Image of Reducción de las letras y arte para enseñar a hablar a los mudos
("Summary of the letters and the art of teaching speech to the mute")
by Juan Pablo Bonet, published in 1620
Sign language in some form has always been used by deaf people to communicate. Sign language as we know it began to develop in the 17th century. The first book that contained the manual alphabet was published in 1620 by Juan Pablo Bonet, a Spanish priest. This alphabet has influenced the sign language we know today.
In 18th century Paris, a man named Abbe Charles Michel de l'Epee developed a sign language specifically for the instruction of the deaf. L'Epee learned what is now known as Old French Sign Language, which the deaf people were using in their communities in Paris. Being a very creative person, he changed the signs a bit to make a new sign language that was closer to spoken French. Using this sign language as the basis for his educational system, he founded the first public school for deaf people in 1755. L'Epee was very open about his methods, and his work has also influenced sign language and deaf education today.