Hawai'i Deaf History

Hawaiʻi has a rich Deaf history shaped by Deaf people, educators, families, advocates, and communities across the islands. We are working to gather and share stories, historical records, and information about Deaf life, education, culture, and advocacy in Hawaiʻi.

1800s: Early Community & Indigenous Roots — Long before formal schooling, Deaf native Hawaiians communicated using an indigenous gestural and signing system unique to the islands. Early accounts by western visitors documented a rich local signing community that predated the arrival of modern American Sign Language (ASL).

1914: The Founding School — Schoolteacher Gertrude A. Mason established the first public class for Deaf children in a small cottage on Waikiki Beach, which laid the foundation for formal Deaf education in the islands.

https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/items/ce127416-1e17-4787-9b44-4c7e336ae00c

1923: Establishment of HSDB — The program expanded and officially became the Hawaiʻi School for the Deaf and the Blind (HSDB) (originally the Territorial School) at its permanent home on Leahi Avenue in Honolulu.

1950 — "Hawai'i Chapter of the Deaf" was organized in 1950 as a self-advocacy group affiliated with the National Association of the Deaf (NAD). The chapter was managed by a four-person executive board consisting of President: Duane Wright, Vice President: Hershel Mouton, Secretary: Georgia Mouton, and Treasurer: Charles Tanaka

1971: The Birth of ASAD — The Aloha State Association of the Deaf was formally established to give Hawaii's Deaf community a unified political voice, advocate for interpreter access, and preserve local Deaf culture. 

2013: Linguistic Recognition — Researchers formally documented HSL as a distinct, independent language, bringing international attention to Hawaii's unique Deaf heritage.

The history of the Hawaiʻi School for the Deaf and the Blind (HSDB) is closely connected to the history of Deaf education and the Deaf community in Hawaiʻi. Over more than a century, the school has changed its name, location, leadership, and educational approach. Through all of these changes, generations of Deaf students have built friendships, community, language, and identity.

1914 | The School Begins

The school was established in 1914 as the School for Defectives, beginning with only five students. It was established to provide education for children who were deaf or blind.

1918 | Hoʻolana

In 1918, the school was renamed Hoʻolana and moved to the Cecil C. Brown Estate. As students came from throughout the Hawaiian Islands, the school became an important residential community for children who could not attend a school for Deaf students near their homes.

Early Years | Oral Education and Sign Language

During its early years, the school followed an oral education philosophy. Deaf students were expected to develop speech and lipreading skills, while sign language was discouraged in the classroom. Outside the classroom, however, Deaf students continued to communicate with one another. Students developed and shared signs that went against the teachers' and the school's rules. This history is an important part of the story of Hawaiʻi Sign Language (HSL) and the Deaf community in Hawaiʻi.

1921 | Territorial School for the Deaf and the Blind

In 1921, the school became the Territorial School for the Deaf and the Blind. Additional dormitories were built during the 1920s to accommodate students from the Neighbor Islands. For many students, the residential school became much more than a place for education. It was a place to form friendships, communicate freely, and build the Deaf community.

1949 | Diamond Head School for the Deaf and the Blind

In 1949, the school was renamed the Diamond Head School for the Deaf and the Blind. The school eventually moved to its present area near Diamond Head on Leʻahi Avenue.

1960s | Campus Improvements

During the 1960s, older wooden buildings were replaced or upgraded with more permanent concrete facilities. These buildings became part of the campus that generations of Deaf students would know as their school and community home.

1969 | Hawaiʻi School for the Deaf and the Blind

On September 2, 1969, the school officially became the Hawaiʻi School for the Deaf and the Blind. Although the name continued to include both Deaf and Blind students, services for Blind students increasingly shifted into programs within the larger public school system. HSDB continued to serve as Hawaiʻi's primary school for Deaf students.

1980s | A Difficult Period

By the 1980s, enrollment at the school had fallen to a very small number of students. The school faced questions about its future and how Deaf children in Hawaiʻi should be educated.

1989 | A Turning Point

In 1989, Dr. Jane Kelleher Fernandes became principal. During this period, the school moved toward a bilingual approach, recognizing American Sign Language (ASL) as an important language for Deaf students alongside English. The school also increased opportunities for Deaf adults and Deaf role models to work with students. These changes helped strengthen the Deaf environment at HSDB and contributed to increased enrollment.

1995 | Hawaiʻi Center for the Deaf and the Blind

In response to the Deaf and Blind community, the school changed its name in 1995 to the Hawaiʻi Center for the Deaf and the Blind. The name would change again as the school continued to evolve.

2009 | Hawaiʻi School for the Deaf and the Blind

On July 1, 2009, the school returned to one of its historic names: Hawaiʻi School for the Deaf and the Blind. The campus also underwent improvements, including the construction of a new elevator between the dormitories and a new playground.

2016 | Deaf Leadership

In 2016, Dr. Ángel Ramos became the first Deaf male principal of HSDB. His appointment marked an important moment in the school's history. It reflected the growing importance of Deaf leadership in Deaf education.

2021 | Jamia Green Becomes Principal

Jamia Green became principal of HSDB in 2021 after moving to Hawaiʻi from the mainland with her family. She brought extensive experience in Deaf education and school leadership to the position. Her tenure as principal coincided with a period of significant change at HSDB. In 2022, Dr. Ángel Ramos was reinstated as principal following a dispute over his reassignment. The change affected the school's leadership and Green's position at HSDB.

