Sign language
The sign alphabet created by Charles-Michel de l'Épée, however, is not the origin of French Sign Language, the sign language that has influenced many other sign languages around the world. Even before Charles-Michel de l'Épée started teaching deaf people, they already used Old French Sign Language, and could read and write in French. This was a great advance, because it proved that deaf people could be educated and didn’t needed speech to think and learn.