Laurent Clerc and Thomas Gallaudet Deaf Education

Laurent Clerc

Laurent Clerc was an important figure in the history of Deaf education in America. He was born in 1785 in a small village in France. When he was just a year old, he fell off a chair into the fireplace in the kitchen. He was badly burned on his face and his sense of smell and hearing were totally damaged. The accident left him Deaf (Laurent Clerc Biography).

Laurent grew up in a time when Deaf people in France were not given many opportunities for education or employment. He did not attend school until 1797, when he was 12 years old. However, the school was strict and the teacher had no patience for Laurent Clerc’s special needs. The teacher even struck the child under the chin after being frustrated by Laurent’s struggles to speak correctly (Laurent Clerc Biography). The blow was so devastating for Laurent that never again tried to speak.

Things would have continued to go badly for Laurent—but, fortunately, he was able to attend the Royal Institution for Deaf and Dumb Youth in Paris, which was one of the few schools in the world at that time that provided education for Deaf students. He was a student there, and then he became a teacher there (Laurent Clerc Biography).

It was in England that Laurent Clerc met Thomas Gallaudet. Gallaudet was interested in learning about Deaf education, and he had traveled to Europe to investigate different approaches to educating Deaf students. While in England, he attended a lecture given by Clerc (Sundsmo). As an American educator, Gallaudet was impressed with Laurent's intelligence and communication skills and asked him to come to America to help him start the school for the deaf in Connecticut.

Laurent agreed, and the two men traveled to America in 1816. They founded the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut, which was the first school for Deaf children in America. It was originally called the Connecticut Asylum, because it was the school “home” for students who had never received an education. Their ages ranged from 10 to 50 years old (Laurent Clerc Biography). Laurent was the head teacher and Gallaudet was the principal. Laurent taught French Sign Language to the students, and he also learned American Sign Language from them. Their success was so inspiring that Congressman Clay helped pass legislation that granted the school 23,000 acres of land in Alabama (Laurent Clerc Biography). This became the site of the Alabama School for the Deaf (Black ASL Project).

Laurent's contributions to Deaf education in America were significant. He helped establish the first Deaf school in the country, and he also helped develop a system of Sign Language that combined elements of French Sign Language and American Sign Language.

At the time when Laurent Clerc came to America with Thomas Gallaudet, there were significant differences between French Sign Language (LSF) and American Sign Language (ASL). LSF was based on a different grammar and vocabulary from ASL, and it used a one-handed finger-spelling system, while ASL used a two-handed finger-spelling system.

LSF was also heavily influenced by the use of mouthing (lip-reading), while ASL relied more on facial expressions, body language, and spatial references to convey meaning. In addition, the signs used in LSF were often more formal and stylized than those used in ASL, which was more colloquial and expressive.

When Laurent Clerc came to America, he initially taught French Sign Language to the students at the American School for the Deaf, but he also learned American Sign Language from them. Over time, the two systems of Sign Language began to merge, with elements of both LSF and ASL being incorporated into what is now known as American Sign Language. Today, ASL is recognized as a distinct language with its own grammar and syntax, and it continues to evolve and develop alongside the Deaf community.

In addition to his work at the American School for the Deaf, Laurent also traveled around the country to promote education for Deaf children and to encourage the use of Sign Language as a means of communication. He was a respected and beloved figure in the Deaf community, and he continued to teach and advocate for Deaf education until his death in 1869 at the age of 84 (Laurent Clerc Biography).

Clerc died on July 18, 1869, at his home in Hartford, Connecticut. He had lived in the United States for over 50 years and had become a respected and beloved figure in the Deaf community. He was known as the Apostle of the Deaf in America.

Laurent Clerc's life and work were an inspiration to many in the Deaf community. He overcame significant barriers to education and employment and devoted his life to improving the lives of Deaf people in America. His legacy continues to live on today through the many schools and organizations that he helped establish, as well as through the continued use and development of Sign Language as a means of communication. He is especially remembered and honored at Gallaudet University.