The Lasting Impact of Bell

Stories and Perspectives

This section features interviews with faculty from NTID who share their knowledge on Deaf history, education, and language access. Their perspectives help connect past events to present experiences.

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Ben Jarashow

Senior Lecturer, NTID

"Many Deaf people were never taught their own language, culture, and history."

Ben Jarashow serves as a Senior Lecturer for the Deaf Culture Studies program at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. His work centers on amplifying Deaf history and cultural identity — subjects that have long been withheld from the very communities they belong to.

Deirdre Schlehofer

Associate Professor, NTID

"We must remember that every language is natural and should not be modified or manipulated."

Dr. Schlehofer coordinates the Deaf Culture Studies program in the Department of Liberal Studies at NTID, where she also serves as an Associate Professor. Her scholarship spans sociolinguistics and Deaf culture, and she currently teaches courses including Deaf Women Studies — bringing underrepresented perspectives to the forefront of academic study.

Denise Kavin

Faculty, Department of Liberal Studies

"The role of sign language — it is the anchor, and it is everything. To me, it is the core, and everything is around sign. Really, that is the heart of Deaf identity."

Denise Kavin is a faculty member in the Department of Liberal Studies at NTID, where she coordinates the BS program in Community Development and Inclusive Leadership. Her work focuses on building inclusive communities that honor Deaf identity, language access, and the transformative power of sign language.

History That Still Shapes Today

Click each event to expand.

March 3, 1847

Alexander Graham Bell Born

Bell family — historical photo

Born in Edinburgh, Scotland into a family focused on speech and communication. His mother was deaf, influencing his early interest in sound and teaching speech to the deaf.

1870

Bell Moves to the United States

Alexander Graham Bell with his family and friends (Library of Congress)

Bell moves to the U.S. and begins teaching deaf students. He focuses on speech and lip reading instead of sign language, establishing a philosophy that would define his life's work: that deaf people should be taught to speak and assimilate into hearing society.

March 7, 1876

Bell Patents the Telephone

Bell patents the telephone — March 7, 1876

Bell patents the telephone. His success gives him enormous influence, allowing him to promote his views on deaf education far more widely and fund his oralist advocacy for decades.

July 11, 1877

Bell Marries Mabel Hubbard

Bell with his wife Mabel Hubbard

Bell marries Mabel Gardiner Hubbard, who was deaf. They later have four children. Despite this, he continues to advocate for speech over sign language and opposes Deaf people forming communities.

September 1880

Milan Conference Bans Sign Language

Newspaper headline — Milan Conference, 1880

Educators vote to ban sign language in schools. Oral education becomes dominant and deaf teachers lose their roles. Bell was a strong advocate for this movement. This decision shapes Deaf education for nearly 100 years.

1883

Bell Expands His Ideology

Alexander Graham Bell, c. 1883

Bell publishes ideas warning against deaf people marrying each other and forming communities — rooted in eugenicist thinking about preventing "a deaf variety of the human race."

1890

AG Bell Association Founded

Bell and Mabel at telephone landmark plaque, 1916

The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is established to promote speech and listening education. It continues to support oral methods and influence deaf education policy to this day.

1880s–1900s

Sign Language Removed from Schools

Oral speech lesson, New York School for the Deaf

Following the Milan Conference, many schools remove sign language. Deaf students are forced to rely on speech alone, limiting full language development. Deaf teachers are almost entirely pushed out of the profession.

Early 1900s

Impact on Deaf Students

Speech training — Gallaudet University Archives

Many deaf students struggle with learning and communication. Without access to sign language, language development is significantly delayed. Deaf teachers are almost entirely pushed out of schools, reducing representation in education.

1960

William Stokoe Proves ASL Is a Real Language

William Stokoe, linguist who proved ASL is a real language

Linguist William Stokoe publishes research proving that American Sign Language is a complete, fully structured language with its own grammar and syntax. This begins to change attitudes toward Deaf education worldwide.

Late 1900s

Sign Language Returns to Schools

Deaf students reacting to Gallaudet protest, late 1980s

Schools begin reintroducing sign language. Deaf culture gains recognition, and bilingual education starts to grow. The Deaf community begins reclaiming its identity and language after nearly a century of suppression.

Today

The Debate Continues

Deaf child with cochlear implant in bilingual classroom — today

Debates about speech versus sign language continue. Some deaf children still face limited language access early in life. Language deprivation remains a documented crisis. Bell's legacy lives on through institutions and policies that continue to shape how society responds to deafness.

Experience Language Restriction

This activity gives you a glimpse into what deaf students experienced during the oralism era. The goal is not to replicate deafness, but to help you feel the frustration caused by restricted communication.

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Ignorance

Sometimes ignorance doesn't look like cruelty — it looks like celebration. The example below shows how a major institution can honor Bell's legacy while remaining unaware of, or indifferent to, the harm that legacy caused the Deaf community — and the irony that follows.

AT&T celebrates 150 years of the telephone — and donates to the Bell Legacy Foundation

In March 2026, AT&T marked the 150th anniversary of Alexander Graham Bell's first telephone call by proudly tracing its origins back to Bell Telephone Company. The company donated $150,000 to the Alexander and Mabel Bell Legacy Foundation, describing Bell as a "founding innovator" whose genius "changed the world."

What the celebration leaves out: Bell was also a leading advocate for oralism — the movement to ban sign language from Deaf education — and held eugenicist views about Deaf people. Honoring Bell's legacy without acknowledging this history erases the suffering of generations of Deaf children who were denied access to their natural language.

Source: AT&T — 150 Years of the First Telephone Call (2026)

The Irony: AT&T also supports Gallaudet's football program

At the same time, AT&T is a proud sponsor of the Gallaudet University Bison football team. They developed the AT&T 5G Helmet — the first helmet designed for Deaf and hard of hearing players — using augmented reality and 5G technology to help coaches communicate with players on the field in real time.

The helmet was approved for NCAA play in 2024. Gallaudet even invented the huddle in 1894 as a way to communicate without opponents reading their signs.

So AT&T donates money to an organization honoring the man who fought to silence Deaf people — while also funding technology that helps Deaf athletes compete. The contradiction is right there, side by side.

Source: AT&T 5G Helmet — Gallaudet University

Take Action

Learning about history is important, but what we do next matters even more. Here are simple ways you can support language access and the Deaf community.

Learn More and Get Involved

These organizations support Deaf education, language access, and the Deaf community. You can explore their work and learn more.

National Association of the Deaf

NAD

Advocates for the rights of Deaf and hard of hearing individuals, including language access and education.

nad.org

LEAD-K

LEAD-K

Focuses on ensuring deaf children have full access to language from an early age.

lead-k.org

Gallaudet University

Washington, D.C.

A leading university for Deaf and hard of hearing students, promoting Deaf culture and education.

gallaudet.edu

National Technical Institute for the Deaf

NTID at RIT

Provides education and resources for Deaf and hard of hearing students at RIT.

rit.edu/ntid

Communication Service for the Deaf

CSD

A Deaf-led organization providing interpreting services, technology solutions, and social ventures that advance the Deaf community.

csd.org

American Society for Deaf Children

ASDC

Supports and empowers families raising deaf and hard of hearing children by promoting full language access and Deaf identity.

deafchildren.org

These are just a few organizations. There are many others working to support the Deaf community and promote language access.

Teaching Resources

Downloadable materials for educators organized by grade level.

References and Acknowledgments

This project is supported by historical research, academic sources, and contributions from NTID faculty.

• Baynton, D. C. (1996). Forbidden signs. University of Chicago Press.
• Lane, H. (1984). When the mind hears. Random House.
• Padden, C., & Humphries, T. (1988). Deaf in America. Harvard University Press.
• Stokoe, W. C. (1960). Sign language structure. Studies in Linguistics.
• Van Cleve, J. V. (Ed.). (1993). Deaf history unveiled. Gallaudet University Press.
• AT&T. (2026). AT&T celebrates 150 years of connecting. about.att.com
• AT&T. (2024). AT&T 5G Helmet. more.att.com/5g/helmet
• Wikimedia Commons. Alexander Graham Bell with his family and friends.

Image Sources

• William Stokoe — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Stokoe
• Alexander Graham Bell in love — nationalgeographic.com
• The history of Alexander & Mabel Bell — visitbaddeck.com
• The consequential, curious, and complicated life of Alexander Graham Bell — dailycitizen.focusonthefamily.com
• Ahoy — Alexander Graham Bell and the first telephone call — sciencemuseum.org.uk
• Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing — en.wikipedia.org
• Language and identity in the 1800s — Deaf students denied use of sign language — gallaudet.edu
• The struggle between natural and normal — gallaudet.edu
• Tennessee School for the Deaf through the years — knoxnews.com
• Alexander Graham Bell with his family and friends — commons.wikimedia.org
• 10 things you may not know about Alexander Graham Bell — history.com
• Signs of diplomacy — International Day of Sign Languages — state.gov
• The Invention of Miracles by Katie Booth (review) — nytimes.com