Prehistoric signs Indians tribal communication 1400s Rome
Greece Monks vow of silence
Slide 3
1600s America: Marthas Vineyard Marthas Vineyard Massachusetts
(island) had a widespread of genetic deafness. 1 out of 25 were
deaf. Those islanders used two languages (English and ASL) for 250
years. Without schools or organizations to bring deaf people
together, a deaf child and his family might invent (make-up) signs
of their own. These signs are called home signs. Poor and
uneducated used home signs.
Slide 4
1816 Hartford, Connecticut A rich doctor had a deaf daughter
named Alice. Dr. Cogswell wanted to find someone to educate his
daughter. Dr. Cogswell raised money to send his neighbor, Thomas
Hopkins Gallaudet, a graduate from Yale, to Europe to study the
methods for teaching the deaf. THG went first to England. He wanted
to learn information about oral methods. He tried to get into the
Braidwoods School but was turned away.
Slide 5
While in England, THG met Sicard who was putting an exhibition
of his students. Sicard invited THG to France to study French Sign
Language. THG returned to the U.S. with Laurent Clerc, one of
Sicards students. During their 52 day trip, Clerc taught Gallaudet
FSL and Gallaudet taught Clerc English.
Slide 6
April 1817 Gallaudet and Clerc established the school in
Hartford. The school is called The American School for the Deaf.
This was the first school in America to be established. The signs
that already existed in America together with French signs that
Laurent Clerc brought over became AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE!