A Hearing, Student of ASL's take on the Gallaudet Student Protests of 1988
So, recap for those who don't know what this was. Gallaudet University is a college in Washington DC that is for the deaf. It was made as an act of congress in the time of Lincoln. Anyways, in 1988 with the choice of a new president of the University, the students wanted change. The board's choice of president was not only hearing, but could not converse in American Sign Language or See Sign. The students said that she could not have the student's interests in mind if she couldn't even converse with the students, and would need a translator to speak to them at any time. The students also found the continued choice of hearing presidents a mark of paternalism towards the Deaf Community. They demanded a difference, and protested and disallowed anyone from entering the university or attending classes until a change was wrought. Eventually, the board of trustees complied with their four demands (that the chosen president resign, a deaf president by chosen, the board of trustess must be at least 51% deaf at any given time, and there be no repriesals for their acts of not attending classes).
In ASL class, we discussed these students' choice and then further discussed the second, smaller, non-student-body-whole-encompassing protest, which happened when another presidential change happened, and the chosen president, though deaf and a fluent signer, her family could not converse in ASL.
Here is a hearing, student of ASL's opinion (my opinion):
I can understand that we needn't hold paternalism over them, and I can also understand their demands that their president be able to sign--after all, it's not too much to ask that the president of a university and the students have no huge roadblocks in communicating. I can even understand to a point that there need to be some deaf members on the Board. However, it is really much to much to much to ask that their president must ALWAYS be deaf. The goal is not that we have two worlds: a deaf world and hearing world. The goal is that we have one world where we are all equals. If the deaf people want to be part of the hearing world, then they must allow us to be part of their world. If a hearing person cannot be the president of a deaf university, then it follows logically that a deaf person cannot be the president of a hearing university. But that's like make a men-only or white-only writing magazine. It's okay to make black-only or women-only. But the other way it's racist, or sexist, or discriminatory or whatever.
The second revolt, my class decided and our teacher agreed (and I agree) that their requests were silly, snobbish and uncalled for.
In ASL class, we discussed these students' choice and then further discussed the second, smaller, non-student-body-whole-encompassing protest, which happened when another presidential change happened, and the chosen president, though deaf and a fluent signer, her family could not converse in ASL.
Here is a hearing, student of ASL's opinion (my opinion):
I can understand that we needn't hold paternalism over them, and I can also understand their demands that their president be able to sign--after all, it's not too much to ask that the president of a university and the students have no huge roadblocks in communicating. I can even understand to a point that there need to be some deaf members on the Board. However, it is really much to much to much to ask that their president must ALWAYS be deaf. The goal is not that we have two worlds: a deaf world and hearing world. The goal is that we have one world where we are all equals. If the deaf people want to be part of the hearing world, then they must allow us to be part of their world. If a hearing person cannot be the president of a deaf university, then it follows logically that a deaf person cannot be the president of a hearing university. But that's like make a men-only or white-only writing magazine. It's okay to make black-only or women-only. But the other way it's racist, or sexist, or discriminatory or whatever.
The second revolt, my class decided and our teacher agreed (and I agree) that their requests were silly, snobbish and uncalled for.
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