Deaf President Now

This article is about the 1988 student protest. For the documentary film covering the protest, see Deaf President Now!

Deaf President Now (DPN) was a student protest in March 1988 at Gallaudet University, Washington, D.C. The protest began on March 6, 1988, when the Board of Trustees announced its decision to appoint a hearing candidate, Elisabeth Zinser, over the Deaf candidates, I. King Jordan and Harvey Corson, as its seventh president.

Gallaudet students, backed by a number of alumni, staff, and faculty, shut down the campus. Protesters barricaded gates, burned effigies, and gave interviews to the press demanding four specific concessions from the Board. The protest ended on March 13, 1988, after all four demands were met including the appointment of Jordan, a deaf person, as university president. Additionally, many new laws and government recognitions were set in place due to the influence of the protest.


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