Changing History in a Week: Deaf President Now

In March 1988, students at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., blocked the main campus gate and chanted slogans.

Established in 1864, although it was the world’s first university for the Deaf, it had never had a Deaf president in its 124-year history.

This is the story of how the slogan "Deaf President Now" moved American society in just one week.

The events began when the university president resigned in 1987, and it had to select a successor. Among the three finalists, I. King Jordan and Harvey Corson were Deaf, while Elisabeth Zinser was hearing. 

On March 6, 1988, the Board of Trustees selected Zinser, a decision students learned through an announcement from the university's public relations office.

Following this announcement, on March 7, student leaders, including Student Body President Greg Hlibok, issued four demands: Zinser’s resignation and the appointment of a Deaf president; the resignation of the Board of Trustees chair; a board composition with 51% Deaf members; and a guarantee of no reprisals against protestors.

The entire nation watched as the protests continued. On March 9, Hlibok appeared on the program “Nightline” alongside actress Marlee Matlin. On March 10, Zinser resigned, and on March 11, more than 2,500 people marched to the Capitol. Finally, on Sunday, March 13, the new Board of Trustees Chair, Phil Bravin, announced I. King Jordan as president, meeting all four demands.

The movement is credited with bolstering the broader disability rights movement that eventually led to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. Indeed, for many Deaf people, DPN was a pivotal event that instilled the confidence that "[they can] decide [their] own affairs."