Around 1760, the first public school for the deaf was launched by the Abbé Charles Michel de l’Épée in Paris (Eastman 300).” After this amazing advancement in the history of sign language, progress was very stagnant for about the next 150-200 years. From 1850 to 1990, medicinal and technological studies advanced greatly, especially concerning special education and handicap accessibility. Businesses have installed handicap services that were not available before. Job discrimination laws have been created to dispense with unfairness in the workplace concerning disabilities. About 13% of the US population, according to the Gallaudet Research Institution, is deaf or hard of hearing as of 2014. One might ask “So how do they communicate with others if they cannot hear?” The deaf community has a language that is not spoken, but seen. American Sign Language is the third most used language in America (Collins 4).
