Deaf People, Language, and Emancipation in Modern France, 1789-1914

Following the death in 1789 of Abbé de l''Epée, the first teacher of deaf pupils renowned in France and beyond, revolutionaries committed to founding national institutes for the education of deaf pupils. There was little doubt about their ability to integrate as full citizens and communicate fully in sign language and written French. One hundred years later, deaf writers and journalists were edi...