Insights

Deaf President Now: The Power Behind a Historic Protest

According to the Gallaudet University Museum, in 1814, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet met a young deaf girl named Alice Cogswell while visiting his family in Hartford, Connecticut. Moved by her isolation and intrigued by her ability to understand him through rudimentary communication, Gallaudet was inspired to help her and others like her. With financial support from Alice’s father, Dr. Mason Cogswell, Gallaudet traveled to Europe to study methods for educating deaf children. In England, he encountered resistance from the Braidwood family, who guarded their oral teaching methods and demanded high fees. Disheartened by the oral method’s limitations, Gallaudet soon connected with Abbe Sicard of the Institut Royal des Sourds-Muets in Paris and his Deaf faculty, Laurent Clerc and Jean Massieu, who used sign language and offered a more effective, inclusive approach.

After studying in France, Gallaudet invited Clerc to return with him to America. During their voyage, they taught each other their respective languages — Clerc learned English, and Gallaudet learned more about sign language. Together, they established the American School for the Deaf in 1817, where Clerc became the first Deaf teacher of Deaf students in the United States. Gallaudet later married a graduate of the school, Sophia Fowler, and their youngest son, Edward Miner Gallaudet, would carry on his legacy. Edward eventually founded what became Gallaudet University, a national college for Deaf students, after President Abraham Lincoln signed its charter in 1864.

This inception of the Gallaudet University charted a 124-year course that would climax in the Deaf President Now (DPN) Protest. Read more about the roots and impact of this monumental protest below.

A President of Their Own

After decades of the University presidency not representing the students it led, tensions mounted in the spring of 1988. The University Board of Trustees, comprised of 17 individuals, only 4 of whom were Deaf, was tasked with appointing a new University president. In the early days of March, the Board selected the sole hearing presidential candidate from a pool of 4 candidates. Enraged by both the decision and the public announcement of the board selection, Deaf students and faculty banded together to protest a decision that reinforced the very boundaries they faced on a regular basis.

This announcement on March 6, 1988 began the start of a history making 6-day protest on the University campus consisting of marches, sit-ins, speeches, and debates.

The DPN4

The DPN movement was led by passionate students motivated by a vision of leadership that reflected their culture and best interest. These student leaders came to be known as the DPN4. Pictured below from left to right these student leaders included Tim Rarus, Bridgetta Bourne-Firl, Greg Hlibok, and Jerry Covell. Each holding their own unique voice and role within the movement, their skillsets and majors fostered a powerful force in their collaboration for a pursuit of the selection of the University’s first Deaf president.

The Gallaudet University Museum summarizes the demands of the protest as the following:

“The students and their backers then presented the Board of Trustees with four demands:

Elisabeth Zinser must resign and a Deaf person selected president

Jane Spilman must step down as chairperson of the Board of Trustees

Deaf people must constitute a 51% majority on the Board

There would no reprisals against any student or employee involved in the protest.”

Resolution & Impact

Ultimately, all four demands of the Deaf President Now protest were met, marking a historic victory for the Deaf community. Just days after the protest began, Elisabeth Zinser resigned, and Dr. I. King Jordan, a Deaf candidate, was appointed as the first Deaf president of Gallaudet University. Jane Spilman stepped down as chair of the Board of Trustees, addressing the call for leadership change. The Board also agreed to restructure itself to ensure that Deaf individuals would make up a 51% majority, giving the community a stronger voice in decisions impacting their education and representation. Lastly, the University guaranteed that no student, faculty, or staff member would face punishment for their role in the protests. These successes not only fulfilled the students’ specific demands but also set a powerful precedent for self-determination and leadership within the Deaf community, as documented by the Gallaudet University Museum.

Impact Today

The new Apple TV+ documentary Deaf President Now! powerfully brings the 1988 student-led protest at Gallaudet University to life, highlighting its profound cultural and civil rights significance. Co-directed by Deaf activist Nyle DiMarco alongside Oscar-winning filmmaker Davis Guggenheim, the film uniquely centers the Deaf community’s voice, using a “Deaf point of view” that switches between silent sequences and muffled sound to immerse viewers in the Deaf experience. This immersive approach goes beyond mere retelling—it gives form to the emotions, frustrations, and triumphs of the students who demanded representation, culminating in the appointment of I. King Jordan as the first Deaf president of Gallaudet.

More than a historical account, the documentary vividly illustrates how the DPN protest reshaped Deaf culture, reclaimed agency, and challenged hearing-world paternalism. Reviews emphasize that its impact resonates like a civil rights milestone. By casting Deaf individuals as storytellers, Deaf President Now! reclaims a narrative long overlooked and inspires both Deaf and hearing audiences to recognize the power and resilience of the community’s collective action.

The Deaf President Now movement was more than a protest — it was a turning point that forever changed how the Deaf community was seen and heard, both on campus and across the world. What began as a response to an unfair decision quickly grew into a bold declaration of self-representation, cultural pride, and the fundamental right to lead. The students, faculty, and allies who stood together in 1988 not only won the appointment of a Deaf president but also shifted the direction of Gallaudet University and sparked a broader movement for Deaf empowerment. Their voices echoed far beyond the gates of Gallaudet, inspiring future generations to advocate for inclusion, accessibility, and respect.

Today, their legacy lives on — not just in textbooks or museum exhibits, but through storytelling platforms like Apple TV+’s Deaf President Now! documentary. It reminds us that real change happens when communities rise together, when students find their voice, and when leadership finally reflects the people it serves. The DPN movement wasn’t just a moment in time — it’s a symbol of what’s possible when people refuse to be silenced.