The plaque reads:
“The Alexander Graham Bell Building
Only six years before his death, Alexander Graham Bell looked back over his amazing life and wrote: “Recognition of my work for and interest in the education of the deaf has always been more pleasing to me than even recognition of my work with the telephone.”
A brillant and innovative teacher of the deaf, Bell dedicated a great portion of his life to help deaf children develop their potential for listening, speaking, and lipreading.
Today, NTID emulates the ideals for which Alexander Graham Bell worked.”
I wrote an opinion piece which was published in RIT’s student publication. Its last sentence reads:
“Should there be a plaque pledging that NTID not only honors this man but also seeks to emulate his ideals as stated in the bronze?”
See why I wrote the piece? To summarize its point:
- Alexander Graham Bell believed Oralism was the ONLY way to teach deaf students
Whether or not you are a supporter of oralism, you very well know oralism is NOT the only way to teach deaf students.
And NTID emulates this ideal? Do you see the contradiction?
Getting this far strongly warrants a new plaque christened with re-wordings to reflect NTID’s communication diversity in today’s time and age.
But is that all Bell was about? He stood before the United States legislatures and proposed a law that, if passed, would have prevented you from having children! Yes, you too, who speak …orally. Bell wanted to wipe off the earth of oral people. He so firmly believed in the ideal that he was head of the Eugenics Section at American Breeders Association. Bell’s name is a permanent part of the Wikipedia definition for Eugenics. Delete his name, and it will be put back promptly.
If Bell had succeed in passing the sterilization law, there would be no deaf students for who NTID is founded. The irony.
Alexander Graham Bell did not believe deaf people were equal to those who could hear. He wanted to take away your rights. You could then not choose. He wanted to forcefully invade your body. On par with Adolf Hitler’s concentration camp experiments, Bell wanted to modify you so that you could not create what is one of the most beautiful creations on Earth–new life.
NTID emulates this? An organization bearing his name still exists?
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Posted on October 31st, 2007 by tayler
October 31st, 2007 12:26 pm
i have a question .. AGB and his wife - did they have children?
October 31st, 2007 12:36 pm
forgive me - yes they had four children - two daughters and two sons (both sons died in infancy) strange Alexander married Mabel herself Deaf - while same time preaching sterilzation. wonder if same idea as Adolf Hitler, i understand he was short, and maybe have jewish background — but enforced racial supremacy.
must be delusions of grandeur.
i hope that NTID will review the plaque and remove it. it is a blight on Deaf history.
October 31st, 2007 1:08 pm
To the best of my recollection way back in the late 1960s, Mr. Lloyd Ambrosen, superintendent of my alma mater at Maryland School for the Deaf, told me that Gallaudet’s audiologist Dr. Robert Frisina (spelling ?) invited him to join him in building the excelsoir of the NTID “to beat Gallaudet in 20, 30 years. Yes, I have witnessed excellent NTID products yourself included, Tayler!
But what I did not know at that time was that Dr. Frisina is closely affiliated with AGB until last year.
It is entirely up to you and the NTID alumni to remove the plaque.
October 31st, 2007 1:21 pm
When Bell proposed the sterilization law, he did not target the NTID community. He targeted Deaf America. The whole deaf community has a responsibility to remove his name wherever it is wrongfully honored.
October 31st, 2007 1:32 pm
[...] happened upon Tayler’s post about the name of one of RIT/NTID’s residential buildings, the Alexan…. Commonly known as Tower C, its first floor is the campus daycare center, while its second story is [...]
October 31st, 2007 1:57 pm
even with sterilization, there will still be deaf/hoh people at NTID. Remember it is 8 to 10 percent of us who are carriers of the genes that causes hearing loss.
yes, it would be appropriate to remove the plague as the times have changed. Its a matter of respect to all kinds of deaf/Deaf/hoh people.
October 31st, 2007 2:17 pm
Good point, anna s. In 2000, NTID had approximately 1,400 students. 10% of 1,400 is 140 students. It is “spooky” (Happy Halloween!) to think what Congress would do if there was a 10% drop in enrollment.
And if Bell successfully integrated oralism in deaf classrooms across America, these students wouldn’t need to enroll at NTID. That’s assuming oralism as a successful teaching tool. Another reason NTID would—potentially—cease to exist.
October 31st, 2007 2:30 pm
Don’t forget that Bell did not want both Deaf man and Deaf woman to get married. Irony!!
I am surprised that his Bell’s name is on the building. I missed to read his name! Yeah, I did not know much about his history except the phone while I was NTID student in early 80’s. There was plenty of students used ASL. Then why use Bell’s name who was against ASL? That is strange for NTID to use his name.
Bell’s name should be removed soon. So more respect to deaf community.
October 31st, 2007 2:34 pm
A page by RIT about Building 50C - named after Alexander Graham Bell.
October 31st, 2007 2:46 pm
Tayler,
Please correct me… you mean RIT, not NTID decided to have Bell’s name on the campus?
Thank you for information about Bell’s building.
October 31st, 2007 3:50 pm
Hi,
I went to NTID for a year (my first year), and I never knew a plague such like this there. The name of AGBell should be removed, no matter what!
I heard that NTID was orginally set up for oralists only. Then the government rejected the idea and would support if any Deaf students instead of oralists alone. So…
Thanks for bringing this up to our attention! deafk
October 31st, 2007 7:41 pm
Oh, also Bell is not the inventor of the telephone anymore. Actually, Mecuri (sp?) did invent that. So time to rid of Bell’s name for good.
October 31st, 2007 9:15 pm
Tom, NTID is one of RIT’s colleges. The Alexander Graham Bell Hall is a RIT building, but its dorm rooms are occupied by mostly NTID students. It is located in close proximity to the Lyndon B. Johnson Building, NTID’s main building.
November 20th, 2007 12:18 am
DESTROY that plaque!!!
December 19th, 2007 3:01 am
[...] would not have wanted the honor, the plaque, the NTID building named after him. The plaque’s inscription could not have stated it any better, that his work in deaf education was his true passion, however, [...]
March 13th, 2008 10:50 am
Though it may be that AGBell had good intentions in his actions, and believed that what he enforced would have a positive influence on Deaf people, it is obvious that his actions have affected a good majority of the Deaf population in a negative, irreversible way. This man erred in his judgment. He is not a Deaf Iconic Figure. It should not be displayed that this historical figure posed a positive influence on Deafness in anyway, except to promote the appreciation for a language almost lost on his part. Due to this fact, the plaque should be removed.
May 21st, 2008 8:24 am
It is obviously audists….Dr. Frisina and Dr. Castle are the ones who manipulated NTID to their wishes to help AG Bell Association. It reeks audism at best!!!! I won’t forget those years at NTID under them!