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 The
origin of Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children is the story
of a mother's love for her child. Dela and John White's daughter,
Tuleta, was born with a profound hearing loss. The Whites
believed she could learn to talk and, as an adult, function independently
in society-at-large. However, at that time no local schools taught
hearing-impaired children to speak.
Only in her early
20s and new to education and hearing impairment, Mrs. White enlisted
the support of various individuals and organizations, and in 1947 founded
what has grown into an internationally respected auditory/oral school.
As World War
II had just ended, organizations were eager to contribute to San
Antonio's growth and well-being. The Junior League of San Antonio
adopted Sunshine Cottage as a project and was instrumental in its
opening, by lending financial, volunteer and moral support.
For a schoolhouse,
Mrs. White procured the caretaker's cottage of Landa Library, near
Trinity University. With the elbow grease of parents and other volunteers,
it became usable; a local paint store supplied free paint, all yellow.
Hence it was dubbed Sunshine Cottage.
The school of
seven children and one teacher quickly grew and needed a larger
home. At a single dinner party community leaders, learning how well
Sunshine Cottage students were progressing, raised enough money
to break ground on the school that stands today. The new building
was completed in 1952. In both 1957 and 1985, expansions to the
school were made.
Outgrowing our campus, we embarked on a $20 million capital campaign. We officially closed a successful campaign in August of 2009. Construction began in March. The property located at the 603 E. Hildebrand is ready for students!
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