On April 8, 1864, a year before the end of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln signed an Act of Congress to "authorize the Columbia Institution for the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind (now ... Read allOn April 8, 1864, a year before the end of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln signed an Act of Congress to "authorize the Columbia Institution for the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind (now Gallaudet University) to confer degrees to Deaf and Deaf-Blind students.On April 8, 1864, a year before the end of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln signed an Act of Congress to "authorize the Columbia Institution for the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind (now Gallaudet University) to confer degrees to Deaf and Deaf-Blind students.