Gallaudet and Deaf People in 21st Century

Editor: Here's Leonard Hall with his view about what's going on with the protests against Jane Fernandes at Gallaudet University. Thanks to Leonard for his kind permission to share his thoughts with you.

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Shortly after the protests started upon the May 1st announcement that Dr. Jane Fernandes, a deaf woman, would be the next President of Gallaudet University, a few deaf students camped out near the front gate.

Several nights later, many more students joined and dozens of tents were spread among the front campus ground of Gallaudet University in Washington D.C. Recently, tent city closed as many students went home to summer jobs and internships.

While some people said the central issue is that the new President is not "deaf enough", many people said that is not the issue at all. The crisis is forcing Gallaudet and deaf people to confront the reality of the changing worlds of science and education.

In reality, deaf culture is changing due to technology advance in hearing aids and cochlear implants and other advances in education for deaf and hard of hearing students.

Acr oss the country, many schools for the deaf, including Kansas School for the Deaf, are enrolling a growing number of deaf and hard of hearing students with cochlear implants and other advanced hearing aid technology. These schools may be offering alternative means of education primarily in oral and auditory training for these students.

For over 75 years, these schools for the deaf and Gallaudet University are the centers of deaf culture, where everyone would learn and use American Sign Language (ASL) and spread ASL throughout the world. They are the standard bearers of ASL.

Since the adoption of IDEA (Individual with Disability Education Act) in the 1970s, more than 75% of deaf and hard of hearing students went to mainstreamed schools. Many never had a chance to learn ASL or participate in deaf school programs until they graduated from high school or attended Gallaudet or NTID.

Like myself and many other deaf and hard of hearing adults, Fernandes is a latecomer to deaf culture and ASL. We learned ASL and deaf culture by actively participating at Gallaudet or in the local deaf club and deaf community as adults.

Students and faculty members felt strongly that Fernandes does not show strong commitment to ASL as the dominant form of communication as they may be right. It is not a battle of who is "deaf enough".

There are the personal issues of her alleged autocratic management style and the unpopular decisions as Provost affecting faculty members and students.

Fernandes stated that Gallaudet must embrace all deaf people and the many ways they communicate. While ASL is always central to Gallaudet, she would like to see Gallaudet becoming more inclusive of deaf and hard of hearing people who may not have grown up using sign language.

For many deaf students using ASL as their own mode of communication, the fear is that they would be shut out at Gallaudet. Their identity as dea f people would be weakened with the right to participate fully in the world.

In face of the advancing technology in science and education, President I King Jordan, Gallaudet and deaf people are saying that the protests are really about what it means to be a deaf person in the 21st Century.