Sophia Alcorn
Encyclopedia
Sophia Kindrick Alcorn an educator at was best known for inventing the Tadoma
method of communication with people who are deaf and blind. She was a strong advocate for the rights of people with disabilities and upon retiring from her long career in teaching, she worked with the American Foundation for the Blind.
, on August 3, 1883. Annie Alcorn was the eldest of her siblings, marrying in November 1899 James N. Saunders who practiced law in her father's office. Her only brother, Kindrick Sommers Alcorn (1880–1966) graduated from Stanford Male Academy and then nearby Centre College
, getting his law degree from the University of Virginia
. He practiced law with his father and became a popular circuit judge from the 1930s-50s.
Alcorn attended Ward Seminary (now Belmont University
) in Nashville, Tennessee
and then went on to receive training in teaching the deaf at Clark School in Northhampton, Massachusetts. She earned her M.A.
degree from Wayne University in Detroit, Michigan
. There she assisted in training teachers and served as a principal in the deaf school system.
to teach for one year at the North Carolina School for the Deaf
(1908–09), then returned to Kentucky, teaching at the Kentucky School for the Deaf
in Danville, Kentucky
. The Kentucky School for the Deaf is the oldest state-supported school of its type in the U.S. and was the first school for the deaf west of the Alleghenies
. Alcorn taught there from 1909–1920, and it was here that she first developed the Tadoma
method.
In November 1910 the eight year old Oma Simpson came to the school. Oma had been deaf since birth and meningitis at age two had left her totally blind. She was the school's first deafblind student and was assigned to the charge of "Miss Sophie." Alcorn realized that the manual alphabet would not work and she started to teach her oral speech instead. Adopting the methods of the famous Anne Sullivan
, teacher and life-long companion to Helen Keller
, Alcorn invented a system of touch on the cheek and neck to allow the child to imitate how to speak words. She taught Oma for ten years, working on U.S. history, geography and mathematics—as well as knitting, weaving and touch-typing. Oma was the first deafblind person in the world to be educated orally.
When the Simpson family left Kentucky, Alcorn moved with them to answer the plea of the father of a deafblind boy, Winthrop (Tad) Chapman. She began teaching at the South Dakota School for the Deaf and worked with Tad for four years, perfecting her system of what she called the Tadoma Tactile-Sense Method. She pioneered a system of visual symbols, first using pipe cleaners to easily create the shapes. She named her method Tadoma after these two children: Tad and Oma. (See more on Tad Chapman at his granddaughter's blog.)
Alcorn had trained a colleague at the South Dakota school, Inis B. Hall, on the Tadoma method. Hall took over the education of Tad Chapman when Alcorn left for Detroit to research the use of vibration techniques in teaching language and speech to sighted deaf children. When Chapman was accepted in 1931 to attend the Perkins School for the Blind
in Massachusetts, Hall accompanied him and introduced Alcorn's Tadoma system to the teachers there. Until the mid-1950s Tadoma was the preferred method of teaching oral speech to children who were deafblind.
After Alcorn left the South Dakota School for the Deaf, she taught at the Day School in Des Moines, Iowa (1925-25). She also taught at the Oral School in Cincinnati from 1927-29. In 1930, she taught at the New Jersey School for the Deaf, and then moved to Detroit to work at the School for the Deaf where she stayed until she retired in 1953. In Detroit she served as teacher and supervising principal.
When she retired, Alcorn returned to Stanford where she became a member of the Stanford Woman's Club and served as the first woman elder in the Stanford Presbyterian Church. The critical need for trained teachers drew Alcorn to begin work with the American Foundation for the Blind
(AFB). Founded in 1921, this foundation was greatly supported and publicized throughout the 1920s by Keller and Sullivan Macy. The Tadoma method required extensive training and highly skilled educators. In order to accommodate a greater diversity of teachers, the schools began supplementing the Tadoma method with the manual alphabet and sign language.
That year, in 1953, the American Foundation for the Blind and the Perkins School co-sponsored the first conference on education of the deafblind. Alcorn worked actively with the AFB until her death on November 28, 1967. She was buried at the Buffalo Spring Cemetery in Stanford. Alcorn died only one year before Helen Keller.
Tadoma
Tadoma is a method of communication used by deafblind individuals, in which the deafblind person places their thumb on the speaker's lips and their fingers along the jawline. The middle three fingers often fall along the speaker's cheeks with the little finger picking up the vibrations of the...
method of communication with people who are deaf and blind. She was a strong advocate for the rights of people with disabilities and upon retiring from her long career in teaching, she worked with the American Foundation for the Blind.
Background
Sophia Kindrick Alcorn was born the youngest of seven children of James Walker and Sophie Ann (Kindrick) Alcorn in Stanford, KentuckyStanford, Kentucky
Stanford is a city in Lincoln County, Kentucky, United States. It is one of the oldest settlements in Kentucky, having been founded in 1775. Its population was 3,430 at the 2000 census...
, on August 3, 1883. Annie Alcorn was the eldest of her siblings, marrying in November 1899 James N. Saunders who practiced law in her father's office. Her only brother, Kindrick Sommers Alcorn (1880–1966) graduated from Stanford Male Academy and then nearby Centre College
Centre College
Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky, USA, a community of approximately 16,000 in Boyle County south of Lexington, KY. Centre is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution. Centre was founded by Presbyterian leaders, with whom it maintains a loose...
, getting his law degree from the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
. He practiced law with his father and became a popular circuit judge from the 1930s-50s.
Alcorn attended Ward Seminary (now Belmont University
Belmont University
Belmont University is a private, coeducational, liberal arts university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. It is the largest Christian university in Tennessee and the second largest private university in the state, behind nearby Vanderbilt University.-Belmont Mansion:Belmont Mansion...
