Schools for the deaf

The first school for the deaf was established in France during the 18th century, in 1771 by Charles-Michel de l'Épée.

[2] It was the first school for teaching Deaf and Mute people in the United States; however, it closed in 1816.

[3] The American School for the Deaf, in West Hartford, Connecticut, was the first school for the deaf established in the United States, in 1817, by Thomas Gallaudet, in collaboration with a deaf teacher, also from France, named Laurent Clerc with support from the well-known Hartford Cogswell family.

[4][5] Thomas Gallaudet spent time in Paris observing French Sign Language and education at The National Institute for the Deaf.

Gallaudet University courses are made specifically for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students, making it the only institution of high education designed that way worldwide.