ABSTRACT:
This article aims to understand the education of deaf people in the 19th century in Brazil and describe the circulation of sign language at the Imperial Institute of Deaf-Mutes during that period. The Imperial Institute for Deaf-Mutes was founded in 1857 to educate deaf people in Brazil and for rehabilitation work. This study is a qualitative documentary and bibliographical research. Data were collected from primary sources, including Reports from Ministers and State Secretaries of the Empire and from the Directors of the Imperial Institute for Deaf-Mutes. We found evidences that sign language circulated at the institution and was present in teacher-student relationships. However, it did not appear in the institution's prescribed curriculum, due to oralism.
Keywords:
Deaf education; Brazilian Empire; Sign language