As the Principal of the Sir James Whitney School for the Deaf, I am pleased to welcome you to our website.

At Sir James Whitney School, we are proud to be grounded in a rich history while at the same time being forward thinking and technologically advanced. We are situated on the historic campus of the first school for Deaf students in Ontario which was founded in 1870. Our present school building and student lodging have been skillfully and carefully restored in recent years. When you enter the doors of Sir James Whitney, you will sense the history and feel the excitement of our commitment to learning excellence.

We provide a bilingual environment where language and literacy are promoted in both ASL (American Sign Language) and English.  Students are encouraged to acquire critical thinking skills and meta-linguistic awareness in both languages.

Our school follows the Ontario Curriculum set out by the Ministry of Education. We practice differentiated instruction.  Each student in our school has an Individual Education Plan (IEP) with the appropriate accommodations and modifications to maximize learning.

Here at Sir James Whitney, we believe that personal and social development and academic achievement go hand in hand. Our focus on character education promotes the development respect, responsibility, honesty, self-discipline, teamwork, cooperation, kindness, perseverance, flexibility and empathy. Our students learn to value, maintain and ecologically improve our environment towards membership in the global community.

Please explore our website to become familiar with the wide range of services and programs that we offer.

Arnold Potma
Principal