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"Deaf President Now" at Gallaudet University

In 1988, Gallaudet University was the site of a student-led protest: Deaf President Now. The spark that ignited DPN was the announcement on March 6, 1988, by the University's Board of Trustees that a hearing person had been selected as Gallaudet's seventh president.

In the months—and by some accounts, years—leading up this announcement, many in the Deaf community had advocated for a Deaf person to be named to this post. DPN supporters believed that the time had come for a Deaf person to run the world's only university for Deaf and hard of hearing students. But, in spite of the support for a Deaf president, the Board chose a hearing candidate.

Unhappy with this decision, Gallaudet students - backed by a number of alumni, staff, and faculty - shut down the campus. The students and their backers then presented the Board of Trustees with four demands: they sought the resignation of both the newly hired president and the head of the Board of Trustees, they demanded that the Board of Trustees be made up of at least 51% Deaf people, and demanded that no one involved in the protest be reprimanded or punished for involvement.

By the end of a week, the students ended their protest and proclaimed victory. All of their demands had been met and Dr. I. King Jordan was named the Gallaudet's eighth - and first Deaf - president.

According to some members of the DPN, this protest was remarkable not only for its clear sense of purpose, cohesiveness, speed, and depth of feeling, but also for its ability to remove the barriers and erase the lines that previously separated the Deaf and hearing communities. In addition, it raised the nation's consciousness of the rights and abilities of Deaf and hard of hearing people. 1

To learn more about DPN, visit Gallaudet's Deaf President Now This link will open a new browser window. site.

1DPN website. Accessed 1/9/07.