Who Are The 'Defective Race'?! // Alexander Graham Bell [CC]

[@anastasia6940]

for my thirteenth birthday (last year), I saw a play called Silence about Alexander Graham Bell and his wife, Mabel. it showed the flaws in his ideas and how he mistreated the deaf community. The scenes from his wife's point of view were completely silent. they had captioned showings for both matinees and evening shows, and there were ASL interpreters at all showings. it was amazing, and one of the best plays I've ever seen!

[@internetchocolate6733]

That sounds amazing!!

[@Joe-mt7km]

@@internetchocolate6733 I know it sounds like magical experience

[@katrinadarwin]

That sounds incredible! I feel like plays in general but also this kind that play with sounds are a great way to learn information!

[@WetPaintBostik]

The inventor of the telephone was actually Antonio Meucci. Meucci didn't have the money to pay for the patent application process. Bell was accused of fraud and misrepresentation, he worked in the same laboratory where Meucci's working models had been stored.

[@klisterklister2367]

looked just up him. wow, bell was a shithead and a fraud! what a surprise!

[@mariantea9225]

Thanks for this.

[@kathleenking47]

However, BELL had the name.. He should've made a deal with meucci

[@SuperPooped]

“Many countries realised they were being colossal arseholes” OMG I LAUGHED SO LOUD!

[@Ourgrenni6164]

made me laugh out loud 🤣

[@blackk_rose_]

Omg, you saying deaf is not necessarily a disability reminds me of something: I am visually impaired but once I wear glasses, I see like anyone with good vision would. If I take them off, however, I cannot even use my laptop because my sight is that bad, I cannot read a book unless I hold it incredibly close which is not comfortable, I definitely cannot drive a car, I cannot read signs, I cannot see things on the floor like dog shit or twigs or puddles, etc. And like many deaf people don't want their hearing fixed, I also don't want my vision fixed because I'm used to this and the possibility of losing all my sight in the surgery is just not worth it when I have glasses to see anyway. But unlike other aids like wheelchairs or sign language interpreters, glasses are so normalised and accessible that nobody (including myself) ever sees people wearing glasses as disabled. Even though I'd have major problems without glasses and still encounter some problems that impair my sight when I'm wearing them, like them steaming up, when I want to go swimming, when there's heavy rain, when I misplace them, when they break and I don't have another pair - still I would never feel comfortable calling myself disabled based on that. So how many disabilities would not be considered as such if the aids necessary were more normalised and accessible? It's kinda mindblowing!

[@josievidal8464]

black rose awesome point!

[@souleaterevans4589]

Yeah, I'm in a similar place. My right eye has an issue that showed up around age 2 or 3 that makes the vision blurry and affects the appearance of the eye. It's a rare thing that I got surgery for, but it came back (yay!). It *could* be removed with a surgery, but it could just come back again, and I'm fine with the appearance and glasses do well enough in maintaining my vision. What's interesting is the idea that some people might think that my lack of vision is an undesirable trait. Or that some may not mind *my* condition since I can still see fine in one eye, but they wouldn't like the condition of someone with complete blurry vision *even though* we have the same vision layout (about 50% less than the norm), just distributed differently. Like, where do people draw the line? Jess is right, eugenics is complicated

[@JessicaPradoHanson]

This is so true, I have MS and for years I refused to use a cane or a wheelchair because I was self-conscious and insecure about it. So I would never leave the house and when I did it was harder to get around and I fell ALL the time. I looked like more of a moron falling all over the place and collapsing in the streets of Boston than I do walking with my cane or in a chair when a store has one. Now when I can afford it I am not against getting my own wheelchair so I can do more. Overall people are judging the wrong things because it is easier to pick on someone with no power than it is to hold the people accountable that we are actually upset at. 😂 It is overall so silly how I allowed the judgement of others to limit my life and I am so over it. After rape and abuseas a kid I now feel like my MS mentally saved me because challenges are really opportunities for us to see who we are. When I was young my parents made my life too easy and now I feel like I am in a better mental space than ever because of all I have had to overcome. It is also nice to see that maybe I too can have a career online and actually earn money. I make videos about my situation, and how I am coping with it all. I think communicating and sharing our truth gives us all opportunities to learn. I hope you have a beautiful day!

[@BattyButtercup]

asthma is similar to visual impairment: used to be considered disabling but, with accessories/assistance, is now considered along the lines of an allergy to pineapple or whatnot. there IS the awkward backlash when either (or both, in my own life) are considered small stuffs by MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS AND EDUCATORS when a person does not have access to aforementioned assistance &/or when a doctor assumes one child's coughing around cats means ANOTHER child is exaggerating having frequent asthma attacks. i was once, very memorably, rushed to the doctors one night due to being unable to breathe & that whole "just use your inhaler" mentality had given me a bonus ventolin overdose. Completely unprepared/overwhelmed at me, a young child with "holy crap asthma can be life-threatening?!!", the doctor stabbed me in the arm with a needle of... something & sent for an ambulance. Upon getting set up in the ambulance with breathing stuffs, a paramedic noticed the needle AND THAT IT WAS IN COMPLETELY A WRONG PLACE. i felt much better when the needle i'd been stabbed with was removed & went on to enjoy about three days in hospital recovering from overdosing on asthma medication. because of Above, i am cautious in minimalising ailments that are no longer stigmatized against because, weirdly, the lack of stigma means people have forgotten how dangerous some ailments WERE and STILL CAN be. so. adds a bit of awk grey to the historical disability versus modern disabilities but DOES make me profoundly grateful for government-subsidised medicines meaning that, for the vast majority, that which once was universally life-threatening AND stigmatised against is no longer necessarily either.

