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By 1988, Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. had served deaf and hard-of-hearing students for 124 years without ever having a deaf president. When its board picked a hearing candidate that March, students barricaded the campus. Within a week the board reversed course, and I. King Jordan became Gallaudet's first deaf president.

Historical event (Gallaudet University, Deaf President Now, 1988)

LanguageHistory

The story behind the card

The protest, known as Deaf President Now, ran from 6 to 13 March 1988. The board had chosen Elisabeth Zinser, a hearing candidate, over two deaf finalists, I. King Jordan and Harvey Corson. Students blocked the gates with buses and bicycle locks and set four demands: a deaf president in Zinser's place, the resignation of the board's chair, Jane Bassett Spilman, a board with a deaf majority (it then had 17 hearing members and four deaf ones), and no punishment for protesters. By 13 March all four were met: Zinser resigned, Jordan was appointed, and Spilman was replaced by a deaf board member, Philip Bravin. The protest became a landmark for deaf rights in the United States and helped build support for the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Türkçe oku
Washington'daki Gallaudet Üniversitesi, 1988'e kadar 124 yıl boyunca sağır ve işitme güçlüğü çeken öğrencilere eğitim verdi, ama hiç sağır bir rektörü olmadı. O yılın mart ayında mütevelli heyeti işiten bir aday seçince öğrenciler kampüsün kapılarını kapattı. Bir hafta içinde heyet geri adım attı ve I. King Jordan üniversitenin ilk sağır rektörü oldu.

“Deaf President Now” (Şimdi Sağır Bir Rektör) adıyla bilinen eylem 6-13 Mart 1988 arasında sürdü. Mütevelli heyeti, biri I. King Jordan, öteki Harvey Corson olan iki sağır finalisti geride bırakıp işiten aday Elisabeth Zinser'i seçmişti. Öğrenciler kapıları otobüslerle ve bisiklet kilitleriyle kapattı ve dört talepte bulundu: Zinser'in yerine sağır bir rektör gelmesi, heyet başkanı Jane Bassett Spilman'ın istifası, heyette sağırların çoğunluğa sahip olması (o sırada 17 işiten üyeye karşılık 4 sağır üye vardı) ve eyleme katılanlara hiçbir yaptırım uygulanmaması. 13 Mart'a gelindiğinde dört talep de karşılanmıştı: Zinser istifa etti, Jordan atandı, Spilman'ın yerine sağır üye Philip Bravin geçti. Eylem ABD'de sağırların hakları için bir dönüm noktası oldu ve 1990'da çıkan Engelli Amerikalılar Yasası'na giden yolda desteği artırdı.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Deaf President Now
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