Alexander Graham Bell was an advocate who held both positive and problematic views of the deaf community. He was a deaf educator and a strong advocate for finding ways to help the deaf succeed with language. He was also a great supporter of Montessori Education. In fact, he and his wife Mabel sponsored one of the first Montessori schools in the United States and hosted a large reception for Maria Montessori when she visited the United States in 1913.
Given Bell’s unique influence and involvement in the world of Montessori and in the deaf community, it seemed only fitting when Alexander Graham Bell Montessori School (AGBMS) (located in Wheeling, IL) was founded in 1986 by a group of five families with deaf children that celebrated his legacy by becoming his namesake.
The founding families originally established a not-for-profit organization known as Alternatives in Education for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Individuals (AEHI). AEHI advocated for the use of a special mode of communication for the deaf called Cued Speech, a system of hand cues which, when used in conjunction with the natural mouth movements of speech, provides deaf and hard-of-hearing (HoH) children with 100% clear visual access to the sounds of any spoken language. The families experienced much success using cued spoken English with their children at home and were eager for them to receive the same cueing at school as well. They recruited a teacher of the deaf who was trained in Cued Speech and a certified Montessori guide who was willing to learn to cue and together they founded AGBMS.
Furthering the Founding Mission of AGBMS
The opinions expressed in Montessori Life are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of AMS.