U.S. #2783
29¢ Recognizing Deafness
Issue Date: September 20, 1993
City: Burbank, CA
Quantity: 41,840,000
Printed By: Stamp Venturers
Printing Method: Photogravure
Perforations: 11.5
Color: Multicolored
As many well-known individuals such as Ludwig van Beethoven, Helen Keller, and Marlee Matlin have proven, deafness need not hinder one’s achievements. Thanks to the work of pioneers like Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Alexander Graham Bell, deaf people lead very rich and fulfilling lives.
U.S. #2784
29¢ Sign Language
Issue Date: September 20, 1993
City: Burbank, CA
Quantity: 41,840,000
Printed By: Stamp Venturers
Printing Method: Photogravure
Perforations: 11.5
Color: Multicolored
In the mid-18th century, Frenchman Charles Michel became the first educator to develop a system of spelling out words with a manual alphabet and using simple signs to express whole concepts. From his system developed the French Sign Language, a precursor of American Sign Language (ASL). The fourth most common language in the United States, ASL is used by more than 500,000 deaf people in the U.S. and Canada to express their ideas, thoughts, and emotions.
One such frequently used sign is the “I Love You” sign, which actually combines three letters from the manual alphabet (where finger positions represent each letter of the alphabet) to form one sign.