An exemplar of the history of disability and an innovative work that pushes it in a new direction. -- Journal of Social HistoryA concise yet thorough and accessible history of the deaf community, its schools, and its long struggle to maintain a cohesive community...sometimes against formidable odds. it shows quite clearly, sometimes inspiringly so, that deafness is not a curse.Using original sources, this unique book focuses on the Deaf community during the nineteenth century. Largely through schools for the deaf, deaf people began to develop a common language and a sense of community.A Place of Their Own brings the perspective of history to bear on the reality of deafness and provides fresh and important insight into the lives of deaf Americans.