The academy for the deaf and dumb was founded in 1760 by Thomas Braidwood, who ran a private school for the teaching of mathematics. Braidwood was approached by a wealthy Leith merchant, Alexander Shirreff, who wanted him to teach his nine-year-old son, Charles who had been deaf since age 3. Braidwood succeeded and then took on his second student in 1765, and from then the school slowly expanded but the process was relatively slow and expensive.
In 1769, Braidwood suggested that a fund be established to help parents who cannot afford to pay these fees. This proposal was not taken upon until his nephew became Thomas' assistant in 1775.
This school taught pupils to write, finger spell, speak and lip-read and Braidwood is credited with devising a system of hand gestures, an approach which eventually evolved into the British Sign Language.
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