[@JessicaPradoHanson]

@@iwillroam you are so welcome. We can all learn more about life if we talked about the challenges that we have and how we cope with them. That's why I'm going to restart my channel soon and it's just all going to be really dedicated to how my life is and the trauma, pain Etc and how I cope with it because I see that I'm coping with things a lot better than a lot of people are and maybe I can actually make a career out of helping people with what I've learned. Whenever we go through these challenges that other people don't normally find in life we learn things that other people don't normally learn so we actually have very valuable wisdom that I think Society could benefit from. I hope that you are having a beautiful day and I spent you all so much love!

[@agypsycircle]

I actually choose to learn ASL as my foreign language in high school, I find it very beautiful and it’s great when I meet someone who is deaf and I have the ability to at least ask their name and how they’re doing!

[@Ameliamaemay1990]

My uncle is deaf and has a cochlear implant and it can “help” him when he’s trying to understand hearing people speak English. However, he often has to take it off because sounds give him bad headaches. So it helps but it also has its downsides. My uncle also enjoys being able to turn his implant off so he doesn’t have to hear people talk hahaha he finds trying to understand verbal speech super annoying and doesn’t like the sound at all. He likes to say “they went blah blah blah” when referring to a hearing person speaking quickly and then laughing (he has a wonderful sense of humour and loves to make fun of people who talk to him and assume he can hear them). I have learned so much from him, he is one of the most giving people I have ever met, I rented a room in his house for a while and never had to worry about making too much noise which was a bonus for both of us cause I’m a night owl and initially I was worried about keeping him up and he said “you could have a party and I wouldn’t know I’m deaf!!” And then laughed very hard, it was a wonderful learning experience for me! I am in love with ASL and have been trying to learn it with a lot of help from him (obviously haha) because it’s such a gorgeous language! He is definitely anything but “lesser” than any hearing person! Thank you for being such an amazing person and taking time to talk about something so hard. I know I am late to the party and I really hope you’re doing ok. Wishing you the best ❤️❤️

[@SC_jamesbond007jua]

I research about Total Communication. It was so risky because I had bad sign language, poor English, and a lack of speech in a mainstream school when I grew up there. My parents spoke Spanish and didn't even know how to sign language. I looked like I was a language deprivation. I wish they chose Cued Speech or Auditory/Oral for me instead of Total Communication. Elon Musk said “What’s the point of sign language in a video if you have substitutes? Am I missing something?” He is right because most deaf people couldn’t understand that closed captioning “illiteracy”. ASL is not great to teach deaf children or a bad education because they struggle how to read sentences. I am still unhappy if ASL exists in some public schools except deaf schools. Hopefully, cued speech will teach them instead in the future. Sigh poor deaf children 😢 STOP TEACHING SIGN LANGUAGE. CUED SPEECH IS THE BEST CHOICE INSTEAD! Sign language is risky because I remember a doctor gave me her note-taking and she wrote “Are you upset”. I didn’t know what a word was but I was 11. That’s a HUGE disappointment. My public school had a bad education, sign language is not English, and DELAY speech. I tried to encourage them to cued speech instead. There are new technologies such as cochlear implants and hearing aids, so sign language is not necessary for deaf children right now. By the way, today is 2024 not the 1800s. ASL is beautiful but it should NOT be taught to deaf children unless teenagers or adults because they will be illiterate if they can't read or have difficulty writing English maybe. I need to fix that timeline. Thanks for understanding.

[@kristamyles3801]

As a future genetic counselor who will, no doubt, be explaining implications of familial genetic disease to many prospective parents, I truly appreciate all you’ve said.

[@gnome5051]

Good luck moving forward! You'll do great.

[@dorissaclaire]

I think it makes it a lot easier for hearing people like me to understand if you compare deafness to something like being gay. Once I heard that some Deaf people view being Deaf as a blessing and not a disability. (This was in a religious setting) but it really confused me. I understood that if people who had this experience felt this way, then MY ignorant perception that being deaf is a disability must not be accurate. It took me a long time to understand how the absence of something that is so integral to my life (sound, heatings, speaking) could be totally normal and even part of someone else’s culture. It helps me wrap my head around it to compare it to being gay or being black. For me, being gay is part of my identity, my culture, and how I’ll raise my children and although sometimes I think my life would be easier if I was straight, I would never want someone else to take that away from me, or force me to give that part of my cultural identity up. Being Deaf isn’t a disease or illness that needs fixing, it’s just a way of expressing someone else’s unique experience of the world.

[@ChrisPage68]

The same goes for being Disabled. It isn't us who "need fixing".

[@AVAL2775]

1: while yes deaf and gay can be cultural, please dont compare the two as deafness can happen later in life through illness, gayness cannot 2: so your gonna raise your kids to be gay? ok im joking obviously your not gonna do that, but still careful with word choices mate 3: i actually agree, life chances are would be easier if i were straight as well, but im not and cause im not unlike allot of people my age, i have a loving relationship with a cute boy 4: while i do agree deafness isnt a disease, or illness, i would argue that things like hearing aids do make deaf peoples lives easier, when used in conjunction with sign language

[@swimmyswim417]

“He was very familiar with the Deaf community and taught deaf children-“ Aw, that’s cool. “-and wanted to wipe out deaf people.” Oh. Oh no.

[@ire1398]

He was FLUENT in ASL. He was an evil person full stop.

