The Learning Center for the Deaf

Inspiring Knowledge, Opportunity, and Power for 50 YearsTLC is an internationally-recognized, multi-service agency and is the largest provider of services to deaf and hard of hearing children and adults in New England. Since our founding in 1970, TLC has been a pioneer in Deaf Education. The Learning Center for Deaf Children was the first school in Massachusetts to advocate for use of sign language in instruction. In the 1990’s, TLC was the first school in the nation to formally develop and implement a bilingual (American Sign Language and English) and bicultural (Deaf Culture) model for educating deaf children, now a common and respected approach employed by schools for the deaf across the country. TLC has grown from a small school, enrolling 19 children, to a diverse, multi-service agency benefitting over 2,000 individuals annually from across Massachusetts, and over 150 businesses, organizations, and agencies. In 2019, we were selected as Outstanding Organization of the Year by the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, which represents over 560,000 deaf and hard of hearing individuals residing in the Commonwealth.