MEDIA ALERT
Wendy Wilkinson, Marilynne Herbert, College Connections
212.734.2190
Mercy Coogan, Gallaudet University
202. 651.5727
10TH ANNIVERSARY OF "DEAF PRESIDENT NOW" PROTEST PLANNED AT GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY
Washington, D.C.-- In March 1988, students at Gallaudet University in Washington D.C., the world's only university for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, led a week-long protest that forever changed the lives of the millions of deaf and hard-of-hearing people in America.
This March 10th marks the 10-year anniversary of the protest, known in the deaf community as "Deaf President Now" (DPN). But DPN has come to symbolize far more than a student protest. The event was to deaf people what the march on Selma was to African Americans. It was the ultimate consciousness-raising experience for a group not known for rocking the boat.
A week of rallies and protests by the student body shut down the University and prompted every major media organization in the country to turn its eyes toward the history-making events that unfolded. The hearing president that had been selected by Gallaudet resigned as did several hearing members of the Board of Trustees. Irving King Jordan was elected the first deaf president of Gallaudet University.
As Gallaudet and the deaf community plan to celebrate the 10th anniversary of DPN this March, you may be interested in a retrospective/prospective story on the transformation of the deaf population in America and the impact this event had on the lives of deaf people in America.
Questions we can answer include:
-- What has happened to the deaf population since DPN?
-- What are the cultural and technology-related issues that are impacting/will impact the country's deaf population?
We can also provide:
-- Former students and people who were key players in DPN.
-- Outside experts that can give a perspective on DPN and the deaf world.
-- Exhaustive collections of DPN photos and memorabilia from Gallaudet archives.
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