The Irving Fusfeld Collection consists of letters, manuscripts, articles, and addresses written by Dr. Irving S. Fusfeld. During the fifty years he served the deaf. Dr. Fusfeld functioned in various capacities including Professor, Vice President and Dean, all at Gallaudet College, Editor of the American Annals of the Deaf, Director of Research at Gallaudet College, Field Investigator of the National Research Council, and Psychologist at the Berkeley School for the Deaf.

The collection, which consists of approximately 19,500 pages of manuscript, dates from 1920-1972. The bulk of the collection consists of material collected while serving as editor to the American Annals of the Deaf, 1920-1966.

Included in the Annals series are letters to and from Fusfeld regarding articles to be published, articles to be researched, comments on articles, and Fusfeld’s research. Also included are bank statements, cancelled check receipts, and expenditures.

Prior to being Editor of the Annals, Fusfeld began his career in deafness as a Professor at Gallaudet College. Lecture notes, class notes, and letters written while teaching at Gallaudet can be found in the collection.

In addition to teaching at Gallaudet, Fusfeld was a member of the Conference of Executives of American Schools for the Deaf. Fusfeld was instrumental in establishing accreditation standards for schools for the deaf. Letters relating to certification requirements and standards, as well as committee minutes, applications, and financial documents have been kept in the Fusfeld collection.

In 1938 Fusfeld became director of the Research Center at Gallaudet. In 1940, he surveyed various schools for the Deaf to establish standards and to obtain a gauge for progress. Included in this series are data sheets, class records, teacher evaluations and questionnaires from the Alabama, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Texas Schools for the Deaf. The bulk of these materials are dated 1940.

Dr. Fusfeld became Dean of Gallaudet in 1939 and served Kendall Green in that capacity until 1952. As Dean, Fusfeld initiated the re-organization of Gallaudet’s curriculum, to provide for areas of concentration, which later developed into departmentalization. While dean, Fusfeld kept records and letters related to the curriculum, entrance exams, and letters for discipline to students.

Also, as Dean then as Vice President of Gallaudet, Fusfeld wrote numerous articles and addresses. Topics include: occupational conditions of the deaf, counseling the deaf, problems in deaf education, and psychological aspects of deafness. These and other articles dating from 1940-1966 are included in the collection.

The final series of the collection consists of personal manuscripts of Dr. Fusfeld. Included are letters from family members, awards and certificates, and personal legal documents.