Google Doodle Celebrates 220th Birthday of Deaf French Educator Ferdinand Berthier; here's all you need to know
Click here! -After finishing his further schooling, Berthier returned to teach at the National Institute for the Deaf. By 27, he became one of the school’s most senior professors. -He had also organized 1st silent banquet for Deaf Frenchmen in 1834 and in the following years, women, journalists, and government officials also began to attend the annual event.
-Berthier also successfully petitioned the French government to create an organization ‘Société Centrale des Sourds-muets’ which represented Deaf community's interests. He later also pushed it to become a global organization. -According to Google, the first formalized group of this sort assisted in setting up adult education classes and mutual aid efforts for people with Deafness.
-After becoming a public figure through his initiatives, Berthier used his newfound fame to spotlight other inspiring Deaf people and teachings. -Google also states that Berthier also wrote books about the history of sign language, biographies about those who fought for Deaf rights. He often referenced sign-language poets as authors in his work.
-In 1849, Berthier became 1st Deaf person to be conferred with the Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur, France’s highest honor. -As per Google description, “Berthier remains one of the key activists for Deaf rights, and his efforts advanced education and perception of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community across Europe and America. Today, silent banquets are still held around the world." -His works also helped to raise awareness about the importance of sign language and Deaf culture, moreover it also helped to promote the use of sign language in Deaf education.
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