Laurent Clerc
Louis Laurent Marie Clerc (born December 26, 1785 in Lyon , † July 18, 1869 in Washington, DC , USA ) was a French deaf educator. He is one of the most important historical figures in the history of the deaf .
Laurent Clerc may have been able to hear from birth, but fell into a fireplace when he was a year old. As a result, he lost hearing and smell, and left a burned right side of his face. The later sign for him - his "name" with the pigeons - was based on this feature. At the age of 12, Clerc came to the National Institute for Deaf Children of the Abbé de l'Epée in Paris , where he was asked to remain as an assistant teacher after graduation.
He also taught the US Reverend Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet , the sign language . Gallaudet tried to set up a school for the deaf in the United States and was studying at the Paris National Institute. Clerc followed Gallaudet's request to return to the United States with him and set up a school there. Laurent Clerc became the first teacher after the establishment of the "Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons" (today's American School for the Deaf ) in Hartford and remained until 1858. He was also director of Pennsylvania for a short time School for the Deaf in Philadelphia . Although Clerc only wanted to provide help for a year, he stayed in the USA until his death in 1869.
literature
- Harlan Lane: Hear with the soul. The life story of the deaf and mute Laurent Clerc and his struggle for the recognition of sign language . Dtv, Munich 1990, ISBN 3-423-11314-6
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Clerc, Laurent |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Clerc, Louis Laurent Marie (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French deaf educator |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 26, 1785 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Lyon |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 18, 1869 |
| Place of death | Washington, DC , USA |