1. The Abbe Charles Michel l’Epée
Also known as: “Father of the Deaf”

3. "Every deaf-mute sent to us already has a language," he wrote
"Every deaf-mute sent to us already has a language," he wrote. "He is thoroughly in the habit of using it, and understands others who do. With it he expresses his needs, desires, doubts, pains, and so on, and makes no mistakes when others express themselves likewise. We want to instruct him and therefore to teach him French. What is the shortest and easiest method? Isn't it to express ourselves in his language? By adopting his language and making it conform to clear rules, will we not be able to conduct his instruction as we wish?"

4. His life at a glance: Born on November 24, 1712 in Versailles, France
Studied to be a catholic priest
Passed the bar to become a lawyer
Moved back to Paris to help the poor
Ended up meeting two sisters who were Deaf.
Established a free public school for the Deaf.
Died December 23, 1789 as a pauper.

5. His life as an educator:
Created a formal signing system for the French Deaf.
Held a school in his own house (40 students at one point).
Founded "Institution Nationale des sourds-muets de Paris"
Funded his school up until his death
Inspired the creation of 17 schools for the Deaf

6. His impact then and now:
Threw the superstitions out of the window
He chose to focus on communicating with his Deaf pupils through sign language
Gave people a way to teach Deaf people speech skills
His successor was the ones to teach prominent men in American Deaf history
If it weren’t for him, who knows how long it would take before Deaf people were allowed the right for equal education?

7. Citations
Berke, J. (2014) Deaf Education Pioneer - Abbe Charles Michel De L'Epee. Retrieved from
Charles Michel de l' Epee. (n.d.). Retrieved from
Deaf Awareness: Week 3. (n.d.). Retrieved from
Knight, Kevin.  The Catholic Encyclopedia (Vol. 5). New York: The Catholic
Encyclopedia.Retrieved from
Lebars, J. (1909). Charles-Michel de l'Epée. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert
Appleton Company. Retrieved April 11, 2016 from New
Advent: 
Poor, G. (1974). American Sign Language: Roots and History. Retrieved from
The Abbe Charles Michel de l'Epee - Gallaudet University. (n.d.). Retrieved from