Ferdinand Berthier was a deaf educator, philosopher, and political organizer in nineteenth-century France, and one of the first advocates for deaf identity and culture.
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Berthier, who was born on September 30, 1803 in Louhans, Saône-et-Loire, initially attended the famed school for the Deaf in Paris as a young student in 1811, while the school was directed by Abbé Roch-Ambroise Sicard.
He was influenced by his teacher, Roch-Ambroise Auguste Bébian, a hearing man who had acquired French Sign Language and produced the first systematic study and defense of the language.
Berthier wrote volumes about deaf history and culture, highlighting deaf artists and sign-language poets of his period. He passed away on July 12, 1886, in Paris.
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Image Credit: Cultea
Who were the two men that influenced Berthier?
Berthier was struck by two important deaf students of the school who later became teachers: Jean Massieu and Laurent Clerc.
Who influenced Ferdinand Berthier?
He was influenced by his teacher Roch-Ambroise Auguste Bébian, a hearing man who had learned French Sign Language and published the first systematic study and defense of the language.


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