Essay on Laurent Clerc - 769 Words

Perhaps one of the most notable and widely known members in Deaf society is Laurent Clerc, who was a teacher for the deaf. Born on December 26, 1785 in La Balme-les-Grottes, in southeastern France to hearing parents, it is unknown for sure whether Clerc was born deaf or was deafened later on in life. It is believed that Clerc became deaf at the age of one when he had fallen from his high chair into a fire, badly burning his cheek. He developed a fever from the burn, and was later found out to have lost his sense of smell and hearing. As far as it is known, Clerc was non-speaking and relied on pen and paper to those who could not communicate using sign language. For the first eleven years of his life, Clerc was not sent to school. At the†¦show more content†¦However, during the 52-day journey he made it a point to master the use of the English language. This knowledge paired with the use of French Sign Language contributed greatly to evolution of American sign language. Toge ther, Clerc and Gallaudet founded the first deaf school in the United States, what is now known as the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut. The school opened on April 15, 1817 with Gallaudet serving as the principal and Clerc as the head teacher. Aside from teaching the students, Clerc was responsible to training the future teachers and administrators of the School. He was sent to other schools throughout the United States to continue to teach his methods to both students and prospective teachers, and his influence on teaching the deaf spread widely throughout the United States. Though Laurent Clerc had originally planned of staying the United States for only three years and then returning to his native France, Clerc married a former student of his and decided to settle in the states. He did, however, return to his homeland to visit. After 50 years of teaching for the deaf, Clerc retired from teaching in 1858. He died at the age of 84 on July 18, 1869. The legacy of Laurent Clerc is long withstanding. As the first teacher for deaf individuals, he pioneered a system of teaching the deaf that carries on today. Without him, the American School for the Deaf may not have come to fruition. By offering classes in signShow MoreRelatedEssay Laurent Clerc Pioneer Teacher958 Words   |  4 PagesLaurent Clerc Pioneer Teacher 1785-1869 Laurent Clerc was born in LaBalme, France, on Dec. 26 1785. His father was Mayor of the town and the family could boast of a long line of magistrates in the Clerc lineage. At the age of one, the infant fell from a kitchen chair by accident into a nearby fireplace. He was burned on one side of his face and a fever left him totally deaf. He had uncle also named Laurent Clerc, who heard about the school for the deaf in Paris. When he was twelve years oldRead MoreLaurent Clercs Deaf School529 Words   |  2 Pages Laurent Clerc was born on December 26, 1785. It is believed that Clerc became deaf by falling off of his high chair into the kitchen fireplace around age one. He had gotten a severe burn on his right cheek, and a fever developed, and later on his hearing and smelling senses were damaged. It was never quite clear whether he was born deaf, or if it had been a cause of his accident. Clerc’s parents had tried many different treatments to get Clercs hearing back, although none of them succeeded. Read MoreThe Apostle Of The Deaf Essay1833 Words   |  8 PagesLouis Laurent Marie Clerc or commonly known as the â€Å"Apostle of the Deaf in America†, was born December 26, 1785 in La Balme -les-Grottes, France. Mr. Clerc was born in a village in the south-eastern side of France; he came from a well off middle class family that would have been considered bourgeois for his time. His father was Joseph Francis Clerc a civil attorney for the royal family and his mother was Marie Elizabeth Candy whose father was a notary public. Her father as well as being an attorneyRead MoreSummary : American Sign Language 957 Words   |  4 PagesGallaudet didn’t think that those methods were the best, so he went on to France. While he was there, Gallaudet met Laurent Clerc, a Deaf teacher who taught at Institut Royal des Sourds-Muets (the Royal Institution for Deaf-Mutes) in Paris. Gallaudet liked the technique that Clerc used to teach his Deaf students. Fifteen months later, Galla udet returned to America with Laurent Clerc. Together with Dr. Cogswell s help, they established the American Asylum for Deaf-Mutes, later renamed the AmericanRead MoreImproving the Lives of So Many: The Invention of Sign Language823 Words   |  3 Pagesbut to enrich the lives of all.† This important quote from Laurent Clerc shows his opinion on the acceptance of Deaf people in the world. He understood through first hand experience the importance of communication and education for the Deaf community. Eventually with the help of Thomas Gallaudet Sign Language was brought to the US and together the pair helped improve the lives of Deaf people living in the United States. Laurent Clerc was a deaf man from France born on December 26th 1785. HeRead MoreSeeing Voices : A Journey Into The World Of The Deaf1075 Words   |  5 Pagesto write down what was taught to them through a signing interpreter. One of the teachers at the institution named Laurent Clerc, was himself a deaf-mute. He was encouraged by the Reverend Thomas Gallaudet in 1817 to come to America. Together Clerc and Gallaudet founded the American Asylum for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut. This was the first American school for the deaf. Clerc taught the French system of sign, this mixed with the native sign languages among deaf communities help to form AmericanRead MoreThe Importance of Language and Culture3202 Words   |  13 Pagesfor deaf children. This lead to the establishment of teachering training program that allow persons from around the world to take his methods back to their home countries. Laurent Clerc was a deaf pupil at the Institution Nationale Des Sourds-Muets, a f amous deaf school in Paris founded by Charles de I’Epee in 1760. Laurent Clerc made a dynamic impact on Deaf Americans for generations to come by providing total access communication style of education. As the first teacher of the deaf in America heRead MoreChloe Ziff . Professor Gary Rosenblatt. April 13, 2017.991 Words   |  4 Pagescentury. After a Pennsylvania, preacher named Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet had met a young deaf girl named Alice Cogswell, he set off to Europe to learn how to educate her. There he met Abbe Sicard and Laurent Clerc who taught him ways in which they educated deaf children in Paris. Gallaudet brought Clerc back to the United States where they founded the American School for the Deaf in 1817. Gallaudet is a school where deaf people came to get educated. After they had learned ASL, they spread across theRead MoreSigns Of The Deaf Community Sign Language1279 Words   |  6 Pagesmanner of communication with the deaf. His essays showed his own system of language for the deaf including an alphabet and a series of studies on phonetics (Duchan). Moving forward, we meet two men named Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc. Gallaudet and Clerc are the men most responsible for the sign language in America (Rosen). During the 18th century sign languages started developing throughout France and America and by the time 1885 rolled around Juan Pablo Bonet’s findings were finallyRead MoreI Am A Future Speech Language Pathologist1307 Words   |  6 Pageslanguage. As well as according to Delaporte and Shaw (2011) linguists and anthropologists have long argued that LSF influenced the majority of the ASL lexicon. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc brought LSF to the United States in 1817 when they opened the American School for the deaf. Gallaudet brought Clerc to the United States after spending years looking for sign language guidance throughout Europe. According to Gallaudet University’s biography, Thomas fell into deaf culture, around 1814