Date Posted: 09.12.2024
Press Release
VANCOUVER, Wash. – Two years in the making, Deaf and hard of hearing students and staff are stepping into their new, innovative learning and athletic facilities at the Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth’s (CDHY) Washington School for the Deaf. The academic and residential campus is located at 3107 E. Evergreen Boulevard in Vancouver, Washington.
“This expansion means two brand new and much needed spaces for improved learning and for athletics in this unique student environment,” says Shauna Bilyeu, executive director at the CDHY, which is the state agency that oversees the Washington School for the Deaf (WSD). “The design and construction work here has ranged from the use of mass timber, acoustically friendly flooring, important visual improvements with abundant natural lighting, wider-set hallways for active ASL communication and so much other care and concern for the needs of our unique community.” ASL means American Sign Language.
“Today’s ribbon cutting highlights the quality educational opportunities provided by the Washington School for the Deaf,” said Washington Governor Jay Inslee. “We are witnessing how partners in funding, design and construction have modeled this innovative solution for this special needs population. Washington state is proud to support the needs of deaf and hard of hearing youth.”
The student population comprises 120 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, many of whom reside on campus during the school week. “This expansion is particularly suited for our PreK-12 students and brings accessibility for this special population, not only for today but for future generations at this school,” added Bilyeu.
Unique needs for the campus and learning spaces include wider hallways and low-slope stairs so students can walk side-by-side and incorporate both visual orientation and signing, floors that accommodate acoustic vibration which is another way for staff-to-student communication, and extensive use of large windows with low-glare coating to bring in abundant natural lighting without eye strain.
Skanska USA Building and Mithun were selected by the Washington State Department of Enterprise Services and CDHY in 2021 to provide progressive design-build services. Now complete, that collaboration has yielded the new 35,000-square-foot Divine Academic Building, with innovative classrooms and a media center, as well as the 15,000-square-foot purpose-designed Hunter gymnasium. A sensory-focused and accessible playground, a connective, secure walkway between the new buildings, and improved parking round out this phase of work on campus. A new outdoor field will be completed in Spring 2025. The expanded campus opened on September 3rd for the 2024-25 school year.
“Our team is honored to be conversation partners with the Washington School for the Deaf community,” says Mithun partner JoAnn Hindmarsh Wilcox. “Understanding the importance of maintaining Deaf culture, and ensuring students have full access to information, became our collective hearthstone as we worked together to consider every aspect of the Deaf experience and tune the buildings accordingly. Today, ASL-rich learning thrives in spaces designed to facilitate spatial awareness and extend the sensory reach of WSD’s empowered students at every scale.”
Photos courtesy Skanska
The project team included project management by Washington State Department of Enterprise Services (DES), progressive design-build lead and general contractor/construction by Skanska USA Building, and architecture, landscape and interior design by Mithun. Helping to bring DeafSpace Guidelines to the design and construction process were consultants Hansel Bauman and Robert T. Sirvage.
“The Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing project was one we wanted to be a part of because of the positive impact that it would have on the students, their families, staff and the entire community,” said Trevor Wyckoff, account manager and senior vice president at Skanska. “Along with Mithun, DES and CDHY, we ensured student and staff engagement throughout the design and building process, which has provided the students, staff and team with the feeling of ownership for their new building, and the excitement that is evident. We have been truly honored to be a part of this team delivering these new buildings which will enrich lives and the learning experience for all.”
Some design and building team members knew or learned American Sign Language (ASL) to support student and staff engagement in the planning and building process, to better understand the impact of the built environment on ASL communications, to inform special lighting, acoustics and material choices in the new buildings, and to strengthen safety during construction.
Working collaboratively and interactively with CDHY and Washington state staff, Skanska and Mithun ensured the design and building for interior and exterior space maximized accessibility for the unique school community. The new facilities are designed to enhance American Sign Language (ASL)-English bilingual instructional practices through improved technology infrastructure and incorporating DeafSpace design principles, including sensory reach, space and proximity, mobility, light and color, and acoustics. Deaf-centric building approach places a high priority on visual access to enable and enhance the educational experience for deaf and hard of hearing students.
“Our whole design-build team is excited to share these progressive and well-thought-out spaces on this important and transformative project,” said Alan Halleck, Skanska project executive.
Says Bilyeu, “Our current classrooms and gymnasium were outdated and inefficient, as we have not had any new classroom construction on campus since 1971. We now have a beautiful school that is unique to our community. It’s sustainable and something that the larger metro Vancouver area is proud of. It’s because our designer and building partners cared so deeply about getting it right.”
Learn more
The Washington State Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth (CDHY) is a statewide resource that provides leadership and support for educational programming for children who are deaf and hard of hearing, their families, and the service providers who support them. Its highly qualified, trained professionals work in partnership with parents, school districts, and community members to support language development, social-emotional learning, and academic achievement. Direct and/or consultative support services are provided in three broad ways: on campus at the Washington School for the Deaf, outreach services in local school districts and communities, and statewide through the provision of training and professional development opportunities for educators, service providers, and families.
CDHY’s Washington School for the Deaf (WSD) is the state’s only residential ASL-English bilingual school for deaf and hard of hearing students. WSD serves individuals from birth through the age of 21, providing early childhood intervention, literacy, audiology and interpretive services, screening, social-emotional learning as well as ASL instruction, audiology technology, self-advocacy and successful school strategies.
