The American School for the Deaf broke ground Monday on a first-of-its-kind development to support deaf and hard-of-hearing students with emotional and behavioral challenges.
Two soon-to-be constructed dormitories will expand access to ASD’s PACES Program — one of just two programs in the U.S. that provide residential treatment to children with behavioral and emotional needs who are also deaf, hard-of-hearing, or nonverbal.
Founded in 1982, the PACES program operates 24/7 year-round to provide students between the ages of 6 and 22 with individualized therapeutic support, treatment and education. The goal is to create a space where children can thrive.
The new $14 million dorm project builds on this mission.
“We have achieved our vision. Our future for ASD is now a reality with this project,” ASD Executive Director Jeff Bravin said. “These two buildings will be game changers for us.”
Each building will follow a three-pod concept that splits students into communities based on gender, age and need. The single-floor dorms will include sensory rooms for students on the autism spectrum and life-skills centers. The physical design will also enhance communication and supervision by maximizing visibility.
Bravin said such a concept “has never been seen anywhere else in the country.”
“In the deaf culture, we rely heavily on our vision and open sight lines, and so the open design concept in these dorms will allow us to appropriately supervise our students moving forward,” Bravin said. “It will also be bright with plenty of light and windows to allow for open communication and visible access to siding in those spaces.”
Complete with kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms, the dorms are intended to prepare students for life after graduation, when Bravin said most students will move on to either a group home or independent living.
“We need to do right by our students. And we need to set the bar high and be the example so that they have a place that they can live and learn so that when they go out into the community, they’ll be able to adjust to those environments,” Bravin said.
Once construction is complete, Bravin said the new dorms will house 50 students — bumping overall enrollment in the PACES program up to 70.
“The demand for students to come to this kind of program is huge,” Bravin said. “Our wait list is long. I wish that I would be able to serve more students, but I do have to think of the health and safety and the environment for our students here.”
Jordan Gatch, an ASD junior from Wisconsin, said he is excited for the new dorms.
Like many of his peers, Gatch said ASD has opened doors to inclusion that would not be possible in traditional settings.
“I went to a school that’s a mainstream public school and then when I moved to American School for the Deaf, I had full access to communication,” Gatch said. “I had sports, which I loved, but I was able to communicate with everyone and my teachers are deaf, so my access was complete.”
At the groundbreaking ceremony, Bravin suggested that Gatch, who is interested in pursuing a career in construction, grab a hard hat and join the construction team to better understand how the project moves along.
Construction is set to finish at the end of October 2024, but Bravin said he is hopeful construction may move quickly enough to open the dorms in time for the 2024-2025 school year.
Bravin said that the project would not be possible without support from ASD’s local and legislative partners, M&T Bank and the Connecticut Health and Educational Facilities Authority, which helped ASD obtain low-interest financing for the project.
“We’re really honored to have the opportunity to work with the school and to assist them in this important endeavor,” CHEFA Executive Director Jeanette Weldon said.
West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor said she was extremely proud “of the American School for the Deaf, CHEFA and all of the designers and thought leaders for this project to serve the most vulnerable students in our country.”
ASD Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Pizzoferrato, who was at the helm of turning ASD’s vision into reality, said she is excited to see what the team will accomplish.
“Today’s about the kids,” Pizzoferrato said. “It’s really going to give them what they need to thrive.”
