The formal education of Deaf people began with the establishment of Charles-Michel de l’Epée’s National Institute for Deaf-Mutes (now known as the National Institute for Deaf Youth) in Paris in 1760. Epée adapted existing signs developed by the Deaf community in Paris into a formalized language which he taught to students from around the country. Although the National Institute was designed for Deaf students, Epée also allowed visitors to his classroom, offering many hearing people their first positive encounter with Deaf culture. He also established teacher-training programs for foreigners, leading to the establishment of other Deaf schools around the world.

One such trainee was Laurent Clerc, who used Epée’s French Sign Language to develop American Sign Language. Alongside Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, Clerc founded the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut in 1817. The following year, the American School for the Deaf became the first educational institution to be granted financial aid from the federal government, receiving an endowment of $300,000. Forty-seven years later, Gallaudet’s son, Edward Miner Gallaudet, established the National College for the Deaf and Dumb, now known as Gallaudet University.

The late 19th century saw a shift in Deaf education with the rise of oralism, a teaching philosophy that emphasized speech and lip-reading over sign language. This method dominated Deaf education following the Milan Conference of 1880, which followed Charles Darwin in declaring spoken language superior to sign language. This focus on oralism resulted in the marginalization of Deaf culture and sign language. The 20th century brought a resurgence of bilingual education, emphasizing the value of sign languages as independent, linguistically valid forms of speech. Advocacy from the Deaf community and research on language acquisition underscored the importance of early access to sign language. Today, both the American School for the Deaf and Gallaudet University are bilingual institutions, teaching in American Sign Language and written English.