Draft:Environments inside Deaf Institutions in Nazi Germany

Environments inside Deaf Institutions in Nazi Germany

The Provincial Institution for the Deaf in Soest

According to student statements, Director Wegge has committed crimes. Wegge would wear his SS uniform while performing his educational duties. Due to institutional interests, most of what Wegge has done wasn't given regard. Wegge paid attention to selecting students to sterilize.

The Provincial Institution for the Deaf in Konigsberg

The Provincial Institution For The Deaf in Königsberg, originally named Königsberg School for Deaf & Dumb, was a school for the deaf and hearing impaired in Königsberg, Prussia. Despite having many individual staff members, the most notable being SS Director Bewer. According to testimonials inside of the institute itself, Director Bewer proved himself to be known as a "fanatic nazi" (pg 53 Crying Hands). He would be noted to attend school activities wearing an SS uniform. SS Director Brewer was also known to personally report his own students and recommend them for sterilization. His personal role in the sterilizations of his own students is proven by his actions in 1945 when the Soviets surrounded Königsberg as a result of the Red Army marching, SS Director Bewer ordered all students to remain at the institute, which resulted in the deaths of thirty-six students' lives.

Within the institute, sterilizations occurred after the evaluation of students was conducted to conclude if any student's hearing impairments would be the cause for the surgery. According to Dr. Hugo Laser, a surgeon who performed some of these evaluations on students, it was found that special consideration was given to hard-of-hearing students attending instead of profoundly deaf students on behalf of their teachers. Students inside the institute would have a total of thirty-two hours of instruction weekly in a total of three classes. These instructional hours included Articulation, Reading, Lip-Reading, Observation & Language, Religion, Arithmetic, Penmanship, and Drawing.

Geographically, the institute was so far away from other towns that it was considered a boarding school. During this time, the school was also considered relatively cheap and not well funded compared to other Deaf Institutions, which contributed to its relative distance.

The Provincial Institution for the Deaf in Heidelberg

The Director, Edwin Singer, would publicize the "hereditary biology" database of the Deaf students within the institution. Singer was known to work closely with the head of the ear, throat, and nose clinic. Former students have anonymously stated that Singer was the one who removed them by force to be sterilized. The principal of the Institution would order compulsory sterilization and keep students over holidays to be sterilized. Former deaf students that had been staying in heidelberg had been robbed of their human rights, degraded, and exterminated.

Homberg Institution

The Provincial Institution For The Deaf in Homberg, Germany, was founded by The Electorate of Hesse in 1838 and still currently acts as a school for the hearing impaired. The institute was originally founded to train teachers of the deaf. In 1933, sixteen staff members contributed to educating eighty-eight deaf and hearing-impaired students. The principal of this institute from 1920 to 1934 was Oskar Rönigk, who was also reported to be a Nazi Party Member. Rönigk was reported in testimonials from former students to have personally reported his students to the Health Authority regarding sterilizations. This behavior was so prevalent that between 1920 and 1934, Oskar personally reported 48.08% of his students.

Inside the Provincial Institution For The Deaf In Homberg, class sizes ranged from 0 to 10 students with various hearing impairments. Each class engaged in eight hours of instruction every day. This institution was also considered a boarding school, as students were allowed to live within campus grounds.

The Director, Oskar Ronigk would continue to inform his students of sterilization and even went to turn in previous students he's had.