2022–2026 | Continued Leadership Under Ángel Ramos

Following his reinstatement, Dr. Ángel Ramos returned to the position of principal and continued to lead HSDB. During this period, HSDB continued developing its bilingual-bicultural educational approach, with ASL and English serving as languages of instruction and communication. The school also continued to serve Deaf and Hard of Hearing students from across Hawaiʻi, including those from the Neighbor Islands.

2026 | Jamia Green Returns

After Dr. Ángel Ramos announced his retirement, Jamia Green returned to HSDB as principal. Her first day back on campus was August 31, 2026. Her return came through a new selection process. Green went through the interview process again, this time with a different interview committee, which recommended her for the  position. After serving as principal, she was selected to return to the same leadership role several years later. Her return marks an interesting full-circle moment in HSDB history. Green previously served as the school's principal and now returns to lead the HSDB community. HSDB describes Green as bringing decades of experience in Deaf education and school leadership. Her return continues the school's history of Deaf education leadership and its commitment to serving students through an ASL-English bilingual environment.

Today | Continuing the Legacy

Today, HSDB serves Deaf and Hard of Hearing students from across Hawaiʻi as an ASL-English bilingual school. Students receive direct instruction in ASL, and the school emphasizes communication, independence, academics, and connection to Deaf culture.

The history of HSDB is more than a list of names, buildings, and dates. It is the story of generations of Deaf students who built community, maintained language, and helped shape Deaf education in Hawaiʻi.

From the early days of students signing with one another outside the classroom to today's bilingual-bicultural environment, the story of HSDB is also part of the larger story of Hawaiʻi's Deaf community.

And that story continues.

Edwin Inn: A Chinese-Hawaiian Deaf community leader who attended the Territorial School for the Deaf and Blind in the 1920s and 1930s. He later became an instructor and Deaf club leader, helping connect and support younger Deaf people in Hawaiʻi.

Dorothy Sueoka Casterline: A graduate of the Hawaiʻi School for the Deaf and the Blind, Dorothy Sueoka Casterline became the first Native Hawaiian student to earn a degree from Gallaudet. She worked with William Stokoe and Carl Croneberg on early linguistic research documenting American Sign Language, contributing to the groundbreaking A Dictionary of American Sign Language on Linguistic Principles, published in 1965.  In 2022, Gallaudet University awarded Casterline an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in recognition of her contributions to ASL research and Deaf history.

Linda Y. Lambrecht: A Deaf educator and longtime community leader born and raised in Hawaiʻi. She taught sign language for decades, including at Kapiʻolani Community College, and served in leadership roles with several Deaf organizations and community groups. She has also worked to preserve and document the history and experiences of Deaf people in Hawaiʻi.

Mikey K. Tomita: A Deaf advocate, counselor, educator, and community leader who returned to Hawaiʻi after graduating from Gallaudet University in 1976. He worked with vocational rehabilitation, the Hawaiʻi School for the Deaf and Blind, Maui Center for Independent Living, and adult education. He also served on state and Maui advisory councils representing the Deaf community.

Georgia Ellen Morikawa (1929–2001): A longtime leader and advocate for Hawaiʻi’s Deaf community, Georgia moved to Honolulu in 1948 and served as Executive Director of the Aloha State Association of the Deaf. She worked to improve communication access and services for Deaf people, including efforts to establish TTY directory services. Her vision for a permanent community resource helped inspire the Georgia E. Morikawa (GEM) Center, which continues her legacy of service.

Yvette I. Ibarra-Keohuloa: A Deaf Native Hawaiian community advocate and descendant of Kameʻeiamoku and Kamanawa, trusted advisors to King Kamehameha I. She shares Hawaiian genealogy, stories, culture, and Deaf community experiences and advocates for greater recognition of Deaf history in Hawaiʻi.

Ed Chevy: A longtime Deaf community leader, educator, artist, and advocate who has dedicated decades to supporting Hawaiʻi’s Deaf community. Raised in a multigenerational Deaf family, he has worked in education, the arts, advocacy, and community service, including teaching at Kapiʻolani Community College and serving on numerous boards and committees. He has advocated for communication access and Deaf community issues before the Hawaiʻi Legislature and has served on the Disability and Communication Access Board. In 2026, he became the Deaf historian and curator of the UH Mānoa Deaf History Museum, helping preserve and share more than a century of Hawaiʻi’s Deaf history.

Galinda K. Goss-Kuehn: A Deaf community leader, educator, and advocate who has dedicated years to improving communication access and services for Deaf, Deaf-Blind, and Hard of Hearing people in Hawaiʻi. She has taught ASL and led community education programs and served as Chairperson of the Hawaiʻi Deaf and Hard of Hearing Advisory Board. She has also advocated before the Hawaiʻi Legislature on issues affecting communication access, including open captioning in movie theaters.

Maile Paongo (Keamoai-Kane): A Deaf community advocate born and raised in Honolulu who attended the Hawaiʻi School for the Deaf and Blind beginning in 1967. She has shared firsthand accounts of Deaf life and community in Hawaiʻi and has advocated before the Hawaiʻi Legislature for accessibility, communication access, and the rights of Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing people.

Kekai Kaaumoana-Cummings: A Deaf Native Hawaiian educator and community advocate born on Niʻihau and raised on Kauaʻi. He is the first Deaf student to attend Kawaihuelani, the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Center for Hawaiian Language. He founded ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi Kuhi Lima, a community-led project creating hand signs to support access to ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi for Deaf and hearing keiki. He also advocates for communication access for Deaf people, including through testimony before the Hawaiʻi Legislature.