Hey everyone!
We just wanted to make a post to let everyone have as reference for more in depth facts and accomplishments of our historical figures!
Laurent Clerc:
(1785-1869)
·
Born December 26th, 1785 in La
Blame-les Grottes, France.
·
He came from a family of royalty.
·
His father, Joseph was the mayor of their
village and his mother’s father was a magistrate in another town.
o
Overall, his family knew and practiced law.
·
At age one, fell from his high chair into the
kitchen fireplace.
o
Right cheek severely burned
o
Fever
o
Senses of hearing and smell were damaged
·
His name-sign comes from the scar on his right
cheek from there to his mouth.
·
His parents tried different treatments to
restore his hearing.
·
The next 11 years, he stayed home tending to
their farm.
·
He did not go to school or learn to write.
o
Once he was deaf, he did not have an educator or
a mode of communication.
·
At age 12, he was sent to the institut National
des Jeune Sourds-Muets, the first public school for the deaf in the world.
·
Abbe Margaron tried teaching him to pronounce
words.
o
He had difficulty and resulted in receiving a
violent blow under the chin.
§
This caused him to swear he would never speak
again.
§
This gave him the belief that signing is the
best method of communication for deaf students.
· In London, Thomas Gallaudet was introduced to Clerc.
o
This is when he was invited to attend their
classes at the Institution in Paris and he accepted.
·
Clerc gave private lessons to Gallaudet and
became his “master teacher”
o
This caused him to ask Clerc to come with him to
America to establish a school of the deaf there. He was 28 years old.
·
In 1816, Clerc and Gallaudet left for America on
a voyage that lasted 52 days.
o
Gallaudet taught Clerc the English language and
Clerc taught him signs.
·
The day they arrived in Hartford, CT. He met
Alice Cogswell this same day.
o
They communicated with sign association. This
motivated him more.
·
Through speeches from October 1816-April 1817,
speeches were delivered and brought thousands of dollars to support the
foundation of building a new school.
·
On April 15, 1817, the American School for the
Deaf opened for seven students with rented rooms.
o
Gallaudet was the principal, Clerc was the head
teacher.
o
Students filled the school within a year and
ages ranged from 10-51 years old.
·
Clerc later went to Washington D.C in 1818, to
gather support from Congress.
o
Here, he was introduced to President James
Monroe and applauded for his work.
·
In 1819 he became the first deaf individual to
address the Connecticut legislature.
·
In 1822, he was invited to be the acting
principal of the Pennsylvania Institution.
·
He taught for 50 years in 41 states.
·
He retired in 1858 but remained an advocate for
education.
·
In June 1864, at age 79 he was the guest of
honor at the inauguration of the National Deaf-Mute college, now known as
Gallaudet University.
·
On July 18, 1869, he passed away.
Anne Sullivan: (1866-1936)
·
Born April 14th, 1866 in Feeding
Hills, Massachusetts
o
Parents were poor, illiterate Irish immigrants.
o
Mother frail, suffering from tuberculosis
o
Father was unskilled and an alcoholic
·
In her early years she was unschooled and nearly
blind from untreated trachoma by age seven
o
Mother died when she was 8
o
Father was abusive
o
Two years later he abandoned his family
·
On Feb 22, 1876 Anne and her brother Jimmie were
sent to the state almshouse in Tewksbury, Massachusetts.
·
Her brother died a short time later, and she
spent four years at Tewksbury until she plead to leave and enroll in the
Perkins School for the Blind in Boston, Massachusetts.
·
At Perkins in 1880, she finally began her
academic education
o
quickly
learned to read and write.
o
She learned to use the manual alphabet to
communicate with a friend who was deafblind.
·
She had many successful eye operations while at
Perkins, which improved her sight significantly.
·
She graduated from Perkins in 1886 as
valedictorian.
·
The Keller family offered her to come to
Tuscumbia, Alabama to tutor their deaf, blind and mute daughter Helen.
·
In March of 1887 she began her lifelong role as
Helen Keller’s beloved teacher.
·
She taught Helen for 13 years
o
Accompanied her to Cambridge, Massachusetts in
1900 where Helen went to Radcliffe College.
o
Went with Helen to every class, spelling into
her hand all lectures, demonstrations, assignments.
o
Helen received bachelor of arts degree.
·
Met John Albert Macy at Radcliffe and fell in
love
o
Married on May 3, 1905
o
Separated 1914
·
Spent years after living in Wrentham,
Massachusetts and then in Forest Hills with Helen and Polly Thomson.
·
1916- Annes health began to weaken
o
Incorrectly diagnosed as having tuberculosis
o
Ordered to recuperate at Lake Placid – Polly
went with her
o
They soon left Lake Placid for the warmer
climate of Puerto Rico
o
Returned to Forest Hills when US entered WWI
·
The three women traveled widely in the US and
after WWI, other countries.
o
They gave lectures, performances, and appeared
in a film titled “Deliverance”
·
1924: Anne and Helen began to work for the
American Foundation for the Blind as advocates, counselors and fundraisers.
·
1930-1931: Temple University in Philadelphia, PA
wished to recognize Anne and Helens achievements with honorary degrees. Anne
accepted the honor.
·
1936: Died at home in Forest Hills, NY on Oct.
20 at the age of seventy.
