About Us
Primary Aims:
To become essential to the school, the deaf community and other past students by providing differentiated products and services which will assist them to achieve their aspirations.”Objectives:The Society shall:
- actively pursue new initiatives in order to achieve its primary aims
- co-operate with any public or private institution having objectives similar in whole or in part to those of the Society
- To undertake any other activities that are incidental to the attainment of the aims of the Society and which may assist in the promotion of the welfare of persons within its care.
History of The Society for the Deaf
In 1972 a group comprising of Peace Corps Volunteers initiated programs for the hearing impaired in Saint Lucia. As a result of this initiative, a small group of private citizens came together and the Society for the Deaf was formed. An executive was put in place which included a treasurer, secretary, parent representatives and floor members. Lady Margaret Gordon was voted as first president.
The Society for the Deaf undertook to spearhead the education of children with hearing impairment, since up to that time formal education for the deaf was not part of the Ministry of Education curriculum. The Society established a school for this purpose. The school was named the School for the Deaf. To fund the School the Society for the Deaf took up fundraising ventures which became the way to ensure financing for the School. The Society also interviewed for and hired teachers for the School.
The School’s first location was in the George V Park, better known as the Gardens, then moved to the building belonging to the Blind Welfare Association at Sans Souci as the number of children being identified grew. This building was to be the home for the School for the Deaf for many years.
In later years this space also became too small to accommodate the growing number of students as well as the other services which were needed to be implemented, to further educate and teach our students much needed life skills.
The Society for the Deaf recognizing this began an intensive search for a proper location hence began years of fundraising by the Society as well as by teachers and well-wishers to build a new school. A parcel of land was donated by Geest Industries to the Society to build the school, but because of the topography of the land was deemed unsuitable.
The Society for the Deaf solicited the assistance of the Government and an agreement was reached where a portion of land situated at Ciceron was given to the Society for the Deaf to erect and establish a school.
In October 1998 the School for the Deaf was finally relocated, and the school population now stood at forty-five students. This was indeed a major milestone for us after being confined in such small quarters; we now had a large playing field, a Home Economics room, a fully equipped kitchen and classroom settings conductive to teaching and learning.
In present times the Society for the Deaf continues to manage the School, which in 2025/25 was renamed the Lady Gordon Opportunities Centre, as a result of the expansion in the provision of services from only hearing-impaired children to those with other forms of disability as well as special learning challenges. The Government of Saint Lucia now assists with paying teacher salaries, but the Society continues to manage the School, engage in fund-raising activities and generally remain a most important voice for the hearing impaired in Saint Lucia.