) in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
and then went on to receive training in teaching the deaf at Clark School in Northhampton, Massachusetts. She earned her M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree from Wayne University in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. There she assisted in training teachers and served as a principal in the deaf school system.
Career in Education of the Deaf
Alcorn moved to Morganton, North CarolinaMorganton, North Carolina
Morganton is a city in Burke County, North Carolina, United States. Reader's Digest included Morganton in its list of top ten places to raise a family. The town was recently profiled in The 50 Best Small Southern Towns. The population was 17,310 at the 2000 census...
to teach for one year at the North Carolina School for the Deaf
North Carolina School for the Deaf
The North Carolina School for the Deaf is a state-supported residential school for deaf children established in 1894, in Morganton, North Carolina, USA.- History :...
(1908–09), then returned to Kentucky, teaching at the Kentucky School for the Deaf
Kentucky School for the Deaf
The Kentucky School for the Deaf , located in Danville, Kentucky, provides education to deaf and hard-of-hearing children from elementary through high school levels.-History:...
in Danville, Kentucky
Danville, Kentucky
Danville is a city in and the county seat of Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 16,218 at the 2010 census.Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Boyle and Lincoln counties....
. The Kentucky School for the Deaf is the oldest state-supported school of its type in the U.S. and was the first school for the deaf west of the Alleghenies
Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...
. Alcorn taught there from 1909–1920, and it was here that she first developed the Tadoma
Tadoma
Tadoma is a method of communication used by deafblind individuals, in which the deafblind person places their thumb on the speaker's lips and their fingers along the jawline. The middle three fingers often fall along the speaker's cheeks with the little finger picking up the vibrations of the...
method.
In November 1910 the eight year old Oma Simpson came to the school. Oma had been deaf since birth and meningitis at age two had left her totally blind. She was the school's first deafblind student and was assigned to the charge of "Miss Sophie." Alcorn realized that the manual alphabet would not work and she started to teach her oral speech instead. Adopting the methods of the famous Anne Sullivan
Anne Sullivan
Johanna "Anne" Mansfield Sullivan Macy , also known as Annie Sullivan, was an American teacher best known as the instructor and companion of Helen Keller.-Early life:Sullivan was born on April 14, 1866 in Feeding Hills, Massachusetts...
, teacher and life-long companion to Helen Keller
Helen Keller
Helen Adams Keller was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree....
, Alcorn invented a system of touch on the cheek and neck to allow the child to imitate how to speak words. She taught Oma for ten years, working on U.S. history, geography and mathematics—as well as knitting, weaving and touch-typing. Oma was the first deafblind person in the world to be educated orally.
When the Simpson family left Kentucky, Alcorn moved with them to answer the plea of the father of a deafblind boy, Winthrop (Tad) Chapman. She began teaching at the South Dakota School for the Deaf and worked with Tad for four years, perfecting her system of what she called the Tadoma Tactile-Sense Method. She pioneered a system of visual symbols, first using pipe cleaners to easily create the shapes. She named her method Tadoma after these two children: Tad and Oma. (See more on Tad Chapman at his granddaughter's blog.)
Alcorn had trained a colleague at the South Dakota school, Inis B. Hall, on the Tadoma method. Hall took over the education of Tad Chapman when Alcorn left for Detroit to research the use of vibration techniques in teaching language and speech to sighted deaf children. When Chapman was accepted in 1931 to attend the Perkins School for the Blind
Perkins School for the Blind
Perkins School for the Blind, located in Watertown, Massachusetts, is the oldest schools for the blind in the United States. It has also been known as the Perkins Institution for the Blind.-History:...
in Massachusetts, Hall accompanied him and introduced Alcorn's Tadoma system to the teachers there. Until the mid-1950s Tadoma was the preferred method of teaching oral speech to children who were deafblind.
After Alcorn left the South Dakota School for the Deaf, she taught at the Day School in Des Moines, Iowa (1925-25). She also taught at the Oral School in Cincinnati from 1927-29. In 1930, she taught at the New Jersey School for the Deaf, and then moved to Detroit to work at the School for the Deaf where she stayed until she retired in 1953. In Detroit she served as teacher and supervising principal.
When she retired, Alcorn returned to Stanford where she became a member of the Stanford Woman's Club and served as the first woman elder in the Stanford Presbyterian Church. The critical need for trained teachers drew Alcorn to begin work with the American Foundation for the Blind
American Foundation for the Blind
The American Foundation for the Blind is an American non-profit organization that expands possibilities for people with vision loss. AFB's priorities include broadening access to technology; elevating the quality of information and tools for the professionals who serve people with vision loss; and...
(AFB). Founded in 1921, this foundation was greatly supported and publicized throughout the 1920s by Keller and Sullivan Macy. The Tadoma method required extensive training and highly skilled educators. In order to accommodate a greater diversity of teachers, the schools began supplementing the Tadoma method with the manual alphabet and sign language.
That year, in 1953, the American Foundation for the Blind and the Perkins School co-sponsored the first conference on education of the deafblind. Alcorn worked actively with the AFB until her death on November 28, 1967. She was buried at the Buffalo Spring Cemetery in Stanford. Alcorn died only one year before Helen Keller.
See also
- TadomaTadomaTadoma is a method of communication used by deafblind individuals, in which the deafblind person places their thumb on the speaker's lips and their fingers along the jawline. The middle three fingers often fall along the speaker's cheeks with the little finger picking up the vibrations of the...
- Helen KellerHelen KellerHelen Adams Keller was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree....
- Anne Sullivan Macy