Mission
St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf is committed to listening and spoken language education, spiritual and emotional growth, and personal development of children and young adults who are deaf or hard of hearing, without discrimination, reflecting the values and traditions of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet.
History
1837
The Sisters of St Joseph opened the first school for the deaf west of the Mississippi River in Carondelet, MO. In its first year, it served 4 children with hearing loss.
1894
The Ephpheta Society was founded to benefit children with hearing loss
1934
SJI formally embraced the oral method fully at its new location at 82nd Blvd. in University City, MO.
1970s
Rubella outbreaks among pregnant women, increasing numbers of children who are born deaf and filling SJI’s dorms with kids.
1981
St. Joseph Institute opened the Molloy Family Center to serve infants and children with hearing loss through early intervention, as newborn screening became available.
circa 1985
Larry LeGrand became the first lay Board Chair, assuming the gavel from the CSJs.
1990
Cochlear Implants were approved for children. SJI devised a cochlear implant-based curriculum. Available for children with the new technology, this curriculum included practices now established in deaf education, such as half-hour individual speech and listening sessions for every child in the school and the hiring of SLP’s for speech sessions.
1997
SJI moves its campus to Clarkson Road.
2001
SJI opens an additional campus in Indianapolis to offer early intervention services. The preschool program would open in 2002, and mainstream outreach services began in 2005.
2006
SJI—Indianapolis moved to its current facility.
2009
SJI piloted iHear. Following the success of the pilot, services are offered full time.
2010
SJI—Indianapolis joined the State Wide Referral Network under First Steps, which then transferred to the CDHHE (Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education) network in 2013.
2014
SJI transitioned its academic program, moving its St. Louis location to Brentwood. SJI Headquarters moved to Indianapolis.
2018
SJI—St. Louis opened a preschool for children with additional disabilities
