Thomas Gallaudet

Biography

Thomas Gallaudet (1787-1851) was a pioneering American clergyman and educator best known for his foundational work in deaf education. He established the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1817, the first permanent school for deaf students in the United States. Gallaudet's commitment to providing educational opportunities for deaf individuals revolutionized American attitudes toward disability and established him as a humanitarian reformer whose legacy profoundly influenced the development of special education in America.