French-American educator (1785–1869)
Laurent Clerc was a pioneering French-American educator who introduced French Sign Language to the United States and played a crucial role in establishing deaf education. As a deaf teacher himself, he co-founded the first permanent school for the deaf in North America, now known as the American School for the Deaf, alongside Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet. Clerc's pedagogical methods and dedication significantly shaped the development of American Sign Language and deaf culture in the United States.