1970: The Learning Center for the Deaf, the first school of the Deaf in Massachusetts to depart from the “oral method” of education and to advocate the use of signs in addition to spoken English, is established.

1975: Opens a pre-school program and launches an out-patient audiology service. The following year, introduces the Parent Infant Program (PIP), one of the first programs in the country to provide deaf infants and toddlers exposure to American Sign Language in addition to spoken English and to offer parents instruction in the use of ASL.

1978: Establishes a special needs program for deaf children who have cognitive or behavioral disabilities.

1980: Launches a high school program. A group residence for high school students begins the following year.

1987: Opens Walden House, a 365-day residential treatment program for deaf students challenged by severe social and emotional difficulties, resulting from childhood trauma, mental illness, and/or organic dysfunction.

1990: Affirms its commitment to bi-lingual bi-cultural education where American Sign Language and written English are the primary languages of instruction.

1994: Introduces TLC’s Randolph Campus which serves children from infants and toddlers through 5th grade. The innovative Language Access Program (LAP) for students with no hearing loss who benefited from signing for access to the curriculum was established, as well.

1995: Completes construction of a new facility, now called Walden School, to meet the needs of deaf students facing emotional, social and psychological challenges that warrant a residential treatment program.

2002: Launches The Outreach Partnership Program (TOPP) to provide comprehensive consultative and direct services to deaf and hard of hearing students in public schools.

2005: Establishes Walden School’s Wraparound Program to provide community-based services to families with deaf children who have behavioral and emotional problems. The program is designed to help reduce the need for residential placement.

2010: The Learning Center for the Deaf was awarded accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf (CEASD) and the Council on Accreditation (COA).

Today: More than 210 students attend the Learning Center. TLC employs over 300 staff, 40 percent of whom are deaf.