The Deaf President Now movement, or DPN, was a student-led campaign in 1988 that was designed to increase campus awareness and secure a deaf president to lead Gallaudet University – the only university in the world created exclusively for the deaf and hard of hearing. The demonstration and protest, which is also seen as part of the Disability Rights Movement, set in motion immediate and lasting improvements in public perceptions of deaf people. In this essay, I will discuss the history, causes, and outcomes of the Deaf President Now movement, as well as its unprecedented impact on the deaf and hard of hearing community.
In 2001, LJ Kensicki wrote an article in the Journal of Communication Inquiry that focused on the positive impact of the Deaf President Now (DPN) movement on Deaf rights and education. This movement, which began in 1988 at Gallaudet University, was the first large-scale protest by the Deaf community and was the first to bring attention to the cultural and political issues of the Deaf community. The movement was successful in that it led
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As outlined by DF Armstrong in Sign Language Studies, the movement helped to bring a new level of visibility to the Deaf community, and was the first time that Deaf people had asserted their rights in a powerful and unified way (Armstrong, 2014). The movement was successful in that it brought about the election of the first Deaf president of Gallaudet University, and it was also an important sign of progress in that it demonstrated the power of Deaf people working together to bring about change. It also brought attention to the need for greater representation of Deaf people in higher education and other areas of society. Overall, the DPN movement was a hugely impactful event that has had long-term repercussions for the Deaf community, and has helped to create a stronger sense of Deaf identity and