I. King Jordan

I. King Jordan

Twenty years ago today, I. King Jordan became Gallaudet University's first deaf president. A week earlier, on March 6, 1988, a hearing person had been chosen for the position — the only hearing candidate among a list of qualified other deaf candidates — setting off a week-long student protest called Deaf President Now, which rocked the Deaf world. As a result, the newly selected president and the chairperson of the Board of Trustees stepped down; an agreement was reached that 51% of the Board would from then on be made up of deaf people; and no reprisals were taken against any student or employee involved in the protest. Since 1997, March 13 has marked the beginning of Deaf History Month.

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From our Archives: Today's Highlights, March 13, 2008