Reports of sexual abuse at American school for the deaf

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An investigation has revealed multiple credible accusations of sexual abuse by former faculty and staff spanning two decades at the American school for the deaf in West Hartford,CT. (ASFD also accepts autistic students as well).

The ASFD in West Hartford released the findings one year after it says they learned of the accusations from alumni.

The school says it was able to corroborate the accusations of sexual misconduct against several former and current staff members,including a long time executive director who is accused of abuse decades ago.

Nearly 40 alumni reported corporal punishment and physical abuse by the school from the 60's through to the 80's,students were slapped,punched,struck with belts and put in straight jackets.

The school says all allegations have been reported to the proper authorities,all former offending faculty have been fired and reported to the authorities,and plaques recognizing them have been removed.

This is very sad,as a taxi driver many years ago I transported both deaf and autistic children to and from the American school for the deaf,I find this deeply disturbing.This institution has always had a good reputation and these accusations are shocking.

I hope those deserving are punished and I hope the ASFD can turn over a new leaf,it is a beautiful campus in the suburbs of Hartford and seems very classy on the outside and I am sad what was going on inside was so bad.

necn.com New England Cable news

It’s always heartbreaking to hear that an institution set up to protect and help the vulnerable is treating them so badly.

If you could only see what a beautiful campus it is,it's doubly shocking that such things were going on,the campus and it's neighborhood is what you English would call posh.It had a great reputation as well,now all that's shattered,it will likely go bankrupt.

^ which if so is an additional sadness: that the institution won’t be turned around by better hiring policies, better staff, and improved effective safeguarding.

I hope they change and improve hiring practices ASFD has also done a lot of good for deaf and autistic people,but most parents will read about this and not want to send there children there.

Harvey Weinstein isn't getting anymore directing gigs is he and people who knew and were friends with Jeffrey Epstein are rogues and outcasts.When a school admitts that these things happened it's very hard to ever win back trust.There was a bording school in the Berkshires in Massachusetts (I forget the name) that was found to have abused students and there out of business forever.

If this was a state run institution it would be different,they would just find new administration and move on,but this is a private school parents pay for,or take the public school district to court and make the public school district pay for it,either way someone pays out of pocket,this is not a state funded institution like the Belchertown state school or the Gaebler childrens center,parents choose to send there children to ASFD.

A lot of these type schools were hell on earth in those days and some still are.