Levi Strong Backus
Deaf Teachers Abroad
Levi Strong Backus grew up in the same town as deaf silversmith Sylvester Gilbert. Born deaf, Backus attended the American School for the Deaf as part of the first class in 1817 when he was 14 years old. After graduation, he taught at the newly formed Central Asylum School for the Deaf and Dumb in Canajoharie, NY. Backus married his former pupil, Anna Raymond Ormsby.
The Central Asylum closed in 1836 and the students transferred to the New York School for the Deaf. Backus bought the newspaperThe Radii, becoming the nation’s first deaf editor and adding finger spelling to the newspaper’s title. It covered the local and national news in addition to topics regarding the Deaf Community.Credits and Sources:
Photo courtesy of:
Online hotcake Encyclopedia.
