Alexander Graham Bell’s Quest to End Deafness

Alexander Graham Bell’s Quest to End Deafness

Constant Wonder

The Quest to End Deafness

Episode: The Quest to End Deafness

  • Apr 5, 2021 7:00 pm
  • 41:46 mins

Bell worked as an elocution teacher to help deaf people mimic speech and read lips in order to assimilate into the hearing world. He actively fought against the use of sign language, inadvertently causing the loss of language and identity for many deaf people. Our guest's deaf family members were directly impacted by the philosophies and practices he promoted. Guest: Katie Booth, writing instructor at the University of Pittsburgh and author of "The Invention of Miracles: Language, Power, and Alexander Graham Bell’s Quest to End Deafness" Please follow the link below for the transcript.