[@strangekat2840]

I think teaching deaf children to lip read and speak, as well as teaching sign language is the way to go. It allows the kids to both communicate with the outside world and have a connection with deaf culture. I also think that other kids should be taught sign language. My sister's primary school teaches sign language so that deaf people can communicate without assistance. I'm hard of hearing and I want to use hearing aids, but getting them from the NHS is really hard. I keep getting told to just pay privately, which I refuse to do. I find my lack of hearing is disabling. I love music and I find it hard to hear it clearly. I also find it hard to communicate and understand other people. I also suffer from tinnitus and that sucks. I can live with the hearing loss, but the tinnitus drives me mad.

[@bertasanchez9325]

I have Meniere's disease and this causes vertigo, (sometimes vomiting), hearing loss in my left ear, tinnitus in my left ear....and it was very difficult and depressing for me when I started experiencing difficulty hearing. I have needed a hearing aid for 2 years now...and finally am looking in to it. It is going to cost me $1,500.00 (American dollars). Insurance doesn't cover it because it is considered "cosmetic"!! Ugh. And like you...the tinnitus drives me nuts at times. 😔

[@milkduds9148]

Your comment is a year old, but in case you read this, you may find temporary relief from tinnitus by covering your ears with your palms with your fingers toward the back of your head. Then tap your fingers against the area where your neck meets your head for a couple seconds. When you remove your hands, the ringing should be gone for a bit. It personally works for me so I hope it works for you as well!

[@maitesoto1953]

I agree with you. I think that teaching hearing people to sign and Deaf people to lip read and speak is the best way to truly create an inclusive society. I think signing should be seen as simply a way of communicating alternative to speaking but not any less valuable, like writing

[@RiverWoods111]

@@milkduds9148 Thank you, that worked! I just tried it as the ringing was super loud in my ears!

[@iptfan45]

I am really sorry about the tinnitus.

[@del.bells.andbookshelves]

I had to pause the video when "she later threw a shoe at him" popped up. I was laughing so hard. All jokes aside, this is a fantastic video and I love your channel. 💚

[@thatfunnycripple]

“Who wants to be normal anyway, says the Deaf, disabled lesbian.” -Jessica, 2019 I love his video and all of your other ones. I am hearing and abled, but I am LGBT and I find your videos to be a great comfort and also a great resource to learn about other cultures (plus history facts? Sign me up!). Keep up the great work! Here’s to an amazing year!

[@jrgart5516]

Your voice is so beautiful and lovely to listen to, i wish my college professors spoke like you! Maybe then lectures would not be so excruciating 😂

[@laurannestevant2243]

so true ! it's more easy to learn english with her than in class 😅😉

[@Shatterverse]

Objectively, verbal communication has a higher bandwidth (speed of transmission of data) than signing. However digital communication is even higher bandwidth and nobody is suggesting we all communicate via cybernetic wireless telepathy-like transmission and ban speech. That might happen organically someday, but forcing it into people is how you get Borg. Nobody wants Borg.

[@tealkerberus748]

I'd take up faster, more reliable communication. I mean I do that already, when I type tweets and comments to people on the other side of the world. I type about as fast as I talk, but you don't have to be in the room to hear me.

[@sharonjones7929]

I was just wondering why you think speech has a higher bandwidth? As a hearing person who uses signing to communicate as often as speech I can assure you that signing is just as fast & efficient a way of communicating as speech.

[@politecat4236]

*The Borg have left the chat*

[@alysiaeroy]

This whole video and especially the last half really resonated with me. I'm autistic and the same types of things happen towards our community. I'm not someone who needs to be cured. Autism has completely shaped who I am and I wouldn't be me if I was neurotypical. The experts in autism are often people who are not on the spectrum. How can they possibly understand what a child or adult needs just because they have a family member who has been diagnosed. The same things happen with them trying to figure out how to "help" an autistic individual appear normal instead of teaching society how to understand an autistic person. Rant over. Thank you for always explaining things so clearly. The little bits of extra sash are very appreciated.

[@evacreswell7687]

I like how Bell said that about English being spoken in America, and at that time German was the primary language spoken in my home town, in America.

[@klavierbarrette]

I'm deaf in my left ear due to meningitis as a baby and I'd be TERRIFIED if I woke up with perfect hearing. Trying a hearing aid as a child made me feel so weird that I told my parents I didn't want it. It's just how I work. I can't imagine if someone who was totally deaf was suddenly able to hear. Thank you for this video, it's so informative 👏🏻

[@lunaudbjrg5457]

15 minutes late! I'm so glad you ended up making this rant, I saw the thumbnail and was like "OMG yes Jessica made the rant thing!!" I'm so here for your rants. Edit now that I've seen the video: This was super interesting and went on much more of a serious note than I had expected. Which is welcome because it's so important to talk about these issues and make them known. Also that 1 dislike is from the people in AGB that promote cochlear implants as a replacement for learning and understanding.

[@EmilyDeArdowriting]

I became deaf because of medications , so, like you, I was post-lingually deaf. When I got my CI it was weird at first--things like birds singing or the microwave beeping, because I'd lost the knowledge of what that was supposed to sound like. At first, it IS a lot. You're absolutely right. But--the CI gives me back some of my hearing. When I take it off, yeah, it's like not having hearing, I only have the 20% residual hearing in my left ear. But I was born hearing, and I had good hearing. I missed it, and I wanted it back. Hearing aids didn't do anything for me, but the CI is a real game changer for me. To me I see it like the contacts or glasses I wear. Without them, my vision SUCKS, but I wouldn't *not* have my contacts. Re: AGB immigration stuff, it wasn't so much "white" as it was people who weren't White Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPs). My dad's family is all Italian and my mom's is Catholic Scots-Irish and German, and they weren't particularly loved here!

