Joseph Watson ( – 23 November 1829) was an English teacher of deaf children, and writer on teaching the deaf.

Life

Watson was educated in Hackney, London at the school of his uncle,

Thomas Braidwood Thomas Braidwood (1715–1806) was a Scottish educator, significant in the history of deaf education. He was the founder of Britain's first school for the deaf. Early life The fourth child of Thomas Braidwood and Agnes Meek, Braidwood was born in ...

, and from 1784 he worked at the school."Joseph Watson, Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb"

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

. Retrieved 7 July 2020. In 1792 John Townsend, Henry Thornton, Henry Cox Mason, rector of Bermondsey, and others founded The Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb, financed by public subscription. Watson was also involved in its foundation, and was appointed principal. Originally it was in Grange Road,

Bermondsey Bermondsey () is a district in southeast London, part of the London Borough of Southwark, England, southeast of Charing Cross. To the west of Bermondsey lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe and Deptford, to the south Walworth and Peckham ...

; in 1809 it moved to

Old Kent Road Old Kent Road is a major thoroughfare in South East London, England, passing through the London Borough of Southwark. It was originally part of an ancient trackway that was paved by the Romans and used by the Anglo-Saxons who named it Wæceli ...

. In 1810 the asylum had 70 pupils, and in 1820 it had 200. Watson was allowed up to eight private pupils (in addition to his other responsibilities), known as "parlour pupils", who were taught to speak, as well as to use sign language. His parlour pupils included Matthew Burns, a teacher and evangelist who set up his own schools for the deaf, and

Francis Maginn Francis Maginn (1861–1918) was a Church of Ireland missionary who worked to improve living standards for the deaf community by promoting sign language and was one of the co-founders of the British Deaf Association. Early life and education ...

, a co-founder of the British Deaf Association. Jan Branson, Don Miller. ''Damned for Their Difference: The Cultural Construction of Deaf People as "disabled" : a Sociological History''. Gallaudet University Press, 2002. Page 127.
/ref> Watson's system was founded on that of Thomas Braidwood, with some developments and improvements. His book ''Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb'' describes his philosophy and his teaching methods. He wrote, "Persons born deaf are, in fact, neither depressed below, nor raised above, the general scale of human nature, as regards their dispositions and powers, either of body or mind." He was opposed to signed versions of spoken language, such as was used in a Paris school. The Abbé Sicard, the French teacher of the deaf, was much interested in his methods, and corresponded with him about the school. He remained in the office for the rest of his life. He died at the school on 23 November 1829, and was buried at Bermondsey.

Family

His son Thomas James Watson was principal of the school until 1857; Thomas's son James Harrison Watson succeeded him. Joseph Watson's son Alexander Watson (–1865) was an Anglican clergyman.

Publications

Watson was the author of: * ''Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb; or a View of the Means by which they may be Taught to Speak and Understand a Language'' (London, 1810, 2 volumes) * ''A First Reading Book for Deaf and Dumb Children'' (London, 1826) * ''A Selection of Verbs and Adjectives, with some other Parts of Speech'' (London, 1826)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Joseph 1765 births 1829 deaths Educators of the deaf