History+of+Sign+Language

**__History__** 1750- Charels Mechel De L'Eppe a Preist establishes an association for the deaf that lived in Paris. 1771- L'Eppe establishes a public deaf school in Paris. 1788- L'Eppe complied a dictionary of French signs. 1816- Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, a hearing preist, tours Europe to study deaf culture and education. While studying in Paris, he met a man by the name of Laurent Clerc. Clerc was a student at L'Eppe's deaf school. Gallaudet and Clerc then teamed up and co-founded the American School for the deaf. 1864- Gallaudet founded Gallaudet College, a college made to accomodate deaf and partially deaf students.

Consulted [|http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/topics/history5.htm] by: Charles Blake Heisler __**Martha's Vineyard**__ What's Martha's Vineyard? (abbey) Ohhhh...so that's what Martha's Vineyard is. Thanks! ( : <-- LOL Isolation on the island of Martha's Vineyard caused genetic pooling, which then caused an increase of deaf children that were being born. 1/4 of residents on the island were deaf, compared to the nationwide 1/1000.  In the early 17th century, people in the Deaf community of county Kent Weald, England, moved to Martha's Vineyard. They brought with them "Kent Sign Language"  Kent Sign Language continued to develope and became known as Chilmark Sign Language.  By the late 18th century, French Sign Language and Chilmark Sign Language combined to form Martha's Vineyard Sign Language. <span style="color: #ff00ce; display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">In the 19th century, 1817 to be exact, the American School for the Deaf opened in Conneticut. Most of the children from Martha's Vineyard were removed from the island and sent to this school.

<span style="color: #ff00ce; display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">The students of Martha's Vineyard were sent in a group to this school in Hartford, Connecticut and they continued to learn they native language. TheThe New York Deaf community had an influence on Martha's Vineyard Sign Language and has contributed to the developement of American Sign Language.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Consulted [] by: William Cameron