Gallaudet University, Private university for deaf education in Washington D.C., United States.

Gallaudet University is a private federally chartered university in Washington, D.C., for deaf and hard of hearing students, on a campus of 0.40 km². Its main building is reddish-brown stone with bands of lighter stone, a square clock tower with a patterned pyramidal roof, and three wide arches reached by a broad staircase.

Amos Kendall donated 2 acres of his land in 1856 for deaf and blind children, and the school opened in 1857 as the Columbia Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind, with Edward Miner Gallaudet as first superintendent. President Lincoln signed the enabling act on April 8, 1864, allowing college degrees; the collegiate department became the National Deaf-Mute College. In 1988 the Deaf President Now protests led to I. King Jordan becoming the first deaf president.

Gallaudet is officially bilingual in American Sign Language and written English, and ASL is used for instruction and by the college community. Its staff is predominantly deaf: in 2025 the president, chief of staff, chief academic officer and other senior officers are deaf, and most executive-level appointees are women.

The campus is accessible by public transport and offers visitors open pathways and green spaces to explore. The institution ensures all buildings are designed with accessible entries and visual guidance systems throughout.

The library holds an extensive collection of works on deaf communities and signed language history, serving researchers worldwide. The campus features its own street system with signs designed in both word and image form, reflecting the visual character of communication throughout.