[@tiarasandjeans]

These videos are like a subtle Guide To Not Being A Horrible Person, which I find very useful. I learn so much from your channel Jessica (I now know the difference between deaf and Deaf and that will for sure help me not to be accidentally ignorant) and as a result have had wonderful conversations with my disabled friends regarding what I can do to assist them at times (and also they would like assistance, the answer was YES PLEASE but thank you for asking). I do not have a physical disability (my mental health is a different ball game lololol) and I’m not deaf but I’m here to be educated and you make it super fun and also make me feel fairly confident that I’m not going to insult my friends. Which is always nice because I love my friends. Thank you!

[@nanamiharuka3269]

I love the diversity of your channel. I know all the topics are related to your personal experiences, but you go from baking cookies to talking about the politics of historical discrimination and its fantastic!

[@jerryskeepero]

One of the smartest men in the world used a computer to communicate..... RIP Steven Hawking

[@jessaguilar4747]

You probably aren’t going to see this but I have to say it anyway.. I am a disabled person (even though I hate saying that...I shouldn’t but I do.) your channel showed up on my recommended videos randomly, I started watching and haven’t stopped. Your videos are inspiring and comforting. I’m 32, I had a terrible accident when I was 18, I was in a car accident and then got out of my car, I was told to step over a barrier in the middle of the road to keep me safe while am ambulance came. It was very dark and stormy, we didn’t realize we were on a bridge. I stepped over and fell fifty feet straight down to the hard ground beneath. It was a freak accident that changed my life. I’m working on a book now, I’m finally far enough from the trauma that I can take all my notes and memories and write it down. Anyway!! Thank you for you videos, I relate to almost everything you say. Thank you so much!!

[@politecat4236]

How is the book coming along?

[@nanamiharuka3269]

Sound and Fury: The Communication Wars of the Deaf is a great documentary made on the struggle of Deaf culture in a large world of hearing people and society. It discusses what Jessica brought up in depth such as the arguments for and against making deaf people hear as children or adults.

[@shainabarnes1505]

I love these! They are great for understanding more about the deaf and Deaf communities. I am a CART provider, meaning I am a stenographer that types on a stenograph machine that goes to colleges and types down what professors and classmates are saying for students with hearing and/or learning disabilities. They watch my laptop screen as captions come up verbatim. It's an alternative to a sign language interpreter and they can access said notes after the class if they don't want to look at the screen until later. Do you know if anything like that exists where you live? I adore your channel. You are amazing.

[@lemonsandsushi5642]

My brother and I have auditory processing disorder, which already was annoying in school along with my ADHD, but I can’t imagine the idea that someone wouldn’t want people like us or you around.... it’s so weird and horrible to think about

[@kelly-jeanjohnstone-byrd7167]

I really enjoyed hearing about Alexander Graham Bell.. I only knew about the invention of the telephone.. I grew up in Australia and now live in the USA.. thank you for sharing this information i did not know about his contribution to the Deaf Community and to hear what he thought of the deaf and what his teachings did is horrible.. I believe as you do each case is different and that we are individuals with a voice.. Thank you again for sharing.. I do not have any in mind to share on a topic but I will be watching and waiting for your next vlog.. love you Jessica, Claudia, Walter and Tilly💝💝💝💝🌞🌞🌞🌞

[@georgiam228]

OOOO PREACH ON GENETIC EMBRYO TESTING: Okay just HAVE to rant, I know someone who was always a devout Catholic and adamantly pro-life, but as soon as her baby tests positive for down syndrome she's considering an abortion. Yep, that's acceptance, that's being a good Christian. *holds back screams of frustration*

[@martynaszymska]

I absolutely love your history series! You're so engaging, I could listen to you speaking just about anything! 🤗

[@quieshehope1352]

Jessica, Many deaf children in the sixties and before were diagnosed as feeble minded or worse and sent to institutions where they lived for life. There was a true story made into a movie about one child in the eighties ( I think the eighties could of been later) and a worker noticed that this child was not like the others -this child did gain a life outside the institutions. My Mother was told that I would be too difficult to care for me and I would be best in institution. Lucky for me , my Grandmother had been a teacher - Going to store she bought several puzzles I had not yet seen. I very quickly put them together. They then took me to have my hearing checked and they found the answer to why their 3 yr old girl only made odd quacking noises instead of talking. My speech is very good now, ( yrs of speech therapy!!!) didn't learn ASLtill college.

[@C_22]

Your sarcasm is to die for! Great video thank you :) Back to my archive sifting I go!!

[@reesemendenhall1092]

I love your embroidered top! Such a classic beauty! Have a good day!

[@JennaGrosh]

“Don’t sue me, I’m not worth it!” I laughed so hard. You’re the best Jessica

[@clairespahn6639]

Great video! I am SUCH a fan of your efforts to clarify historical figures- the good, the bad, and the ugly of our complicated past. Living in America, I’ve heard *so many people* ask why we don’t just automatically teach ASL to all school children. This is one major answer! I’m going to share this with people I know. :)

[@robertasmart4396]

I felt your emotions watching thus today Jess. So moving. I love feeling your passion and Thankyou so much for being so vulnerable (and angry) for us.

[@overthepage1326]

My brother and sister used to go to a deaf primary school. Everyone there was taught sign language, and each class had a translator. The school had a majority of non deaf student, my brother and sister part of that group. Some of the students don't have cochlear implants

[@Jana-fc4gl]

Thank you for educating me on this important matter! :) We never spoke about Bell that way... :/ And I like your opinion on being able to hear! I don't know if it's fitting right now, but I feel the same about walking. I was born with cerebral palsy and some people (including my parents ^^") can't understand why I think that walking isn't a necessity

[@SingingDiaries]

Just discovered your channel through KZbin Creators [Creator Academy] and I am so glad I did! I like how much you enlighten people with your knowledge while at the same time making it very entertaining.

