Leaders from the Washington School for the Deaf, the Center of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth and dignitaries from across Washington assembled Thursday afternoon to ceremoniously break ground on the school’s new academic building and gym.

Lauded by staff and students as a pillar of accessibility and comfort for the deaf and hard of hearing in Washington, leaders praised lawmakers for helping the school make its first expansion in decades.

“This is a journey that will shape the future of our deaf and hard of hearing students,” said Shauna Bilyeu, the center’s interim executive director, who speaks using American Sign Language. “More than just a new building, but a celebration of breaking barriers and limitations for the deaf community.”

The project will create a new 35,000-square-foot academic building, a 15,000-square-foot gymnasium, add a new outdoor field and a revamped parking area. It’s expected to be open to students in time for the 2024-2025 school year.

Both facilities have been designed specifically for deaf and hard of hearing occupants, falling under a set of principles known as DeafSpace. The designs include widened hallways with alcoves off to the side to accommodate conversations in American Sign Language, rounded corners and more. Leaders from Skanska-Mithun, which is behind construction of the new facilities, said the project helped open their eyes to how buildings can best facilitate the community they will eventually serve.

“This is a very special place, and designing a DeafSpace has been a specific process … it’s about developing ownership of this space,” said Robert Sirvage, a DeafSpace consultant for Skanska-Mithun. “It all begins with comfort.”

A space for Vancouver and beyond

Wes Henson, the chair of the center’s board of trustees, took a moment in his speech to reflect on how the School for the Deaf is a blessing for families not just in Vancouver, but throughout the region.

“Some school districts are unable to provide adequate services, so parents ultimately flock from all over the county and state to bring their kids here every week,” said Henson, a parent of a deaf child himself. “It’s a massive sacrifice that pinches all those involved.”

The state’s investment into an expansion of the school and center, he said, is a message that this place is a valuable resource for the Pacific Northwest as a whole.

“When we know what families have gone through to be here, we need to make sure they get the absolute best.”

The groundbreaking also featured a ceremonial burying of a time capsule, which was filled with newsletters, class photos and 2023 timepieces hand-picked by students to be unearthed in 2104: 80 years after the building is opened.

“The (Washington School for the Deaf) is the only place in Washington that we have full access to everything we need,” said Dana Miles, a teacher at the school who was also named Washington’s 2023 teacher of the year. “Through ASL we create many friendships, connections and memories.”

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