Jean Baptiste Massieu

Jean-Baptiste Massieu (1772–1846) was a French deaf educator and one of the early teachers at the Institut National des Jeunes Sourds in Paris. Deaf from childhood, he became a prominent figure in deaf education through his work with Abbé Roch-Ambroise Sicard, successor to Abbé de l’Épée. Massieu is especially remembered for concise aphorisms recorded in Sicard’s writings and used to demonstrate the expressive power of sign language and the intellectual capacities of deaf students. He also taught alongside, and influenced, Laurent Clerc, who later helped establish deaf education in the United States. Massieu’s legacy endures in the history of French Sign Language and deaf pedagogy.