[@AnimeOtaku2]

10:11 as a wheelchair user a huge chunk of this is unsurprisingly highly relatable.

[@Bucherviews]

My opinion on the cochlear implants issue is similar to yours - cochlear implants are a tool that helps deaf people navigate new situations, it doesn't make them 'less deaf' - it's still very important for parents of deaf children to learn/teach them sign language and give them deaf role models, show them that they should be proud of their deafness. I don't agree with people who say that cochlear implants are a bad thing in themselves, though. If I had a deaf child, I would still have them undergo the procedure - it's important that they're able to access as much of the world as possible, and they really do help in that respect. They need the tools to have the choice between the hearing world and the deaf world when they get older, and that goes both ways (BSL vs. implants).

[@textwolf27]

Thank you so much for sharing all of this information Jessica! Before encountering your channel I didn't know too much about these topics, and I'm both appalled to learn about how deaf & Deaf people are treated, but happily informed about all of this! 💖

[@Nursepractitionerd]

Sitting here, listening to a Jessica playlist while crocheting a baby blanket for my baby. Yup. I could listen to your voice for hours.

[@MrPiousFlint]

Love your "impartial" video, expanding on the info on AGB you gave in the Helen Keller vid. Hilarious and informative as always more, please!

[@EveryDayALittleDeath]

I personally feel that while I 110% percent want to be a mother, I do not want biological children, for several reasons, most of which are related, but three which are not. My genes are kind of crap, I have both mental and physical illness that can be passed down genetically. A pregnancy would also be sort of dangerous, and definitely difficult as even perfectly healthy women need more rest when pregnant and I already have days where getting out of bed is an achievement. I've seen my mother, who shares my physical illness, blame herself for my suffering even though she was undiagnosed and at the time, doctors didn't think there was a genetic component (as it's more of a genetic predisposition than directly inheritable, like cancer) so she could not have known. I do know, though, and with my mental illness I'm already prone to blaming myself for things that aren't my fault. The last three reasons are these. I have a strong motherly instinct, and I relate to children well, I do not need to be related to them to care deeply for them. I am a lesbian, so no matter what, I'm going to have to go out of my way to have a child. And lastly, there are millions of unwanted children in the world who need a loving home. For these reasons I believe having biological kids would be a bad idea and selfish of me. I don't want my kids to go through what I do. This is not to say that if my kid wound up with some kind of chronic illness, mental or physical, or other disability, I would love them any less. I just want them to have a better chance of leading a healthy life than I can give them. I also don't believe that people with genetically-based disabilities (or that the wider world sees as "disabled" even if they don't consider themselves disabled) are wrong or inherently bad parents for wanting biological children. I just think it would be wrong of me, specifically, once you combine all the reasons I've given.

[@GigaWhitArtandStuff]

I am a year late to this, but I think most people advocate for personal rights. One person may not want children at all, one may want to adopt and others want to have biological children and in all cases it should be up to them individually rather than an outside party telling them yes or no. I personally don't want to have kids, if I were to become a step-mom at some point that would be fine but the idea of having a child of my own just doesn't sit right with me. Plus I know emotionally I'm more of a "Dad" in the traditional viewpoint, I would love the children but all the motherly stuff that is expected of girls never really clicked for me. I'm super happy as an aunt though, it's like skipping to being a grandmother without having to raise kids yourself lol

[@dianeshelton9592]

It has to be said you sound like an awful potential mother. If you cannot get out of bed some days why on earth inflict that on any child. Your child would either be left unsupervised, your partner would have to do the vast majority of parenting in addition to supporting you or your child would become your carer. I am sorry but I know you want children but they are not a toy for you to want, they are human being who have needs that it is up to parents to satisfy. If you can’t do that don’t have children.

[@EveryDayALittleDeath]

@@dianeshelton9592 You don't know me or how severe my illness is. You don't know how often my bad days occur or how capable I am of caring for myself during those days. My mother suffers from the same illness as me and was a single parent and an excellent mother. You seem to assume from one sentence that I'm barely able to care for myself and that's simply not true. My bad days happen about once a week and just mean I need to rest for the day, I am still awake and alert. True, I couldn't run around after a kid on those days, but I'm perfectly capable of watching them to ensure they don't do anything dangerous.

[@dianeshelton9592]

Raye J and there you go just more proof you wouldn’t be a good mother, one cannot simply watch a child, they can put themselves in danger at the drop of a hat. You yourself said there were days , that was days not hours or minutes, when you could barely get out of bed. A child is not a toy, you don’t just have one because you want one, you have one because you can look after one and provide for all their needs.

[@GigaWhitArtandStuff]

@@dianeshelton9592 And the most amazing part is that your opinion doesn't matter. I don't know why you get off on telling someone you don't know that they shouldn't have kids because you read a few paragraphs they wrote online. Get over yourself, get off the internet and stand in a corner to think about your life decisions that brought you here.

[@cyndiisme4185]

I do like these history lessons immensely! It's good to know the good, bad & the ugly of our past so we can hopefully prevent these things in the future. I have never looked at any group of people & judged the whole. I don't understand that line of thinking. I look at each & every person as an individual & a sum of all their parts not their lables. So when you say "deaf, disabled & lesbian" I just think Jessica. You have a thousand more lables...smart, enthusiastic, kind, generous, happy, sad, angry, upset, in pain. Everyone has so many lables that if I thought of each & every one when I think about the person my head would expload! It hurts to know that people who have had such a positive effect could have such narrow views.

