Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet
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.
Laurent Clerc and Thomas H Gallaudent
Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet & Laurent Clerc
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.
John Braidwood opened the first American school for deaf children in 1815. The Braidwood school in Cobb, Virginia would be shut down by 1817. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc founded the American School for the Deaf in April, 1817.
Deaf people should be proud of Laurent Clerc because he was a pioneering educator and advocate for the deaf community in the 19th century. As one of the founders of the first permanent school for the deaf in the United States, Clerc played a crucial role in promoting sign language and establishing a formal education system for deaf individuals. His contributions significantly advanced the recognition and rights of deaf people, helping to shape a strong cultural identity within the community. Clerc's legacy continues to inspire and empower deaf individuals today.
Laurent Clerc is called the "Apostle to the Deaf People" because of his significant contributions to deaf education in the early 19th century. He co-founded the first American school for the deaf, the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1817, and played a pivotal role in promoting sign language as a means of communication for the deaf. His dedication to teaching and advocating for the rights of deaf individuals helped to establish a foundation for deaf culture and education in the United States. Through his work, Clerc inspired generations of deaf individuals and educators, earning him this esteemed title.
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.
The first hearing impaired school in the United States was established by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc in 1817. Gallaudet and Clerc founded the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut.
Laurent Clerc refused to use his voice primarily because he believed in the importance of sign language as a natural and effective means of communication for the deaf. He felt that relying on spoken language could undermine the use of sign language and the cultural identity of the deaf community. Additionally, Clerc's commitment to teaching deaf individuals through sign language stemmed from his own experiences as a deaf person, reinforcing his dedication to promoting its use and preserving deaf culture.
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.
The first school for the Deaf was founded by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet wanted to find a way to teach deaf children. His neighbor Mason Gogswell had a deaf daughter, Alice, and Gogswell did not want her locked away in a mental institution, as was common practice during those times. Thomas left the U.S. in search of a way to educate deaf people, in 1816, while in England seeking their method of educating the deaf he attended a deaf-mute show which featured it's star pupil: Laurent Clerc, a brilliant deaf student from France. Gallaudet convinced Clerc to come to the U.S. and help set up a school and hence in 1817 the first school for the Deaf opened in Hartford Connecticut. Source: "Learning to See: Teaching American Sign Language as a Second Language" by Sherman Wilcox and Phyllis Perrin Wilcox (Pp. 17-19)