Page "Manually Coded English" Paragraph 3

The different forms of Manually Coded English were originally developed for use in the education of deaf children, as their literacy in written English has been typically low compared to their hearing peers.

This educational method was popularised by Abbé Charles-Michel de l ' Epee who in the 1790s developed a method using hand-signs to teach a form of the French language to deaf children.

Education is still the most common setting where Manually Coded English is used ; not only with deaf students, but also children with other kinds of speech or language difficulties.