Willie Ross School for the Deaf Inc

The Willie Ross School for the Deaf was founded in 1967 by parents who sought to establish an innovative educational program for their child. The focus was on academic excellence and educational achievement.

We are constantly striving to maintain an instructional environment that meets the needs of our students. The Willie Ross School for the Deaf offers an array of instructional environments and communication methods that address the individual needs of each of our students.

In educating a deaf child we recognize that deaf children learn differently than hearing children. WRSD offers a range of instructional settings. We recognize the value of both a center based and integrated campus.  We call this our “Most Enabling Environment℠”.

We encourage you to visit our Longmeadow main campus and our Partnership Campus, embedded in the East Longmeadow public school system, and learn more about our Outreach Division and related service offerings. The communications approaches used by the Willie Ross School for the Deaf, as well as the beliefs of our founding parents, recognize the value and unique needs of each of our students. We offer choices to meet those needs leading to educational success, one child at a time.

This year, Willie Ross will use the funds we raise through Valley Gives to support our afterschool programs.  Afterschool programs give our students the opportunity to enhance language communication and social skills.  Students make new friendships, learn to understand differences, and apply skills learned in the classroom.  For many of our students, there are no peers at home with whom they can communicate.  Our afterschool programs are the only opportunity they have to develop friendships and learn how to get along with others.