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September 16, 2025
LANSING – A new dormitory for students at Michigan School for the Deaf is becoming closer to reality, with the state preparing to issue a request for proposals to build the facility.
The project will provide modernized housing for students on the campus of the school in Flint, the replacement of dorms built in 1948. Michigan School for the Deaf educates 108 students from around Michigan. Currently 43 students live on campus from Sunday through Thursday.
Michigan School for the Deaf is a residential deaf and hard of hearing program operated by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE).
“A new dormitory will celebrate Deaf culture and serve as a true home away from home for students,” said State Superintendent Dr. Michael F. Rice. “This new facility will support the academic success and cultural identity of students, and will help with several goals in Michigan’s Top 10 Strategic Education Plan.”
Designed with features and amenities that reflect Deaf-friendly principles, the living spaces will provide students with access to resources and environments that mirror the unique characteristics of Deaf homes, such as visual alerts, accessible furniture and appliances, and architectural modifications that will optimize communication and safety.
During the 2022-23 school year, a comprehensive dormitory study was commissioned and completed by an architectural firm specializing in Deaf Space design. The firm provided a cost comparison of remodeling the existing dormitories and constructing a new dormitory.
The state Legislature subsequently appropriated $40 million for the planning and construction of a new dormitory. MDE will partner with the Michigan Department of Technology, Management, & Budget Design and Construction Division to ensure completion of the dormitory.
“It’s exciting to have a new dormitory,” said Lawson McNally, president of the Michigan Deaf Association. “The dormitory will support our Deaf children’s future, socially, physically, intellectually, communicatively, and emotionally, since many Deaf children do not have communication at home. Social skills are a kind of second language, a specific code of behavior to be used when interacting with other people.”
Michigan School for the Deaf offers a strong bilingual/bicultural program that couples American Sign Language with written English as the primary language of instruction. The residential component of the school allows Deaf students who live outside of Genesee County to live on the campus during the academic week, to ensure full access to Deaf culture and a language-rich environment through American Sign Language. Students residing in the dorms are immersed 24 hours a day in an accessible language and Deaf culture.
“This commitment from the state reinforces the belief that Michigan wants to continue to invest in the growth of Deaf and hard-of hearing-students, and that the Michigan School for the Deaf is a vital component in that belief,” said Principal Mr. Rex Vernon. “With the construction of the new dormitory, we are excited to provide a new state-of-the-art building that takes into account the specific needs of Deaf and hard of hearing students. We will create a welcoming home-like environment where Michigan School for the Deaf is able to continue to provide language-rich environments that expand developmental and educational opportunities for both our current and future students.
“Michigan School for the Deaf extends our deep appreciation to the Michigan Legislature and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for the $40 million allocation toward the planning and construction of a new dormitory at MSD,” Vernon said. “This investment represents a tremendous opportunity to support Deaf students across the state by providing a residential environment designed to meet their unique cultural, linguistic, and educational needs.”
The Michigan Department of Technology, Management, & Budget will issue a request for proposals for construction of the new dorms in the coming months. The funds for the project flow through the Genesee Intermediate School District, which will then pay the funds to DTMB under an agreement approved Monday by the intermediate school district’s board.
“We are pleased to work with MDE and DTMB to provide an amazing opportunity for students attending the Michigan School for the Deaf right here in Flint,” said Dr. Stephen Tunnicliff, superintendent of the Genesee Intermediate School District.
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