There is no founder of sign language any more than there is a founder of English or Russian or Chinese. The various sign languages in the world today evolved naturally. Who were the first people to sign in America? It may have been the native American Indians. Early explorers that discovered America came across native Americans communicating easily and freely in sign language.  1620, Juan Pablo de Bonet published the first book that taught sign language to the deaf. His writings were based on the work of an Italian physician, Girolamo Cardano, who stated that hearing words was not necessary for understanding ideas. He invented a code for teaching the deaf but his work was never put in to use until Jaun Pable de Bonet published his book. Until this point in history, deaf people were thought of as unable to reason of form ideas. As sign language spread, the deaf were not only gaining a form of communication but respect as well.

We feel that a child should be able to communicate to a deaf person certain important words from the Bible. Here are a few examples from the ASLD.

LOVE:Cross the closed hands over the heart with palms facing in.

CHRIST:The left "c" hand moves from the right shoulder to the left hip.

JESUS: The middle finger tip of the right hand touches the center of the left palm then the middle finger tip of the left hand touches the center of the right palm.

BAPTIZE:With both "a" hands in front of body, palms facing each other, dip the hands to the left and then back to the original position.
Hint: represents someone being dipped in the water.

PRAY:Both open hands with palms together move in a slight arc toward the body.

AMEN: The right "a" hand, thumb facing up, strikes the open left hand.

BIBLE:The middle finger of one hand touches the middle palm of the other, then this movement is repeated with the other hand. Palms together, in front of the body, open up as if opening a book.
Hint: The sign for Jesus and the sign for book.

COMMANDMENT:Tap the right "c" hand on the fingertips and then the palm of the open left hand fingers pointing up.

FAITH: Touch the forehead with the left index finger, then move both hands to the center of the chest while closing them to the "s" position, left hand on top of the right.

LORDS SUPPER:Move the right "l" hand from the left shoulder to the right waist. The right "and" hand touches the lips with the fingertips.