[@susanne5803]

I would want my child to have a real choice. I would go for the cochlear implant yet also learn and teach sign language. And I would definitely keep in touch with the Deaf community. But I would want my child to have experienced the additional channel of perception her-/himself to make an informed decision. Missing one channel of interacting with what the world has to offer in form of sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, proprioception, temperature, pressure, pain and balance is just that: missing something. That doesn't say anything about personality. We may miss several channels and have a full personality - we may possess all channels to perfection and yet have an incomplete personality. It also doesn't say anything about us individually 'missing' the channel. We may not miss it emotionally, yet that door to a part of the world is closed whether we think about it or not. That's just my opinion based on my experience. - Thank you for a very well done video about a very complex, ambiguous and in large parts horrifying subject. Kind regards!

[@patchoulicolt7093]

You are absolutely GORGEOUS! Truly! I cannot imagine being able to do what you do. I have a ton of spoonie disabilities, and I just can't fathom being able to make myself up. And never as gorgeous as you. I don't wear makeup, and am a gay guy, but. . . still. I honestly stare at your hair and your makeup in envious adoration everytime I watch you. Some people don't want to be an inspiration, but you undoubtedly are. You've given me so much through your videos. One of them was reinforcing that mobility aids are not something to be ashamed or embarrassed about. If I was a woman, I would love to be like you.

[@claudiaghiotto2094]

I just finished reading "Seeing voices" by Oliver Sacks, which describes the history of the Deaf and the neurological phenomena occurring in the brain of non-hearing people. He also narrates the long and difficult journey through which they gained independence, instruction and recognition. I was astonished to learn that the emancipation of Deaf people was SO recent, I didn't know anything about it, I didn't think that deaf people were considered intellectually inferior up to a not so far period. When I told this to my family and friends, they were all stunned. Nobody talks about this. Thank you for approaching the theme with such depth and detail: everyone should know about the history and culture of the Deaf.

[@snakesonaframe2668]

The show Switched at Birth taught me a lot about the deaf community. I can't attest to its accuracy because I'm not deaf and don't know anyone personally that is, but from what ive read and seen it seems like they tried their best to make it as good of a representation as possible. It really helped me understand points of view I hadn't thought of before, highly recommend that show.

[@HOHNancy]

When I attended a "Silent Weekend" at the St. Augustine Deaf School years ago, Alexander Graham Bell was one of the subjects being taught at one of the classes. 🙂

[@tired1923]

Jessica, everything about your channel, this series, and this particular video is perfect. It means so much to me and undoubtedly many other disabled people to hear this kind of stories from an actually disabled person. And I am so happy to hear this from a deaf person who I not pretending to be neutral about it. Ofc correct information is important, but so is the interpretation of it, the whole breakdown of what it meant for deaf ppl then, what it means now, what was wrong and why it was, etc. And is objectivity truly necessary? If we disqualified any minority from speaking about their oppression if they felt any way about that oppression.. we’d get absolutely nowhere. I’d even dare say that a purely “objective” POV here would necessarily biased, only someone who doesnt thing eugenics are necessarily bad would feel no emotion at this, and they’d be deeply ableist for holding that position. So I find it quite refreshing to see this story told that way.

[@isadoravieira4477]

her voice is so soft and pleasurable that sometimes I just have to go back on the video because I didn't pay attention to the actual words.

[@neilstone4348]

I can see your point about not wanting to get your hearing back, but I still like the new stories and commercials where it shows a deaf child being able to hear its parents voices or a blind child getting to see

[@victoriaeads6126]

"With Added Gayness and Fluffy Dogs" NEEDS to be available as a tagline printed on your merch. That is SUCH a great line!! I'm Cis straight and have no dogs, and yet I would buy that merch.(going to check the merch now....just in case!)

[@dawnwickenden4502]

What a horrible man! This was super interesting to watch, thank you for dedicating your time to educate the world. I want to be an audiologist but before I get qualified I want to learn as much BSL as I can, so that I can communicate with patients in their preferred form. It's all nice and 'heart-warming' to watch a baby hear their parents' voices for the first time with hearing aids, but I don't know if I could specialise in that because I agree that everyone should have the right to choose how they interact with the world, even though they could choose against it when they're older. Hopefully BSL will become more readily available in the education system in the years to come!

[@skh-22]

This was so informative! Both about the Alexander Graham Bell and the Deaf community. I love all your videos; you’re so easy to listen to and follow along, and I always learn something really meaningful. 😊

[@Zapporah85]

Deafness not being a disability is also very relatable to me. My old ranch boss was blind- one glass eye and one that could distinguish vague shapes and colors with the help of very large glasses. I asked him once if he would ever want to have his sight. He said, especially since he had gone blind at an extremely young age, that he didn't think he could handle it. Too much color, he said, would probably just be confusing and distracting rather than helpful. As it was, he could work on farm equipment all day, work with cows, and even drive in absolute emergencies. He and I fixed a number of tractors and other equipment with me helping him by fetching tools and finding things if he dropped them. But these were all things he could have done himself, I just helped. He could feel a bolt on a truck and tell me the exact size wrench I needed to grab. He was slightly off once and he cursed himself for it 😆 I can't even get the right wrench first try with my sight! And yes, he did drive a few times in his life- once during college for the LAWLs, once because a girl on his property got into a bad, nearly fatal, horse accident and he had to rush her back to the house to call 911. The third time... Well, he did almost hit the house with a tractor but that was because none of us could figure out where reverse was on the shiny new toy 🤣 We did figure it out though! The only disabling thing about his blindness was that he couldn't drive himself, hence why he hired me. He could navigate fine though, he knew on what street and where everything was. When we were walking, he didn't like using a cane so instead, I always wore bright colored shirts and walked on his left side, the side with some sight left. That way, he could just follow me. He even made fun of me for tripping more often than he did 🤣 He also knew to recognize pickup trucks and give their rear ends a wide birth - "Those things will take out your knee!" Great man. I miss him.

