Deaf, Dumb and Blind Institute building, Darlington, May 1939, by Hood, Sam, courtesy of State Library of New South Wales.
Details
The Royal Institution for Deaf and Blind Children was the new name given to the Institution for the Deaf, Dumb and the Blind in 1957, when Queen Elizabeth II conferred the title 'Royal' on the Darlington school and residential facility. The Institution moved to North Rocks in 1962 and the old building was acquired by Sydney University. In 1973 the organisation changed its name to the Royal Institution for Deaf and Blind Children.
By 1959 the directors of the Royal Institution for Deaf and Blind Children were aware that the Darlington premises were no longer suitable. It purchased land at North Rocks and commenced building a complex that was officially opened in 1963.
The Institution partnered with the Department of Education to provide services to deaf-blind children in 1965 and by 1967 a preschool had been established at the North Rocks site. The organisation changed its name to the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children in 1973.
1860 - 1869 Deaf and Dumb Institution
1869 - 1957 New South Wales Institution for the Deaf, Dumb and Blind
1957 - 1973 Royal Institution for Deaf and Blind Children
1973 - Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children
Sources used to compile this entry: 'Our History', in NextSense, NextSense (formerly Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children), 2012, https://www.nextsense.org.au/about/our-history.
Prepared by: Naomi Parry
Created: 12 May 2014, Last modified: 3 July 2018