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Deaf Culture and the Gallaudet Uproar - washingtonpost.com
Part of a newspaper's responsibility is to educate readers. The protests and turmoil over the Gallaudet University presidency give The Post an excellent opportunity to take readers who hear into a world where most people don't. Although daily coverage has been good, more depth and breadth is needed.
Gallaudet is the center of deaf America. The Web site DeafToday.com says of the Gallaudet presidency: "[T]he position carries with it the weight of being one of the leading deaf figures in the country and a representative of deaf people to the hearing world."
The protests by students, faculty members and alumni against president-designate Jane K. Fernandes started in the spring but reached a crescendo last week with a second faculty vote of no confidence in her leadership -- and a similar vote for retiring president I. King Jordan, who became the school's first deaf president after historic student protests in 1988.
Anti-Fernandes readers didn't like her Oct. 14 Post op-ed or the paper's editorials supporting her and urging an end to the protests. Nancy Bloch, chief executive of the National Association of the Deaf and a Gallaudet alumnus, said both were "shortsighted."
Pro-Fernandes reader B.D. Moran of Loudoun County wrote that "the militant students and radicalized faculty members only want to holler and vent without articulating their own deep-seated and irrational prejudices. They appear extremely self-absorbed . . . and self-defeating collectively."
Of more concern to me is reader Cynthia Anthony's comments: "One thing puzzles me about the media coverage of the incidents at Gallaudet the last few weeks. If the students are just protesting to prove their power, it is not likely that the faculty would vote to support them. But nothing has told me why? Is this a battle of cultures as indicated in the interview published today [Marc Fisher's Oct. 19 column ]? Or is it just about her? Or is it just about some rowdy students? Have I missed the article giving me information to understand those questions?"
It was hard to sort out the various accusations and discern the real issues, which range from Fernandes's leadership skills and commitment to diversity to her being "not deaf enough" to faculty accusations that she is autocratic. Her supporters say she is smart, qualified and by far the best choice.
The Post's higher education reporter, Susan Kinzie, has gotten good marks for her coverage of the fast-breaking and highly charged protests; Kinzie said she has received more response to this story than any other she has covered. The issues, detailed in articles in the spring, were highlighted in Thursday's story . What's still needed is a separate analysis; I understand one is in the works.
There has been no Post profile of Fernandes. Who is this woman who is reviled by some students and faculty but who has the support of the respected Jordan, the board of trustees (though that may be slipping) and The Post's editorial board?
And no article has explored how important this story is nationally. It is a deaf cause celebre; deaf groups around the country are supporting the protesters, and there have been 63 "tent city" protests as of Friday, according to Deafeye.com .
In their culture, the deaf consider themselves unique rather than disabled. Spending time on Web sites for the deaf can be enlightening about the importance of American Sign Language. Thomas Gallaudet recruited a deaf teacher from France, Laurent Clerc, to help organize the first deaf school, in Hartford, Conn., in the early 1800s. That is why ASL and French sign language have a related vocabulary. To those who grow up with ASL, English is a second language.
The Web site DeafCulture.com says: "One possible definition of U.S. Deaf culture (and there must be many!) is a social, communal, and creative force of, by, and for Deaf people based on American Sign Language (ASL). It encompasses communication, social protocol, art, entertainment, recreation . . . and worship. It's also an attitude, and, as such, can be a weapon of prejudice -- 'You're not one of us; you don't belong .' Despite the mighty efforts of generations of oralists, deaf people still prefer to communicate and mingle with their own kind."
Technology such as video phones, e-mail and text messaging has made it easier for deaf people to communicate, and hearing aids and cochlear implants have helped some gain hearing. ASLinfo.com says: "For many members of the deaf community, speech and thinking like a hearing person are negatively valued in Deaf Culture." Fernandes was born deaf, went to public schools, and can speak and read lips; she didn't learn ASL until she was 23.
Many protesters reject the idea that deaf culture has anything to do with their call for Fernandes to resign. David Rosenbaum, editor in chief of SIGNews , a national monthly publication for users of ASL, wrote in an e-mail: "Deaf identity is not an issue. The President's Office and its Office of Public Relations at Gallaudet University have been playing the 'deaf card' but it has no bearing to the root of the matter. There are other deaf leaders who learned sign language later in life and who possess the leadership qualifications needed."
Finally, several readers complained about an Oct. 14 front-page photograph of a black student, LaToya Plummer, being arrested. Patricia Martin of Shady Spring called to say: "All the pictures you've shown so far have a token two or three blacks in the whole crowd protesting. Now, all of a sudden, the arrest on the front page has to be of a black student. This is racism at its worst." But Plummer is one of the main protest leaders. It made sense to have her in the picture.
Part of a newspaper's responsibility is to educate readers. The protests and turmoil over the Gallaudet University presidency give The Post an excellent opportunity to take readers who hear into a world where most people don't. Although daily coverage has been good, more depth and breadth is needed.
Gallaudet is the center of deaf America. The Web site DeafToday.com says of the Gallaudet presidency: "[T]he position carries with it the weight of being one of the leading deaf figures in the country and a representative of deaf people to the hearing world."
The protests by students, faculty members and alumni against president-designate Jane K. Fernandes started in the spring but reached a crescendo last week with a second faculty vote of no confidence in her leadership -- and a similar vote for retiring president I. King Jordan, who became the school's first deaf president after historic student protests in 1988.
Anti-Fernandes readers didn't like her Oct. 14 Post op-ed or the paper's editorials supporting her and urging an end to the protests. Nancy Bloch, chief executive of the National Association of the Deaf and a Gallaudet alumnus, said both were "shortsighted."
Pro-Fernandes reader B.D. Moran of Loudoun County wrote that "the militant students and radicalized faculty members only want to holler and vent without articulating their own deep-seated and irrational prejudices. They appear extremely self-absorbed . . . and self-defeating collectively."
Of more concern to me is reader Cynthia Anthony's comments: "One thing puzzles me about the media coverage of the incidents at Gallaudet the last few weeks. If the students are just protesting to prove their power, it is not likely that the faculty would vote to support them. But nothing has told me why? Is this a battle of cultures as indicated in the interview published today [Marc Fisher's Oct. 19 column ]? Or is it just about her? Or is it just about some rowdy students? Have I missed the article giving me information to understand those questions?"
It was hard to sort out the various accusations and discern the real issues, which range from Fernandes's leadership skills and commitment to diversity to her being "not deaf enough" to faculty accusations that she is autocratic. Her supporters say she is smart, qualified and by far the best choice.
The Post's higher education reporter, Susan Kinzie, has gotten good marks for her coverage of the fast-breaking and highly charged protests; Kinzie said she has received more response to this story than any other she has covered. The issues, detailed in articles in the spring, were highlighted in Thursday's story . What's still needed is a separate analysis; I understand one is in the works.
There has been no Post profile of Fernandes. Who is this woman who is reviled by some students and faculty but who has the support of the respected Jordan, the board of trustees (though that may be slipping) and The Post's editorial board?
And no article has explored how important this story is nationally. It is a deaf cause celebre; deaf groups around the country are supporting the protesters, and there have been 63 "tent city" protests as of Friday, according to Deafeye.com .
In their culture, the deaf consider themselves unique rather than disabled. Spending time on Web sites for the deaf can be enlightening about the importance of American Sign Language. Thomas Gallaudet recruited a deaf teacher from France, Laurent Clerc, to help organize the first deaf school, in Hartford, Conn., in the early 1800s. That is why ASL and French sign language have a related vocabulary. To those who grow up with ASL, English is a second language.
The Web site DeafCulture.com says: "One possible definition of U.S. Deaf culture (and there must be many!) is a social, communal, and creative force of, by, and for Deaf people based on American Sign Language (ASL). It encompasses communication, social protocol, art, entertainment, recreation . . . and worship. It's also an attitude, and, as such, can be a weapon of prejudice -- 'You're not one of us; you don't belong .' Despite the mighty efforts of generations of oralists, deaf people still prefer to communicate and mingle with their own kind."
Technology such as video phones, e-mail and text messaging has made it easier for deaf people to communicate, and hearing aids and cochlear implants have helped some gain hearing. ASLinfo.com says: "For many members of the deaf community, speech and thinking like a hearing person are negatively valued in Deaf Culture." Fernandes was born deaf, went to public schools, and can speak and read lips; she didn't learn ASL until she was 23.
Many protesters reject the idea that deaf culture has anything to do with their call for Fernandes to resign. David Rosenbaum, editor in chief of SIGNews , a national monthly publication for users of ASL, wrote in an e-mail: "Deaf identity is not an issue. The President's Office and its Office of Public Relations at Gallaudet University have been playing the 'deaf card' but it has no bearing to the root of the matter. There are other deaf leaders who learned sign language later in life and who possess the leadership qualifications needed."
Finally, several readers complained about an Oct. 14 front-page photograph of a black student, LaToya Plummer, being arrested. Patricia Martin of Shady Spring called to say: "All the pictures you've shown so far have a token two or three blacks in the whole crowd protesting. Now, all of a sudden, the arrest on the front page has to be of a black student. This is racism at its worst." But Plummer is one of the main protest leaders. It made sense to have her in the picture.