[@AlyssaJolt]

i really appreciate that you cover major historical people in a more nuanced way that touches on some of the positive and negative that they have done

[@alyseandrews1066]

Woooooowwww!!! So much that's just glazed over when learning about these "influential figures" in History class! 🙄

[@mermtato]

Oh, look at that... more EXCELLENT content!

[@summercucumber4964]

You taught me some new things today, thank you! This is a really nice topic and I'm glad that you reminded people that not everyone with the same condition has the same opinion of that condition. I've met people who'er totally comfortable and happy despite being Deaf, and some who desperately want their hearing back or to hear for the first time ever. It's not a blanket situation for everyone and people's personal feelings need to be taken into account.

[@valerievonskullz825]

*shoe thrown* 😂 I had NO idea that Bell was involved in such things! I’ve learned. I will pass this along. Thank you lovely.

[@mortuary.garden]

I'm partially deaf in my left ear (birth defect) and Jessica honestly makes me want to learn ASL and be confident in myself and accept my flaws because they're beautiful too!

[@AJ-zk1ms]

Thank you for every video you make Jessica (and the team)I was having a terrible breakdown about my future and being sick all the time and your videos calm me down everytimethank you

[@youngchronicpain]

People who have experience with the disabled and deaf communities upon seeing the title, "Ohhh, this asshole again." (Alexander Graham Bell not Jessica! Just to be clear. Haha.)

[@ChrisPage68]

"Thanks for the phone an' all, but screw you!!!"

[@queerbotanicalqueen]

@@ChrisPage68 he didn’t even invent the phone. An Italian man named Antonio Meucci did. However, Meucci was too poor and could only afford an impending patent. After 3 years he was too poor to even afford that. He filed charges against Bell but he died before they got heard by the Supreme Court.

[@maddietillem6778]

I fell like modern technology such as cochlear implants is amazing and can truly be a miracle to some! I think sign language can be so great for so many people! I think lip reading is also amazing as it can help people communicate with the non-deaf community! I think everyone who is born deaf should have ALL of these options, so that they can make decisions over time. Non-deaf people should focus on making all of these options more accessible, but I don't think it's fair to not let them do the choosing. After all, it isn't their life!

[@niclastname9123]

This doesn’t have to do with this video, but I wanted to share on this channel because it convinced me to look further into my hearing issues. I’m getting hearing aids in 2 months!! I’m very excited!! Thank you Jessica for being a voice for the D/deaf and HOH community!!

[@mistycottage98]

I really appreciate everything you’ve said! I’ve never viewed Alexander Graham Bell as a hero, nor a villain. I was indifferent to him. You’ve opened my eyes to history and him as a person. I will never look at him the same again. I’ll probably view him as a villain from now on, which may or may not be fair but oh well. Love your videos! They actually inspire me to learn ASL and in the future maybe BSL as well :)

[@sophieg5171]

This video is so interesting! I love the way you present topics and go into details! Thank you for being so amazing!❤️

[@shywolf4]

I am deaf in one ear from a tumor in my ear at age 8. But when I was a toddler they thought my hearing issues were a birth defect and doctors told my parents that they should teach me sign language because they thought I would lose all my hearing over time. Once they realized that they would eventually be able to "save" part of my hearing with surgery eventually, the doctors told them to immediately stop all sign language so my language would develop "normally". My parents were just doing what they thought was best and I do not need sign language but I regret the loss of the sign language as a skill and my mother was angry that she was told to avoid sign. My niece was taught sign from the time she was a baby. She has no hearing loss. But having the skill of sign made life so much easier and significantly improved her ability to learn spoken and written word. And like you, I never considered my hearing loss a disability. I was offered a hearing aid as a child and said no. My parents backed my decision. I did not consider myself disabled until my eds made me unable to function at a "typical" level even with accommodations.

[@ekl1457]

Very interesting and educational. I find this whole not signing thing kind boggling especially as I work with kids in special education and I signed to all of them not just heairing loss or deaf.we know now that signing reinforces spoken language and doesn't hinder it.

[@BeauMeztli]

Awesome! Thank you so much for educating us on deaf culture and challenging the popular idea that it needs to be 'fixed' also thanks for showing how these 'heroes' were just people with flaws. I think it's good to see that they weren't perfect and to know about the mistakes they made to not repeat.

[@whendnewzum3058]

You never disappoint ! Who knew about Bell? Thanks and please continue any topic I would love

[@sampepper7682]

As a fully hearing person who is in a family of fully hearing people who doesn’t know anyone who is hard or hearing or deaf I believe that we should all be taught sign in life. It makes sense to teach everyone a form of communication that will allow a whole group of people, a community of people, so we can be able to communicate and have less barriers in life. It also allows for communication in times you need to be silent or can not speak. Teaching sign to children or people who are not deaf, hard of hearing, mute, or related to anyone who uses sign allows for much more communication in life and I see no reason why we do not teach it.

[@mariacopley2128]

"Many countries realised they were being collosal arseholes" I found this very amusing

[@GuruWaani_]

Hello ma;am, I'll suggest you to put some video clips of whichever topic you're explaining to make the video more captivavting and clear. Your expressions come crystal clear and your sense of humour is marvellous.Kudos 🙌

[@carlyblack42]

I'm always so interested in your bio videos. Please keep sharing! I learn so much.

[@shannonwalls7573]

One of the things I love about your history videos is I am GUARANTEED to learn things that let's just say, I suuuuure did not get taught in school.

