05.01.01 Siepee’s Monastery
46th Clip - Title: Finding Monks - (04:03 mins - 4:18:20 hours)
This first clip of chapter 5 is posted to give more recognition to Etienne de Fay, one of the earliest deaf teacher of the deaf in history. Even though the history of deaf education began in Spain in the 1500’s, barring more discoveries might be made, the world’s first deaf teacher of the deaf was probably Etienne de Fay from France. More on him below.
Enjoy the first clip of Siepee’s Monastery where VisMa, flying westward, sought help to raise the Deaf Child.
Click here for YouTube if above undownloadable, too slow to download, or wanting a full screen.
Deaf History Commentary: In this clip VisMa observed one monastery, convinently put together as one in the myth, which actually are several monasteries, first in Spain and then in France (possibly other places).
The world knew that the first teacher of the Deaf was Abbe de l’ Epee, partly the namesake of the title of this chapter. As Bernard Truffaut reported in his research, Etienne de Fay actually taught deaf students some 40 years before Epee started teaching the deaf (focus of the next clip, 05.02). Here is what we know of our first deaf teacher.
Etienne de Fay was born deaf around 1669, apparently from a noble family. At the age of 5, he was placed in the Abbey of Saint-Jean d’ Amiens where he stayed for the rest of his life. In the abbey (or monastery) de Fay learned reading, writing, arithmetic, mechanic drawing, architecture, a remarkable feat for a deaf person at that time. There are written testimonies that he was skilled in communicating with sign language (remember that was some 50 years before Epee in Paris). When the abbey expanded, he drew architectural plans on which portions were built. The walls and the plans survived today.
Several deaf children were placed under the tutelage of Etienne de Fay. The first glimmer of deaf history began when a famous deaf person, Azy d’Etavigny, was first taught by de Fay before going on to become the pupil of the famous French oralist, Jacob Periere. The venerated Abbe de l’ Epee knew of Periere and his famous pupil and started the world’s first public school for the deaf around the same time (the main focus of chapter 5 - Siepee’s Monastery).
There is a deaf history organization based in Orleans, France named Association Etienne de Fay. Click here to go to their website.
Bibliography:
Truffaut, Bernard. (1993) Etienne de Fay and the History of the Deaf. From Fischer and Lane (editors) Looking Back: A Reader of Deaf Communities and Their Sign language. Hamburg: Germany. Signum Press. pages 13 - 24.
Thank you so much Charles for sharing the history with all of us. I never realized until today that Abbe de l’Eppe was not the first teacher of the deaf. It was about 50 years before his time, a deaf person was known as the first teacher of the deaf, Etienne de Fay!
I am still learning and learning.
I realized that there are over 80 percent of deaf children in public schools across the America, and I am wondering how many of them really have an access to Deaf History?
I am talking more than just a teacher who gives a books of Helen Keller, Alexander Graham Bell, Ludwig Beethoven and Thomas Edison? These children deserve much more than that.
My very first exposure to ‘deaf history’ was from a book of Alexander Graham Bell who invented telephone and has deaf wife. Imagine me being so ‘inspired’ by that by writing an essay about him at age of 8 that was published in yearly school yearbook? Boy, was I that naive? Or are these people around me were that naive too?
Then, I was ga-ga over Helen Keller - by watching Melissa Gilbert as Helen with Patty Duke as Anne in a made-for-tv movie. I remember Kitty O’Neil, Lou Ferrigno, and Jeff Float.
Not until I became 17 years old, I started to realize that there are more Deaf role models when one Deaf young man introduced me this book, Deaf Heritage written by Jack Gannon.
Even learned more when I enrolled Gallaudet.
Being in a part of the Deaf Community - there are MUCH more role models out there.
These children, today - deserves much more.
Amy Cohen Efron
Comment by abcohende | May 12, 2008