Deaf President Now Research Paper

643 Words3 Pages
Extended Essay Draft History Elisabeth Durgan May 2015 Thesis: “To what extent did the ‘Deaf President Now’ movement and subsequent Gallaudet University protest affect the Deaf community in America?” Introduction The Deaf community can be described as being a relatively private community, consisting of many people with various ranges of hearing loss. Like any culture, the deaf have their own community, culture, language, and essentially a separate world from the ‘hearing world’ as commonly referred to by deaf people. One of the most iconic deaf institutions in America is Gallaudet University in Washington D.C.; this establishment attracts not only deaf students in America but also internationally. Gallaudet also caters to the needs of deaf children during primary and secondary education with their…show more content…
For 124 years prior to the Gallaudet University protest in 1988 the university had been guided by a hearing president and a predominately hearing Board of Trustees. This caused dysfunction between the administration and the student body. Both the president and the Board of Trustee members had to take a compulsory Deaf culture class, however the student body felt that their needs were not understood and thus not addressed appropriately. This conflict was the basis of the Deaf President Now movement, the movement believed that to be fully understood they needed a leader who is in the same position as them. The movement argued that if minorities such as African Americans and Jewish people had their own universities that were represented by people of the minority then Deaf people should be able to also. The Deaf President Now movement started as a humble protest that simply focused on having a deaf person as the president into a movement that was able to convince the world that “deaf people could band together effectively for a common cause and succeed.” . The Deaf President Now movement
Show More
Related

  • Deaf President Now Research Paper

    1004 Words  | 5 Pages

    September 2015 Deaf President Now Deaf President Now was an important part of history for the deaf community, but what exactly happened, and what led up to this event? This event began in March of 1988, when yet another hearing person was elected for Gallaudet University’s seventh president. This may not seem that bad at first, but when looking at the candidates this president was up against- two of the three final candidates were deaf! Was this just a coincidence, or did the school not want a deaf person

    Read More

More about Deaf President Now Research Paper

Open Document