ISD Accreditation

Accreditation

ISD is recognized and accredited by the following:

The Illinois School for the Deaf (ISD) was founded in 1839 and is located in the central part of the state in Jacksonville, Illinois. Jacksonville is a rural community with a population of 19,000 people. For the past 177 years, the school has offered residential programming for students who are deaf or hard of hearing and live more than 25 miles from Jacksonville, and day programming for students who live within 25 miles of Jacksonville.

ISD's longevity speaks not just of history but also of a school that is dynamic and evolving so as to provide students who are deaf and hard of hearing with the best and most up-to-date education. ISD offers educational and residential programming for students in grades PK through 12 and a transition program for students ages 18-21. An outreach program for infants and toddlers, aged birth to 3 is also offered.

The students represent a diversity of ethnicity, disabilities (including a broad continuum of degrees of hearing loss and secondary disabilities), socio-economic status, residency status, and educational background. The programming at ISD provides a language and cultural environment that challenges students with curricula designed to fit their needs, faculty and staff trained in deaf education, as well as inclusion with a peer group of students who share similar communication modes.

Residential and day students are encouraged to participate in a wide variety of sports and extracurricular activities that help them become well-rounded and productive adults. Many members of the ISD staff and faculty are deaf or hard of hearing, providing adult role models who are successful in postsecondary endeavors and in overcoming challenges the students will face as adults.