Written on the headstone in German and translated word for word in English:
1720 - 1790 Grundete 1778 in Liepzig die erste taubstummenschule der welt die ehre schuler sprechen lehrte.
1720 - 1790 Founded 1778 in Liepzig the first deaf mute school in the world in honor scholar teaching speech.
Anyone who know English and German, please feel free to correct my poor English translation of the German inscription by adding comments below. I will revise accordingly.
And let me expand on what was signed in the video way back in 1992.
The oral method before the 20th century were kept secret in fear of losing "business". Back then, teaching the deaf to talk was considered almost impossible and miraculous. The Heinicke family in Germany, the Braidwood families in England, and Jacob Periere in France did not freely share how they taught the deaf to speak because they did not want to lose "customers" to other schools who might copy their methods.
Epee and Sicard in France went the opposite. They freely shared their manual method. Thomas Gallaudet, fresh from America in 1814 visited the Braidwood school(s?) in England and did not have favorable impression (and reception). Later on, he met Sicard, Massieu, and Clerc in London. Gallaudet then went to the deaf school in Paris which resulted in bringing back Laurent Clerc to America. The rest is history.
We could go "what if" about the different outcome if Gallaudet brought the oral method from England. We should be grateful that the oral educators were secretive about their method!
For more information, see Harlan Lane's book, "When the Mind Hear".
