‘Deaf President Now!’ Review – The Power of Protests

Founded in 1864, Gallaudet University was the first school established specifically for the deaf and hard of hearing and to this day remains the only higher education university in which all classes are catered to fit their needs. It would make sense that a deaf person would be in charge of an institution such as this, but for over 120 years since it’s inception, a normal hearing person had been president. Deaf President Now! recounts the student protests of 1988 that resulted in the appointment of Gallaudet’s first deaf president. It’s an uplifting and powerful documentary that shines a light on the importance and power of protests.

Co-directed by Nyle DiMarco, a deaf activist and graduate of Gallaudet University, the documentary uses footage and interviews with students and those involved with the protests to paint a picture of a peaceful protest that slowly gained momentum until proper change occurred. It’s a fascinating story that likely isn’t familiar to many, especially those outside the deaf community. It’s absolutely wild to me that a deaf university would not be lead by a deaf person. Furthermore, the documentary captures just how outlandish those in charge were at the time. Board of the Trustees chairperson Jane Bassett Spilman, the woman primarily responsible for electing a hearing president over two qualified deaf nominees, is primarily painted as the villain. And rightfully so. I was shocked when the documentary played footage of her addressing the first group of protesters after the announcement was made. She herself is unable to understand the protesting students because she doesn’t even know sign language and needs an interpreter alongside her. To me, someone who is in that type of position at a deaf university should know sign language at a bare minimum. There are other members of the board who are the same as well; she just happens to be in the spotlight during these protests the most.

The documentary forgoes using subtitles at all in the film, instead using voiceover to interpret the signing most of the subjects use in their interviews. It’s an interesting thing that stood out to me because it allows the audience to focus on the person and their movements and emotions as they tell their stories rather than focusing at the bottom of the screen to read what they’re saying. The film also utilizes sound exceptionally well, cutting in and out at specific moments to emphasize its message. It’s these little details the documentary captures that makes Deaf President Now! stand out among the rest. You can feel the disappointment and anger in the students as they fight for basic human decency.

Protesting has always been a vital and important right to Americans, now more than ever. Deaf President Now! is a powerful reminder that it does work and can influence change. It’s good to look back to the past and have these reminders of how successful protesting can be. Gallaudet University has had four different presidents since the Deaf President Now protests, and all of them have been deaf. Despite not being deaf myself or having any prior knowledge of the event, Deaf President Now! gives me hope in what people can accomplish when they fight for what they believe.