Published to commemorate Gallaudet University's 150th anniversary, this book traces the historic path that Gallaudet traveled to become the finest institution of higher education for deaf people throughout the world. In the same way that the country's land-grant universities brought higher education to more American students than ever before, Gallaudet offered the same opportunities to deaf students for the first time. Featuring more than 250 photographs and illustrations, this volume also details poignantly the evolution of American Sign Language as a language of scholarship at Gallaudet during a time when its use in educational institutions was largely discouraged or prohibited.