The Schleswig Institution for the Deaf

Residence of the Provincial Institution for the Deaf, Schleswig

Gerog Pfingsten was the founder of the Schleswig Provincial Institution for the Deaf in 1787. The school held 121 deaf pupils and 14 staff members. Once the nazis takeover happened a nazi party member and teacher of the deaf was appointed director, his name was Heidbred. Margaretha Hüttmann Germany's first female deaf teacher at the school for the deaf in Schleswig. Otto Friedrich Kruse, another deaf teacher from the school for the deaf in Schleswig well-known as a writer. Carl Heinrich Wilke 1800-1876, a deaf teacher at the school for the deaf in Schleswig and a famous illustrator for school books and picture boards for the deaf. -Schleswig Institution for the Deaf, were one out of the few of the remaining Deaf schools in Germany. Unfortunately, these exact schools were what led the Deaf towards their suffering. In fact, the teachers, administrators and all staff within these institutions were greatly responsible for informing on their Deaf students. In Biesold's 1999 study he records show that out of the Deaf who reported back, thirty-four percent of Deaf victims who faced sterilization were informed on by either their teacher or the institution in which they resided. The Health authorities were accountable for another forty-six percent, and the Nazi party for another thirty percent. A large number of people who were sterilized had the surgeries in a city which also contained a Deaf school. At this point, Deaf people and Deaf established groups were even turning in their fellow Deaf. In a confident letter that had been dated May 24, 1939, the district public welfare authority from Ratzeburg had reached out regarding a former student from the Schleswig Institution who had been discharged in 1936. The letter mentioned the conditions for sterilization had been identified or if the procedure had been carried out. Heidbred had responded in confidence, stating that he was unaware that the law of August 14, 1933, had been applied to his former student. He expressed regret that the file did not provide enough information for him to determine if the deafness was hereditary or acquired, and he expressed frustration over the lack of reliable information from the students' relatives. It seems like Heidbrede wanted to imply that a genetic deficiency could be assumed, but justifying the need for sterilization, as he mentioned that three brothers of a paternal grandfather had died from tuberculosis. "Heidbrede apparently wished to indicate that genetic deficiency could be assumed and sterilization warranted, however, for in his reply he wrote: : "In any case three brothers of the paternal grandfather died of tuberculosis."(Friedlander 65)

Private Institutions; St. Joseph

Located in Schwäbisch Gmünd, the Roman Catholic school, which was founded in 1868, was also affected by the Nazi regime. In a survey, one former student shares how he and his two siblings, along with another forty students, endured sterilization. Reports state that the student would come out of school and be taken immediately after class. It was later revealed by another student that Franz Schmid, the institution director, and Georg Schmid, a senior teacher of the institution, were the main source of providing the information to the Nazi party.

District Instructional and Vocational Institutions for Deaf Girls in Dillingen

Founded in 1847 by J. -E Wagner, the Catholic school for deaf girls provided religious studies to as many as ninety-eight deaf catholic girls by the year of 1931.

According to section 6, paragraph 4 of the sterilization law in regard to private institutions,

"If the subject has been admitted at a personal expense to a private institute that offers a full guarantee that reproduction will not occur, the law stipulates that on the subject's application, the completion of the operation may be deferred as long as the subject is living in this or a similar institution. If the subject is legally incapacitated or has yet reached eighteen years of age, the legal guardian is authorized to make such an application. If a deferral occurs before the eighteenth birthday, the subject may after that date make a personal application for further exemption."

Reich Law Gazette (1933): Part 1, 1022

Referencing this law, one instance by an individual shared that she would have been cleared from having to be sterilized, if it were not for the influence of Dr. Hogen, the mayor of the city of Dilligen. Claiming to be the thirteen year olds guardian, Dr. Hogen had her committed to the Günzberg Hospital for sterilization. Although being in a private institution protected her from the law, it was not protected from the methods by the persuasion of the Nazi regime.

Another experience provided by a deaf girl at the institution shares that her guardian, a Nazi Director, pushed to have her get the procedure. As part of the practice of the institution, the "Casti connubi" was a statement by the Catholic administration, stating that authorities would not carry power in making decisions over the anatomy of an individual. Mother Agreda Dirr, the Fransican nun and senior teacher of the institution, defended the girl, writing letters that supported the girls decision to avoid sterilization all together. Regardless of Mother Dirr's efforts, the girl's guardian continued to press the girl for sterilization. Ultimately leading to the procedure following through.