The scar on his face.
Laurent Clerc used French Sign Language, which he then adapted with Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet to create what is now known as American Sign Language (ASL). They combined elements of French Sign Language with local signs to create a system that could be used in the United States.
The creator of American Sign Language (ASL) as we know it today is credited to Laurent Clerc, a deaf educator from France. He played a key role in establishing the first permanent school for the deaf in the United States, helping to shape and promote the use of sign language.
Laurent Clerc and Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet did not invent sign language. They were instrumental in establishing the first permanent school for the deaf in the United States, the American School for the Deaf, and in spreading the use of American Sign Language. They recognized the importance of using sign language as a primary means of communication for deaf individuals.
Laurent Clerc is famous for being a Deaf educator and co-founder of the first school for the Deaf in the United States, the American School for the Deaf in Connecticut. He was instrumental in promoting the use of American Sign Language and the advancement of Deaf education in America.
Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet
Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet
Born in France (1785) , Louis Laurent Marie Clerc was a year old when he lost his hearing. He eventually became a teacher at the famous Parisian school of the deaf, and later traveled to England and the United States where in 1816 he and Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet established the first American School for the Deaf at Hartford, Connecticut. He served there until his death in 1869.
Laurent Clerc and Thomas H Gallaudent
American Sign Language (ASL) was not invented by a single person; it evolved naturally over time within Deaf communities in the United States. However, many credit Laurent Clerc, a Deaf teacher from France, and Thomas Gallaudet, a hearing educator, for bringing French Sign Language to the U.S. and laying the foundation for ASL.
Laurent and his wife, Elizabeth, are buried at Spring Grove Cemetery in Hartford. In 1992, a deaf man, Alan Barwiolek, visited the Clerc gravestone's. He was appalled at the deteriorated and vandalized headstones and started a nationwide campaign to restore the headstones. His efforts drew great support from countless individuals and organizations, including the Laurent Clerc Cultural Fund of the Gallaudet University Alumni Association. Six years later, honor was brought back to the Laurent with the unveiling of new headstones at their final resting place.
Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet & Laurent Clerc
Julien Clerc's birth name is Paul-Alain Leclerc.