the history of french sign language...

and it's influence on american sign language. ( one of my summaries for class)

French Sign Language was not invented by Abbe de l'Epee. It was actually made by the French Deaf community sometime in the 18th century. A neighboorhood priest, Abbe de l'Epee became interested in helping two deaf girls. He wanted Deaf people to have access to education so they would be able to understand the sacrament. He did much research and was the first hearing person to go to the Deaf commuinty to learn it's language. He learned from the Deaf people and eventually opened the first Deaf school in Paris. He added his own signs to FSL, but they weren't liked among many and were eventually stripped to the "pure" FSL. Abbe de l'Epee's successor, Sicad, wrote two volumes on Deaf education. T.H. Gallaudet, from the US, wanted to help a young Deaf child. He went to London to learn from Sicad. One of Gallaudet's pupils, Clerc, went back to the US to help him open a school in Hartford called "The American Asylum for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb Persons". The French model inspired the american model and today ASL shows a distinct French influence.