[@Kjata316]

Had to pause at around 15:36 to laugh. 😂 it was just perfectly scathing and sarcastic while at the same time a little jolting because I’m not used to hearing Jessica swear. Well done 👍🏻 😂😂😂

[@rumahbenavari5157]

Love how you educate with such sass. Oh and your hair looked lovely as always💐

[@sonorasgirl]

Thanks for taking this on in such a nuanced and patient way. Very informative!!

[@xaviervasquez4400]

You always make me think. Thank you immensely!

[@JennieFuchsia]

I’m watching this from my home beside the Horace Mann School. Hello! Thank you for these videos!

[@kelleyo6896]

This is the first video of yours that I've watched. It is fantastic and I look forward to watching more.

[@CrazyProfesser]

Amazing video! Would love more of this analysis of historical figures and sassy Jessica!

[@Valaryant.]

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions"

[@clockworkkirlia7475]

A brilliant piece! I love learning about history and things I don't really know about the world.

[@andrewlorick166]

He lived during the “Darwin” era. Eliminating certain types of people that were seen as inferior was really popular back then. Rough time.

[@ChrisPage68]

Darwin's cousin was Francis Galton, a leading eugenics advocate.

[@susanne5803]

Darwin thought of evolution as a descriptive theory. It is largely misunderstood Darwinism that went the selectively eliminating way. Darwin described correctly that a being's selection best "fitted" to an environmental niche might and often did kill that being's descendants under changing living conditions because of that very selection. (His view of human variants was unfortunately very much a product of his time...) It were other people (Malthus, Galton, Spencer etc) who misrepresented "best fitting" (= best adapted) as "fittest" (= strongest, smartest and - yeah, - unfortunately for humankind whitest). They were not the first. Since Plato's time people had fantasized about 'breeding' humans to their specifications. - By the way Darwin in all likelihood didn't know about Mendel's research and he certainly didn't know anything about genes.

[@susanne5803]

@@ChrisPage68 Galton actually coined the word 'eugenics'.

[@maitesoto1953]

@@susanne5803 pretty much no one new about Mendel's studies until they were rediscovered in 1900, a good few years after Darwin published his theory

[@negy2570]

It's funny how many of these eugenics advocates were not exactly good-looking and not always healthy and fit and still praised on other people body deficiency. And then came Hitler who praised the pure race while being not exactly tall and blond with blue eyes. There must be some sort of complex in these people or a trauma. I'm not justifying that in any way, just finding it strange.

[@TressaZimmerman]

Thank you so much. I feel so lucky to have found your channel and I get to learn things I wouldn't have before. Tak care.

[@clara-sophievogel7377]

This reminds me of the Scrubs episode where a deaf parent didn't want an cochlear implant for his young child because he feared he would lose his connection to him. Very touching and it really gives you something to think about that in the end the implant was chosen anyways...

[@keylimelucaful]

Loving these educational videos

[@khaxjc1]

Yay! I'm so glad you made this. I was so hoping you would.

[@chewygal69]

Fascinating video! U are wonderful!

[@rossanaisyourbbf4137]

"Does that mean I don't want to have been born?..." "Calm down" 😂 yes to that sass tho

[@TheJenna52]

I enjoyed what you had to say about AGB. Though un-surprised about it. after all history is written by the victors as they say. Being a reader of history myself I knew most of what you were sharing. Thank you for educating people that were unaware. Good on you ! .

[@ashleylavender2515]

To be quite honest, it has never really truly penetrated me about the feelings of one who is deaf might have. I will not deny, I have always viewed them as having a disability. I have RSD, which is a disability. I also have other medical issues. I have always equated a person who is deaf as them viewing their deafness as a disability. It never occurred to me that it would be a completely different thought for them. It never occurred to me that they wouldn’t jump at the chance to be able to hear again. It never occurred to me that it had become culturally important to sign. It never occurred to me that they would be cut off from those who they have bonded with over their similarities. I have been greatly lacking in empathy and knowledge about how the Deaf community would feel. This video has definitely made me think a different way. I thank you for making such an informative video. It has changed my views and made me look at those who are deaf in a new light. I had always looked at the deaf with a trace of pity. However, it was pity that lacked any empathy. Only sympathy. I will now try to be better. Once again, thank you.

[@aria6168]

I LOVE YOUR HAIR IN THIS SO MUCH WOW

[@123ashleycool]

I was just explaining this to my family last night! What an odd coincidence!

[@DieAlteistwiederda]

It's of course not the same but I imagine it a bit like someone telling me that I could be right handed tomorrow to make my life easier. Why though? Yes it makes my life harder because everything is build for right handed people and lefties just have to deal with it but that's all I know and it works for me. I would totally jump on a chance to get my hips fixed though but that actually causes me pain so of course it would be great to get rid of that. Deafness is harder but if it's all you ever knew I can understand why people don't feel the need to "fix" it at all. Technology makes it also a lot easier to be disabled then it was for those who didn't have this technology available. Heck even just being able to quickly write an email, send a quick or make a video call makes it so much easier to live completely without any need for help from a hearing person.

[@katiepie3009]

MarvelousSandstone I had an art teacher who her and her brother were left handed. He brother, who was older, had his left arm tied behind his back and was forced to use his right hand. He was made to be right handed, and for the rest of his life his right hand would shake. When we were told this story I as on the verge of tears! I’m not a lefty, but my father is.

[@tealkerberus748]

Katie Pie that was done to my grandmother, too. It's a horrible way to torture a small child - but compare how left handed people were treated a hundred years ago, and where we are now, and I have great hope for the future of the LGBT+ community.

[@Samantha-dv4je]

More please! Love these historical figure videos