Pierre Pélissier

Pierre Pélissier (22 September 1814 – 30 April 1863) was a pioneer for deaf education in France in the mid-19th century.

Born in Gourdon, Lot, he was a teacher of the deaf and also wrote a dictionary for an early form of French Sign Language in 1856.

He was the deputy secretary of the Central Society for Deaf Mutes in Paris in 1842.

In 1843, at age 29, he went to Paris to teach at the Imperial School for Deaf Mutes, where he taught until his death.

The following is an excerpt from one of his poems: Dans l'œil tu[1] mis tous les dons de l'oreille, Aux mains, la voix, dans le corps, des spirits: Et, par leur chant, couronnant ta merveille, Les sourds-muets se proclament tes fils.