Descendants of Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, are contesting a recent revision of his historical designation in Canada, which cites his views on deaf individuals and selective breeding. The Canadian government's Historic Sites and Monuments Board has altered the wording of a commemorative plaque at the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site in Baddeck, Nova Scotia, and updated Bell's designation as a National Historic Person, a status he received in 1977.
The board's review concluded that Bell advocated for teaching deaf individuals to communicate through speech and lip-reading rather than sign language. It also stated that Bell was associated with the eugenics movement of the late 19th century and reportedly "argued against the intermarriage of congenitally deaf people," suggesting it could contribute to hereditary deafness.
Bell's descendants have strongly refuted these claims, asserting that the revised narrative relies on inaccurate information. Sara Grosvenor, president of the Alexander and Mabel Bell Legacy Foundation and Bell's great-granddaughter, stated that Bell supported individuals choosing their preferred communication methods and was not against signing. She also clarified that while Bell, as a scientist of his era, studied genetics, particularly in the context of animal husbandry, he did not advocate against marriage choices within the deaf community.
Edwin Grosvenor, Bell's great-grandson and an author, echoed these sentiments, noting that much of the information circulating about Bell is incorrect. He highlighted that Bell himself married a deaf woman, Mabel, and used sign language with her. He differentiated Bell's opposition to the then-prevalent method of signing, which involved spelling out words letter by letter, from modern sign language.
Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Alexander Graham Bell emigrated to Canada in his early twenties, patenting the first telephone in 1876. He lived in Nova Scotia until his death in 1922. The original plaque described him as a teacher, scientist, and inventor dedicated to the "benefit of mankind."