Talk:Alexander Graham Bell

Article milestones
DateProcessResult
February 4, 2014Peer reviewReviewed
On this day...Facts from this article were featured on Wikipedia's Main Page in the "On this day..." column on February 14, 2005, February 14, 2006, and February 14, 2007.


Semi-protected edit request on 22 September 2024

Change "Work with the deaf" to "Work with deaf people" as is preferred by the Deaf community.

Change "Throughout his life, Bell sought to integrate the deaf and hard of hearing with the hearing world" to "Throughout his life, Bell sought to assimilate the deaf and hard of hearing into the hearing world" [1]

Change " Ultimately, in 1880, the Second International Congress on Education of the Deaf passed a resolution preferring the teaching of oral communication rather than signing in schools." to " Ultimately, in 1880, the Second International Congress on Education of the Deaf passed a resolution mandating the teaching of oral communication and banning signing in schools." [2] ActuallyApathy (talk) 14:03, 22 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

 Done Cowboygilbert - (talk) ♥ 01:58, 27 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

References

Scottish born, Canadian-American?

He is Scottish, even if later he took American dual citizenship. He lived in Canada, but that does not make him Canadian. 108.48.121.130 (talk) 02:27, 21 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I agree. Even the main Canadian-American article does not apply to his citizenship/nationality. He's a Scottish inventor who lived in Canada and gained American citizenship after he invented the telephone. ~2026-13425-89 (talk) 00:34, 4 March 2026 (UTC)[reply]
I should recommend not to include multiple citizenship as per MOS:NATIONALITY. Absolutiva 00:06, 9 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Semi-protected edit request on 2 April 2025

In "Early Life" > "Education", a sentence is repeated.

Change:

> The next year, he attended the University of Edinburgh, joining his brother Melville, who had enrolled there the previous year. The next year, he attended the University of Edinburgh, joining his brother Melville, who had enrolled there the previous year.

To:

> The next year, he attended the University of Edinburgh, joining his brother Melville, who had enrolled there the previous year. 103.41.219.43 (talk) 04:49, 2 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

 Done meamemg (talk) 15:23, 2 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Semi-protected edit request on 6 November 2025

Remove "Bell did not support a ban on deaf people marrying each other, an idea articulated by the National Association of the Deaf (United States), but", it seems to violate WP:SYNTH, it also seems to violate WP:UNDUE because it singles out one source that stated this once. ~2025-30597-01 (talk) 04:27, 6 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

 Done It is also an issue that the source is a self-published blog. Day Creature (talk) 05:09, 6 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Clarification Needed

> Members of the Deaf community have criticized Bell for supporting ideas that could cause the closure of dozens of deaf schools, and what some consider eugenicist ideas. In his memoir Memoir upon the Formation of a Deaf Variety of the Human Race, Bell observed that if deaf people tended to marry other deaf people, this could result in the emergence of a "deaf race". Ultimately, in 1880, the Second International Congress on Education of the Deaf passed a resolution mandating the teaching of oral communication and banning signing in schools.

The current text is incomplete and incorrect. Specifically it is taking these statements out of context, and using them with modern language.

  • This is a false equivalency that Bell never made. Bell was against our modern form of sign language, because he prefered and actively supported Manual Alphabet (fingerspelling). Bell was opposed to sign language (and not other forms of hand communication) because it separated the deaf community from the hearing community.
  • The 1880 Milan Conference was not a general "ban on using hands"; it was a strategic strike against a specific linguistic system. It specifically mentioned the Oralism should be promoted, and that the Manual Alphabet should be prefered. It was not against hand communication, it was against a specific type of hand communication.
  • Bell had a more nuanced perspective which was for integration. He feared, not of a deaf race, but of the impact a lack of integration would occur on the deaf people. The "Deaf Race" quote is taken out of context of his actual speech (which is made publically) and that out of context statement is being used to make a point that is false. Bell wasn't opposed to special accommodations, he was a part of the debate on how to best teach the Deaf Community in a way that didn't isolate them. He felt sign language was too distant from the verbal forms of community.
  • The proposal was not about limiting access (or closing schools) but about integration. The closure of deaf only schools is still highly debated, as many do not want us to lose access to our wonderful deaf communities.

Bell today, would not be associated with the modern Eugenics movement, he would be classified as someone who wanted to promote integration, not expulsion. Today he would be opposed to Eugenics and instead be labeled a person with an interest in Genetics and Hereditary. The "Eugenics" term has specifically changed, and become more narrow. This changing of definitions is why some in the Deaf community are confused by his positions. Though if they actually looked at what he said, they would have a lot less problems with it.

~2025-41720-62 (talk) 14:29, 27 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

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