logo blue Deaf History -

Europe

1847 - 1922: Alexander Graham Bell (USA)

1847 - 1922: Alexander Graham Bell (USA)

Alexander Graham Bell (March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) was a Scottish-born American inventor, scientist, and engineer who is credited with inventing and patenting the first practical telephone. 

Bell's father, grandfather, and brother had all been associated with work on elocution and speech. Both his mother and wife were deaf, profoundly influencing Bell's life's work. 

His research on hearing and speech further led him to experiment with hearing devices which eventually culminated in Bell being awarded the first U.S. patent for the telephone, on March 7, 1876.

Beyond his scientific work, Bell was an advocate of compulsory sterilization, and served as chairman or president of several eugenics organizations.

Confessions

Zoom Focus: Confession

An historical drama (in BSL and English subtitles) set during Victorian England

Drama. Exploring issues in Deaf education, Confession’s central characters are inventor Alexander Graham Bell and his deaf wife, Mabel. The film looks at Bell’s anti sign language stance and shows the effect of his ideas on Deaf people.  What does Mabel think of all this?

Starring Sophie Stone as Mabel, this drama was directed by Julian Peedle-Calloo as part of the BSLBT’s Zoom Focus scheme.

Winner of Best Art Direction at Toronto Deaf Film Festival (2013)

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Graham_Bell

See all from: