History Of The Deaf President Now Movement

The Deaf President Now Movement Gallaudet University was named after Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, a gentlemen who became interested in deaf education in 1814, after a young child made a very significant impact on his life because the child was not getting the proper education. Gallaudet traveled to Paris in search for someone to help him find teaching methods for deaf children. Gallaudet met and convinced a French man, Laurent Clerc to come back to the United States with him. Gallaudet received information on sign language, and how to educate students who are deaf. Gallaudet and Clerc founded an American School for the Deaf in 1817, in Hartford, Connecticut, which became the nations first school for death children. In 1864 the college division was formed and became the worlds only university for death and hard of hearing students. …show more content…
The protest was a movement that came together by students, faculty and staff, as well as the community to reach their goal, which was to get a Deaf President. Protestors believed that it was time to have a President that understood them; their culture, and they believed it was only right for a Deaf person to run the worlds only Deaf University for students. When the university was noticed that Elisabeth Ann Zinser was to be the University’s first non-hearing president, this is when the protesting began. The students of Gallaudet University were very upset and passionate about the decision of the university getting a president who was not deaf. So the students and supporting staff shut down the campus. Protesters barricaded gates, burned effigies, and gave interviews to the press demanding four specific concessions from the Board. The point of the protest was to unite and strengthen students and staff. The need for a deaf president was