It was Charles-Michael Abee de L'Epee who founded Frances first school for the Deaf to achieve public support. Students came from all over the country, and each student had a language of his/her own. Daily interpersonal contact developed a conventionalized system of signs. L'Epee was concerned with the modification of existing FSL (French Sign Language) now called OFSL (Old French Sign Language), so it could be a vehicle for the use of correct French by his Deaf pupils. Thus was born Epee's System of Signs. He holds a place in history as the founder of organized education of Deaf people throughout the world. He eventually established 21 schools.
Laurent Clerc who was a famous pupil in Paris was America's first Deaf teacher for the Deaf, and brought OFSL to America. He and a man named Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet co-founded America's first school for the Deaf. Gallaudet had met an unschooled Deaf girl named Alice Cogswell whose father sent her to learn methods of instructing Deaf pupils in hope of teaching Deaf American children. So Gallaudet also traveled to France and that is where he first met a French lecturer Abbe' Sicard and studied with him. When he returned to America with Laurent Clerc, they co-founded the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut.
It was OFSL that found its way to America and history has recorded its great influences on ASL. Sixty percent of ASL signs are comprised of OFSL, either in concept or origin. The remainder is polyglot of Native American (amerind) of other Native signs brought from other countries.
ASL was Gallaudets' son Edwards' primary language, his mother was Deaf. Edward became principal for Columbia Institute for the Deaf and the Blind in Washington D.C. In 1864 congress passed a law stating this school as a National deaf-mute College, now known as Gallaudet College. Today Gallaudet is known as the first Liberal Arts University for the Deaf.
In 1880, oralism and lip reading was pronounced the appropriate way to communicate and signing became unacceptable. Hearing teachers replaced Deaf teachers, although sign wasn't being used in the classroom, Deaf people were still using it. In the 1950's William Stokoe was hired by Gallaudet to teach English Literature and ended up proving that sign was a language in itself. In 1960 he published Sign Language Structure and in 1965 the Dictionary of American Sign Language. His findings brought back the strong sense of community and the culture that the Deaf people had lost.
Information was obtained from: American Sign Language Dictionary on CD ROM by Martin L. Sternberg; Signing, How to Speak With Your Hands by Elaine Costello; and Signing Naturally by Ella Mae Lentz, Ken Smith and Cheri Smith
