Google, on Saturday, paid a tribute to the “Father of the deaf” – Charles-Michel de l’Épée on the occasion of his 306th birth anniversary by creating a memorable doodle. He devised a visual pedagogy for teaching the deaf. This discovery, later, became the cornerstone of teaching the hearing impaired.
l’Épée was born to an architect in 1712 in Versailles, France. He studied theology and law but his compassion for the poor and destitute led him to devote his life to their service. Further, his benevolent nature made him tutor two deaf sisters in the slums of Paris. This was his tryst with the hearing-impaired where he formulated a sign language to communicate with them. Eventually, he developed a visual pedagogy to teach the deaf that became a boon for countless lives.
He even built an institution for the deaf called Nationale des Sourds-Muets à Paris with his monetary inheritance. For all his efforts to uplift mankind, he was recognized as “Benefactor of Humanity” by the French National Assembly.
