After reading a letter written by the widowed mother of a deaf child that published in Melbourne's The Argus in 1859, Rose took an interest in educational services for disabled children in the colony.
At the time, children requiring specialist education were expected to travel to England.
In 1860, Rose began teaching pupils in a small house in Windsor, a suburb of Melbourne, however the number of students continued to grow, causing the location to change several times.
By 1866, Rose had collected enough funds to construct a purpose-built facility.
The large bluestone was completed in 1867 and still stands on St Kilda Road, Melbourne, currently operated by Deaf Children Australia