Who founded the first American school for the deaf alongside Laurent Clerc?

The founding of the first American school for the deaf, known as the Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons, was a collaborative effort between Thomas Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc. Gallaudet played a pivotal role in the establishment of the school, which was opened in 1817 in Hartford, Connecticut. He was instrumental in advocating for the education of deaf individuals and sought a method of instruction that would be effective for them.

Partnering with Laurent Clerc, who was a Deaf educator from France, Gallaudet's efforts directly influenced the methodologies and educational practices for teaching deaf students in the United States. Their collaboration laid the foundation for deaf education in America, blending the French sign language that Clerc brought with Gallaudet's insights into pedagogy. This significant historical event marked a vital step in promoting the rights and education of Deaf individuals in the U.S. and helped establish a sense of community and culture within the Deaf population.

The other individuals mentioned do not share the same foundational role in establishing the first American school for the deaf; their contributions to deaf education came in different contexts or later periods.