In sign language, the words "protest" and "revolution" are shown the same way.
So, when I. King Jordan, the president of Gallaudet University, needs to say those words, he usually spells them out one letter at a time using hand signs.That's because the protest that led to his appointment at America's only university for deaf students ultimately became a revolution for people who are hearing impaired or deaf.
Jordan was in Salt Lake City Monday to speak to Utah's Gallaudet alumni at the Little America Hotel. After his introduction, he received a standing ovation from the audience. Some clapped, but most waved their arms in the air as a form of visual applause.
In March 1988, Jordan emerged from a controversy where the lone hearing finalist to become the new president, Elizabeth Zinser, was chosen over two qualified deaf candidates.
For one week, students protested, would not let their new president on campus and closed classes. Zinser and the chairwoman of the board of trustees, Jane Spilman, resigned. Jordan became the first deaf president at the school.
Jordan said there are "a lot of success stories because a group of students refused to accept a decision they disagreed with."
The student president has a job with a New York law firm, which will pay his way through law school. Another student that went on a news program is now working for a Wall Street firm, Jordan said.
He said deaf children's attitudes have changed also. Before, when he asked deaf children what they hoped to do in the future, they would say they planned to help deaf people in some unspecific way. But now children want to be doctors, lawyers and rich businessmen, just like other children.
There has been new legislation in Congress to help deaf people, and one congressman gave a speech in sign language to his colleagues on the floor of the House.
He said he sometimes runs into disagreements with students at the university. Students who have changed the world don't necessarily believe that people should work within the system to effect change.
Since the "revolution," Gallaudet has tried to increase the number of academic programs and has tried to increase the difficulty of the classes. SAT entrance scores have increased and participation in the honors program has gone up.
Students have raised the issue of faculty use of sign language. Some students have trouble understanding teachers because some teachers don't know sign language as well as they should.
And a debate at Gallaudet recently has been over language. Gallaudet is bilingual, and some people say one or the other language should be eliminated. One language is American Sign Language, ASL, which communicates more in concepts using body gestures and facial expressions, as opposed to English, which is a direct exchange of signs for spoken words.
Earlier in the day, Jordan visited the Community Center for the Deaf in Bountiful and spoke with young deaf people there.
Jordan became deaf at 21 because of a navy accident. English is his native language. "I follow English when I sign, but can use ASL. Everyone should have choices and choose what he or she wants to do," he said of the issue.
Jordan said he had a difficult time learning sign language at first. "I kind of expected to hear again. When I realized I would never hear again, I picked sign up faster."