The Life and Times of the French Deaf Leader, Ferdinand Berthier: An Analysis of His Early Career

By studying the early career of the deaf intellectual, Ferdinand Berthier, we can better understand the social and cultural interests of the early French Deaf community. Berthier was a pioneer for deaf education and the use of sign language in the 1820s and 1830s. He defended the work of his teacher and mentor, Auguste Bébian, the linguist who systematized the study of French sign language. Berthier was also instrumental in forging a greater Deaf community by instigating the banquet movement that annually celebrated the birthday of Abbé de l’Epée. However, Berthier’s longer-lasting contribution to his community would be to provide French deaf people with a sense of their own history through his diverse writings. It is apparent that Berthier consciously molded a deaf identity for future generations of deaf French people.