vocational experiences frequently lead to paid work and long-term placements. 

Deaf students in both of the above programs participate in Deaf Studies and also receive direct instruction in ASL.  ASL specialists provide additional support on a 1:1 or small group basis to work on expressive and receptive ASL.  Deaf faculty/staff on campus serves as consistent role models for the students as they learn more about themselves and their identities as Deaf individuals.  Students learn to feel proud to be Deaf as they are taught about their history, culture, and language in a positive and supportive environment.  Deaf role models from the community frequently visit the campus to provide students with additional opportunities to gain knowledge of their culture as well as learn about career opportunities.   

For more information contact the Director of Education, Jeanne Farwell at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it